Theatre Night was a tremendous success. With a theatre class, dwindling after improv season, down to a handful of participants, it was decided to perform one act plays for the end of the year event. Sadly, even with the smaller cast requirements of one acts, we were only able to put together two; but they did not disappoint!
In the first play, The Philadelphia by David Ives, Josh Clark, Ben Foster, and Elliot Bailes delighted the crowd with the metaphysical dilemma of feeling like you’re in one place, while struggling to escape the philosophical pitfalls of another. Josh plays ‘laid back’ to perfection, and Ben has us totally believing he is a man at the ‘end of his rope.’ Elliot seals the deal as the waitress/temptress, who beguiles both men. Hilarious and perplexing, The Philadelphia was great fun to watch!
In the second play, Sure Thing, also by David Ives, Tariq Foraida and Kelley Carlisle portray twenty-somethings who meet in a public place and try to get acquainted. Again, Ives uses metaphysics to drive his point home. Each time a character uses a line that would have, in real life, ended the chance for two people to connect, a bell rings (Loea Kang) and the scene jumps: Sometimes forward, sometimes backwards, and sometimes sideways. It was not an easy script to learn. Many of the lines are repeated, revisited, and used by both characters. Eventually, they survive all the pitfalls (including Elliot Bailes as a ‘sort of’ girlfriend) and eventually leave the establishment together. The audience was on the edge of their chairs waiting to see if they were ever going to work it out, pulling for them and laughing along with them the entire way.
The show was rounded out with poetry and music. Ronan Taylor read the worst poem ever written (My Heart Is A Wiffle Ball/Freedom Pole, By Kristen Stewart) and Kevin Kochel and Emily Meyers enchanted us with mood-setting poems by Carl Sandberg. Mr. Andrews Bashan and Nick Christopherson came out between each play and gave us some upbeat eighties tunes with dueling guitars. Everything that hit the stage was energetic and entertaining.
The backstage managers were Emily Sullivan and Matt Cathell, who did great work keeping everything in order and keeping the show tight. Bobby Sunderland worked the door (the muscle) and Paul Whittington, and Max Ginsberg rounded-out the stage crew.
