— Less than five minutes into “Proof,” the audience will be questioning the main character’s sanity just as much as she is.

Figuring out if Catherine, played by Tawny Easterling, is losing her sanity is nearly as daunting a task as figuring out one of the mathematical equations from which the play draws its name.

In the opening scene, Catherine’s father, Robert, played by Frank Godman, wishes Claire a happy birthday. His advice for birthday fun? Do mathematics.

The performances start at 8 p.m. tonight and runs through Feb. 11 at the Muskogee Little Theatre. It’s not so much a coming-of-age play as a coming-of-sanity story for Catherine, catered for adults, with some harsh language peppered in.

Robert is a world-famous mathematician who lost his sanity along the way. Catherine was his caretaker before he died and also a brilliant mathematician. She’s afraid she’s following in her father’s insanity footsteps. She also lays claim to a ground-breaking mathematics proof, even though it was found in her father’s desk.

“Catherine’s afraid she’s got a lot of her father,” the play’s director, Sarah Turner, said. “We have to determine who wrote the proof.”

Catherine’s duplicity is what drew Easterling to the role.

“It’s an incredible challenge, but totally worth it,” Easterling said. “There’s a lot underneath she doesn’t want people to know about.

“You see her at happy points with her father and low points with her father and how everything affected her mental stability.”

As for the math? That’s all acting, too.

“I would go as far to say I loathed math,” Easterling said. “My mom (Lori Bottger) was a math teacher. And I’m terrible at math. I get to pretend I know math.”

The cast also consists of Amanda Dixon, who plays Catherine’s sister, Claire, and Micheal Rappe, who plays Hal, a former student of Robert’s who is searching his former mentor’s papers for unpublished proofs.

“They’re all good, juicy roles,” Turner said. “If you’re going to put in all the time you put in down here, you want a good role, and they’re all good.”

When asked the difference between Catherine and Claire, both Easterling and Dixon said, “It’s night and day.”

Both daughters loved their father, they just showed it in much different ways. And despite the sarcastic remarks and occasional verbal confrontations, the sisters care for each other too, Dixon said.

“Claire really does care about Catherine,” Dixon said. “She genuinely wants to take care of her sister — she’s just a little over the top with it.”

Claire is outgoing and usually the life of the party. That was the biggest challenge for Dixon, she said.

“It’s harder to act nice than to act mad,” Dixon said. “I’ve never done anything like this.”

Godman, who played Randle McMurphy in MLT’s production of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” said he’s “used to crazy” after that performance. But the main appeal of auditioning for his new role?

“I was going to hurt him if he didn’t audition,” Turner said with a laugh.

But this role is “something different,” Godman said.

“And I like playing different roles,” Godman said. “This is a great group. It’s all come together real well.”

Rappe said the small cast is beneficial to the performance.

“There’s a lot more familiarity,” Rappe said. “I think you have a chance to make connections between the characters.”

Reach Mike Carrels at (918) 684-2922 or mcarrels@muskogeephoenix.com.

If you go



WHAT: “Proof.”

WHEN: 8 p.m. Feb. 3-4 and Feb. 9-11 and 2 p.m. Feb. 5.

WHERE: Muskogee Little Theatre, 325 Cincinnati Ave.

TICKETS: $14 adults, $10 student, available at Soundworld (918) 683-4901 and at the MLT box office one hour before the performance.

ETC.: “Proof” won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. It was made into a film staring Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins and Jake Gyllenhaal in 2005.

Cast and crew

Cast

Catherine — Tawny Easterling

Robert — Frank Godman

Hal — Micheal Rappe

Claire — Amanda Dixon

Crew

Director — Sarah Turner

Producer — Dr. Tom Kennedy

Stage manager — Linda Sapienza

Technical director — Si Dunn

Backstage managers — Phil Sapienza and Justin Baker

Sponsor — Bacone College Board of Trustees