Not everyone can say they have a pet chimpanzee. And they can certainly not say that their pet chimp just drove to get Dunkin’ for them.
In Trevor, written by Nick Jones, Sandra, a middle-aged widow, played by Maddie Tarbox, cares for her adolescent chimpanzee, Trevor. Trevor is smart, talented, and caring and he can even drive on the highway. He often struggles to communicate with people and comes across as aggressive. Sandra assures her neighbor Ashley, played by Victoria Gluchoski, that Trevor would never intentionally hurt someone so there is no need to lock him up in his kennel. The play is based on the 2009 attack of a woman by her friend’s chimpanzee. Colton Butcher who plays Trevor, said he spent time researching the relationship between the characters.
“Trevor is trying to communicate with people, but he can’t because of the language barrier. And it’s not just that Trevor doesn’t understand what people are saying, but he’s also ignoring any hints that might show him what’s really going on,” Butcher said.
As part of his research, Butcher said he spent time observing the chimpanzees at the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, Fl.
The Center for Great Apes is a non-profit sanctuary that cares for chimpanzees and orangutans that worked in the entertainment industry at an early age. The center tries to rehabilitate the apes, as many have never lived with other apes before. Diane Beatty, operations manager at the center said that some come from Hollywood, lab tests and private homes.
“Our main goal is to provide them lifelong care, which can be 40 or 50 years. [The entertainment industry] has to retire them as early as 7 years old because they cannot be handled. They’re too strong, and they’re really smart,” Beatty said.
Beatty said that Butcher spent the afternoon with them at the center, and as they took him on a tour of the sanctuary he paid close attention to their mannerisms, their social hierarchy, and how they react to one another.
“They are very social creatures,” Beatty said. “Chimpanzees and orangutans are wild animals; they are not meant to be worked in entertainment or held in private homes.”
A story of friendship, family, fame, and fear, Trevor addresses the effect of captivity on chimpanzees, the use of animals for entertainment, and the special relationship between people and their unique pets.
“Trevor is a pleasurable way to examine a different perspective on animal rights and the way that humans tend to project their values on animals and objectify them,” director Christopher Niess said.
Trevor will benefit the Center for Great Apes. Theatre UCF, the UCF Anthropology Club, and Hominids Anonymous will be collecting donations. The play will be showing Nov. 13, 14,15, 20, 21, 22 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 16, and 23 at 2 p.m. at the UCF Black Box. Tickets are $20 standard, $18 seniors, and $10 for students.
