Gunner Joachim ’18 is bringing his award-winning skills combining theatre and history to the national stage.
Joachim, a double major in history and theatre, has been selected to attend the prestigious Kennedy Center American College Theatre National Festival in Washington D.C., thanks to his work on the fall production of Gaslight. While Joachim shined as a detective in the Victorian thriller, it’s his role behind the scenes as the dramaturg—in essence, the show’s researcher—that’s won him a spot at the festival.
“I was pretty floored, to be honest,” Joachim said. “It was very surreal.”
To craft an authentic show, Joachim researched what they would need to know about 1800s England, such as how gender and class intersected and interacted with the power structure of both the Victorian household and the society at large. Through his readings, Joachim learned about the era’s patriarchal structure—a dynamic that the villain of Gaslight takes advantage of in order to keep the protagonist—Bella, his wife—from questioning his criminal behavior.
(Watch Professor of Psychological Sciences Christina Scott explain the mental abuse of gaslighting.)
Beyond the history of the era, Joachim broadened his research to psychology, reading about the abusive nature of gaslighting—the act of manipulating someone by psychological means into questioning their own sanity. He began to connect his research and his knowledge of theatre, and synthesized the two into a series of weekly video essays that he could share with the cast and crew about how to create the most authentic play they could. The videos covered all kinds of topics from social norms and class systems to physical details like architectural styles and the era’s common household items.
“Gaslight happens to be a particularly complicated show,” said director Katie Liddicoat. “While it is set in Victorian times, it was written at the end of the Industrial Revolution, and Gunner’s research on both of those eras provided invaluable insights into the various messages of the play.”
When Gaslight opened, audiences were wowed by not only by the celebrated acting, but by the whole production’s impressive immersion into Victorian England, from the detailed sets to period-accurate costumes and dialects. The first two nights of the weekend run sold out every seat in the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts’ Studio Theatre.
The success of Gaslight launched Joachim and co-stars Nikki Knupp ’18 and Ruben Sanchez ’18 to the regional Kennedy festival, where Joachim qualified for nationals after winning the top dramaturgy award.
“Dramaturgy, for him, provides a means to merge his passions for theatre and the study of history, from an extremely interdisciplinary perspective,” said Professor of Theatre Gil Gonzalez. His impressive work on the play was the perfect opportunity for him to meld his love for research alongside his passion for theatre.
“I have always found him to be a talented young performer, as well as one that is extremely inquisitive and investigative, by nature,” added Gonzalez, who has known Joachim since his first year at Whittier.
As he gets close to leaving the Shannon Center stage for the commencement stage, Joachim feels pleased to have found a project that culminates his time at Whittier.
The Kennedy festival in April will provide him with even more preparation for his career. Joachim is looking forward to networking with professionals during the six-day event. He’s also planning to attend a master class taught by a professional dramaturg and learning more about how people make a living in that field.
