WVU professor Acacia Daken explores the unseen dynamics behind Proof.
A groundbreaking mathematical discovery, family conflict, and questions of genius and inheritance take center stage in Proof, the Pulitzer Prize– and Tony Award–winning drama coming to West Virginia University this weekend.
Proof follows Catherine, who spent years caring for her brilliant but unstable mathematician father, Robert. After his death, she faces a difficult question: How much of his madness—or genius—might she inherit? When a groundbreaking mathematical proof surfaces, a heated debate begins over its true author.
Acacia Daken plays Claire, Catherine’s older sister. While Claire often comes across as controlling or distant, Daken sees her differently. “She’s the practical one,” Daken says. “She’s dealing with people who are potentially genius-level mathematicians in her family. She’s a young person studying and working to pay off the mortgage on the house where everybody lived. Everybody’s making sacrifices.”
Daken is an assistant professor of voice at West Virginia University. The Australia native began acting at 18 in short films and commercials. After earning a teaching degree, she attended the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in the United Kingdom and later returned to earn an MFA in voice. She went on to teach at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, which is the alma mater of the multiple award–winning Australian actor Hugh Jackman.
Although Proof tackles serious themes, Daken says audiences should keep an open mind on what to expect. “I think it’s quite exhilarating, I think it’s hopeful, and I think it’s a play that is satisfying for a wide range of people because it’s smart, but it also has a lot of heart,” she says. “I didn’t expect it to be as funny as it is—and maybe we’re just finding the fun in it.’”
Proof runs Wednesday–Sunday, June 24–28, at West Virginia University’s Canady Creative Arts Center, where the Sunday performance will feature ASL interpretation. Weekday shows begin at 7:30 p.m., while weekend performances start at 2 p.m. General admission tickets are $30, with discounts available for seniors, children, and groups.
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