The
Playwright’s Project Gives Young and 55+ Playwrights Much Deserved Notoriety
Words by Kristen
Fogle
The
Playwrights Project’s (PP) tag line is “where stories take the stage.” This is a
modest description, because PP is so much more. The organization showcases scripts
written by young and old alike; it immerses an audience in a kind of theater
they don’t generally see; it encourages local talent through directing, acting,
and as said, writing. At least, this has been my experience.
Over two
weekdays, at 10 a.m., I was able to see Plays by Young Writers, PP’s winning
scripts from the 2011 California Young Playwrights Contest (CYPC), and the
Lifestages Reflections, scripts penned by seniors from the “Recollections”
playwriting series.
For the
Young Playwrights, two staged readings and two full productions were presented.
“The Eccentric Flight of a Fly” was the first staged reading, written by then 12
year old Kira Nolan, who adeptly presented a funny, well rounded piece that
comes full circle: an impressive feat for a person of her age. The play opens
with a girl and her mother fighting with a band of flies. Then the piece
rewinds to earlier in the day when flies tried to take over the girl’s
brain…and the world. In the end, this does not come to fruition and the flies
decide on better courses of action (for two flies that means Disney World). In
the second staged reading, “From Underdog to Top Rhino,” authors Matthew Maceda
and Eric Pak, both 11 at the time of writing, introduce us to a red rhino who
just wants to be like his blue rhino counterparts…and be a part of the elite rhino club, the ESSR. Not only does the
red rhino come out on top, he realizes how supportive his older brother is, and
that the head of ESSR has a similar handicap…he’s purple! But red, purple, and
blue rhinos have their strengths, and everything turns out well in the end.
Actors James Gomez, Cindy Lewis, Taylor Wycoff, Phillip John, and Isaac
Resca-Baesel take turns in different roles for each of these scripts;
particularly humorous is fly band leader/head of the ESSR, played by John.
Young actor Resca-Baesel also has a bright future ahead of him.
For the staged
productions, “American Idyll” was very well done, to be expected, as it was written
by three time CYPC winner, then 15 year old Nachi Baru. The 1984 reminiscent
“Idyll” involves Kris, who works for the Fiction Bureau, a sector of the
government which regulates that all fiction be reminiscent of the real world;
stories involve office clerks and true to life circumstances, no fantasy
allowed. When Kris finds a non-approved book his landlady gives him, he is
floored—reading about dragons has given him a higher purpose. Kris tries to
talk to his brother Jackson, a highly acclaimed “fiction” author, but he just
ends up turning Kris in to the head of the department. Kris then enlists his
friend and fellow co-worker Myra to distribute copies of the book to
everyone…unfortunately people just don’t get it. Rachel VanWormer (Myra) is the
stand out in this one, along with J Tyler Jones’ big idea-d Kris. I was
particularly impressed with the audience reaction to this one…one of the school
kids watching the piece described “Idyll” as “like ‘Hunger Games,’ where one
segment of government has far too much control.” Pretty astute for someone who doesn’t
look like he’s over the age of ten! The last staged piece was “Hallowed,”
written by then 18 year old Caleb Roitz. This introspective piece followed an
Old Man, who is coming to terms with dying. This has brought him to what he
thought was a quiet piece of forest; however, he is visited by a young boy, a
feuding couple, and another old man. Each give him their take on dying, life, love,
and family. Jim Chovik is naturally a bit grumpy faced and is excellent as the
Old Man. Lane Palhegyi is adorable as the Boy, and has great timing for someone
of his age. And Antonio T J Johnson is great in both “Idyll” and this one: with
the commanding demeanor needed to portray a head of a government agency to a
old, slightly backwoods old man looking for a good natured fight. And Roitz is
to be commended for writing such a thoughtful, wise piece.
For the
Lifestages Reflections, four fully staged performances were showcased. It must
be noted that each play was autobiographical fiction—that is aspects and ideas presented
actually happened, but each is a far cry from traditional nonfiction. The first
play was “Wahoo” by Topper Birdsall. Wahoo was Topper’s father, and Topper, as
a young boy, makes an appearance. The piece recounts a Christmas during World
War II, when Wahoo was selling Christmas trees but let his drinking and big
ideas interfere. What was fun to watch was the unabashed dialogue Wahoo (played
by Kevin Six) has with his bar mates and the young Topper (Tiffany Tang)
flitting about, trying to do what should be important for Wahoo. Birdsall
recalls his father’s alcoholism almost with fondness; his play is not exactly a
cautionary tale, but what could have been a moment in time with his now
deceased father. The mood turns slightly with “Let’s Have Drinks,” Savannah
Sincoff’s piece about two old girlfriends (Tang and Savvy Scopelleti) that meet
so one can obtain psychological guidance from the other. Tang’s character
recounts her problems with men and finally, in the conclusion, the two learn
that the new beau is the psychologist’s ex. Sincoff recalls at the end of the
performance in the talk back how the two actresses originally approached the
piece. “They came at so seriously. I was like, it’s OK, it’s a comedy!” Next
was the brilliantly sarcastic, wittily written “Childbirth: The Musical,”
featuring Tang and Bryan White. We did not hear from writer John Whitmore at
the talk back, but his piece begs to be expanded into a full work: the musical
number “Labor” has hilarious lyrics that won’t leave my head. The last, and
probably best piece, was “Changing Roles” by June Gottleib. Her four scenes
encapsulated a marriage over the years so well: from a doting suitor trying to
woo his future wife while she preps for a date with another man; to a couple
with children and a husband who isn’t sure if he wants to leave; then, as
elders, the man with Alzheimer’s and the wife who attempts patience; last, with
the wife who is going on a date after the husband’s death, though never leaving
him behind. Scopelleti and Eddie Yaroch muster such differences in attitude and
relationship in the four scenes, showing the progression of the couple’s lives
well. For my mother and I, after recently losing my dad and her husband to a
heart attack after a battle with dementia, the last two scenes hit very close
to home and we were incredibly moved by Gottleib’s strength—she composed this
piece the year her husband Jerry, an avid supporter of PP, passed.
Descriptions
don’t do PP’s works justice. There is something so incredible about seeing new
work produced, especially work that was conceived of by San Diegans. This round
of Plays by Young Writers and the Lifestages Reflections can be seen at the
Lyceum until the 29th, but the PP website is chock full of
opportunities to produce, write, and see work like this all year long.
For more information on the
Playwrights Project, visit www.playwrightsproject.org.
Playwrights Project
4/20-4/29
Lyceum Theatre
79
Horton Plaza
San
Diego, 92101
619-544-1000
www.lyceumevents.org
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