The Shows:
Including Adam Rutledge, Sarah Moore*, Dana Hahn, Natalie Hamrick, Daniel Boughton, Todd Masterson
Including Mike Culbertson and Adam Rutledge
Directed by Roseanna Whitlow
(*-denotes Black Mask Honorary Dramatic Society member)
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The series included several other shows, which I unfortunately do not have the programs for; however, Lilies and Wail were the only two shows that were actually shows; the rest were composites of poetry, short scenes, and the like. All in all, a wonderful idea, a great use of the lab theatre space, and something that should continue for years to come. Apparently, it will, although there were only be two shows, one in each semester, in future seasons. An unfortunate failing, but at least the series exists.
The two shows above were really wonderful to work on; Lilies because it was a new kind of theatre (script-in-hand performance) for me, and Wail because it was so whimsical.
Lilies, written by the new chair of the Theatre and Dance department, was an interesting script with a great deal of poignancy; unfortunately, it also contained weak dialogue that was sometimes painful to read and shallow characters that could have come from any of a dozen other plays I've read. The themes in the script were clear-cut and immediate, but overdone. The play was interesting, and would be excellent for a class play, an exercise in acting, but I would prefer not to see it gain the status of a full-fledged production. The cast was able, however, and rose to the script admirably. As a first attempt at a script reading, it went very well, and set a tone of quality and laissez-faire that continued through the series.
Wail, a work written by a student in a Theatre Appreciation class, was quite fun for both cast and audience. Taking place in the belly of a whale, the play is a short dialogue between two men, one who is new to the whale, and one who has lived there for some time. The script raises questions about faith, god, time, morality, and mortality, unless you don't want it to; but then, this is true about many scripts. A humorous piece, Wail brought me a few laughs and a quite enjoyable experience in working with Mike Culbertson for the first time.
Copyright ©2002 Adam Rutledge