Director's Note: Proof at Little Theatre of Manchester

This director’s note appeared in the program for Little Theatre of Manchester‘s production of Proof, by David Auburn, directed by Kevin Michael Reed.  The show ran from June 6 – 22, 2025. You can view some photographs in Kevin’s portfolio on this site.

First, I have to apologize to you. You were sold a play about mathematics and a mysterious proof. If you were looking for a night out filled with mathematical formulas and a chance to indulge your inner geek, this isn’t quite that play. I promise you, though, there will be plenty of drama—and just enough mathematics sprinkled throughout to keep even the armchair mathematician reminiscing about formulas from their youth.

As you breathe a sigh of relief, I do have to tell you that Proof is a bit of a puzzle.

Imagine setting aside your own ambitions—your very sense of self—to care for your brilliant but mentally ill father during the final years of his life. The weight of intellectual legacy and familial expectation looms large. This is where we meet Catherine, the play’s protagonist.

At its heart, Proof is a family drama. It exposes the many ways we love, the complicated ways that love shapes our identity, our choices, and the course of our lives. It asks you to reflect on your own family: the ones who choose to love from a distance, giving what they can in their own way, and those who stay, sacrificing their own needs for the sake of family.

Proof lays bare the complexities of family and inheritance—emotional, intellectual, and genetic—as we watch Catherine’s search for self-worth, autonomy, and a life that is truly her own.

I’m writing this note as I sit at the start of our final official rehearsal before we move into technical rehearsals. The actors are warming up with the exercises we learned on the very first day. Our stage manager, Matt, is busy placing Stacey’s props where they need to be. Lucas, our lighting designer, is backstage focusing lights on Linda’s beautifully crafted set, and I see pieces of Rayah’s costumes hanging in the shadows. And in the back of my mind, Chris’ evocative soundtrack plays as I prepare for the journey that is Proof.

The theatre is a powerful place. A place where people from all walks of life come together to bring a story to life—a story shaped by a PhD student, a broadcast engineer, an HR Director, a middle school teacher, an actuary, an insurance underwriter, and so many more.

That’s the true power of theatre, isn’t it? It opens our minds, sparks discourse, and invites us to carry the questions with us after the curtain falls. I hope that as you leave tonight and begin to put the puzzle together—whether you’re walking home, riding the train, or driving through the quiet streets—the third act of Proof begins to unfold. That’s the act where we start to wonder: How do we carry the weight of love and loss? How do we reconcile our own dreams with the needs of those we love? How do we define ourselves, not just in relation to our families, but in the quiet corners of our lives? Theatre gives us a rare opportunity to pause, to reflect, and to ask these questions—and in that, there is something truly powerful. Perhaps, if we’re paying attention, we’ll each find a little Proof of our own.

Kevin Michael Reed
Director