Christine Carrillo David Auburn’s play “Proof” has...

Christine Carrillo

David Auburn’s play “Proof” has already proven to be a success on

stage, but starting Friday, director Michael Bloom and his cast, led

by Emily Bergl, must prove that they can continue the play’s success

without imitating its award-winning predecessors.

The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play will appear on the

Segerstrom Stage at the South Coast Repertory through Feb. 6. It

started in previews this past Friday.

The play, which deals with the quirkiness of true genius and its

effect on life, work and family, has challenged cast members to rise

to a theatrical genius that is expected to make the play come to

life.

A task that is easier said than done.

“You have to find an individual, idiosyncratic way of doing it,”

said the award-winning director. “There are always at least two sides

to a character, and an actor must keep all of the sides in play at

the same time.”

However, that is where Bloom’s talent lies. Helping actors achieve

such a task is one of his passions.

“I’m primarily an acting coach as a director,” he said. “I’m more

interested in eliciting and shaping what the actors are capable of,

and I enjoy that process more.”

While helping the actors find a connection to their roles, Bloom

must also aid audience members in understanding the power of the play

itself.

“If I feel like I’m going to tell the story clearly, then I have

to make myself personally into an audience member,” Bloom said. “It’s

more a matter of making sure that the story is told.”

For Bergl, the role means revealing the turmoil of a young woman,

Catherine, who ponders the possibility that she has inherited her

father’s genius or his madness.

By placing a piece of herself into her character, Bergl, whose has

also acted in television and movies, is able to breathe life into it.

“I think this is one of the greatest parts I’ll ever really play.

... One of the reasons I took the role was because I was terrified of

it,” Bergl said. “It’s difficult to put yourself out there, but I

think that I’ve learned, I continue to learn how vital it is not to

be afraid of failure.”

By pushing that fear aside, Bergl was able to embrace the role and

push herself to her limits.

“It’s like a marathon for whoever plays this part. There’s such

highs and lows, simply the energy required,” she said, adding that

it’s being on stage heightens the experience. “It’s all about the

acting. It’s just about what were going to do on stage.”

Witnessing what’s being done on stage, Bloom expects, will be a

ride in itself for audiences.

“I think it’s about trust, and that strikes me as very pertinent,”

he said. “[Audiences] can expect a really intelligent evening that

has a lot of depth of feeling. Because it’s got all these facets,

it’s very entertaining.”