It’s a small underground room guarded by an ancient stuffed animal of ambiguous species (wild boar, perhaps?). The sound-proof doors are almost always locked. However, every now and again the public can catch a glimpse of what goes on in the subterranean lair known as the Second Stage Meeting Room, where the self-proclaimed “Young, Friendly and Attractive” thespians of Wesleyan decide what theater gets produced, and make it happen.
At last Sunday’s Second Stage meeting, the fourteen members were joined by all the directors and stage managers of shows in the Spring 2008 season. With the effervescent Ariela Rotenberg ’10 imparting such kernels of theatrical wisdom as, “Do not get drunk and then operate heavy machinery,” I can only speculate on what to expect from what Rotenberg calls an “exceptional” and “exciting” new season.
Taking the stage the last weekend of February is “Matt and Ben,” directed by Ali Kimmel ’08 and Jo Firestone ’09. The gleefully biting satire depicts two unassuming Harvard students, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and what ensues when the script of “Good Will Hunting” falls out of the sky and into their laps. Called “absolutely delightful and deliciously spiteful” by the New York Times and directed by two superb actresses, this looks to be exactly the right sort of tart comedy to make February less dreary.
From April 10-12 will be “My Kingdom for a Whore” by Rob Boyd ’08 of “Waiting In Line” renown. Sadly, a case of mistaken identity led me to contact the wrong “R. Boyd” via e-mail, hence the lack of further information regarding the production. Therefore, based solely on the title, I predict the kind of pseudo-literary student-written comedy that will be adored by those close to him, and politely appreciated by everyone else.
The following weekend, Anthony Nikolchev ’08 premieres his self-written solo performance, “Look, What I Don’t Understand.” According to Nikolchev, the piece is “trying to figure out a way towards understanding past generations…through the perspective of the present generation.” He explores this theme using the story of his own father, aunt and grandparents, who illegally emigrated from Communist Bulgaria in the 1960s. Nikolchev chose not to make his play a re-creation of his family’s experience, calling that tactic “impossible and fake.” Instead, he explains, “what I am doing is finding the way to understand their story through the only perspective that I can fully possess: my own.”
The theatrical techniques he employs, such as having a different person direct each segment without knowing what the other directors are doing, pose exciting challenges. For those with an intellectual appreciation for theatre, the play is a fertile ground for analysis of levels of perception. For those who simply want to be moved by one of the finest actors and directors at Wesleyan, the play is a very personal account of how one man deals with the amazing experiences of his family.
Nikolchev shares the weekend with another solo performance piece exploring the relations between past and present: “Palimpsest,” directed by Isa Nakazawa ’08. Her title is the word for “a writing surface on which an earlier writing has been erased and a later writing is overlaid on the surface, often with traces of the former inscription appearing underneath.” Nakazawa uses the palimpsest as a metaphor for the way that memories endure and inform present moments. She describes her performance as “experimental” and “abstract;” a “metaphorical bungee jump” that “resists the coherent layers often found in theater.” Surely, Nakazawa has found her ideal audience demographic, for if an intentionally incoherent, cerebrally gymnastic performance piece cannot find welcome reception at Wesleyan, it cannot find it anywhere.
Those theater-goers who aren’t inclined to muse on the hetero-normative subtext of the physical score of endangered Argentinean lemurs will be grateful to find that the weekend of April 17-19 will also feature Ruby Ross’s ’08 high-spirited blue-grass version of the story of Cinderella. “Ashpet: An Appalachian Cinderella Story in Two Musical Acts” tells of an indentured servant cruelly mistreated by her master and her two daughters. The Cinderella figure is forbidden to attend church service, until she enlists the help of a “fairy godmother,” in the persona of a free black woman. By setting the familiar tale in Fort Defiance, VA, just before the outbreak of the Civil War, Ross gives a fresh and interesting historical context to an old favorite story. When asked what audiences could look forward to in her performance, Ross grinned broadly and exclaimed, “Lots of good music!”
A preview of Second Stage’s upcoming season would not be complete without mention of Jessica Posner’s ’09 “The Good Red Road.” Ms. Posner certainly does know how to publicize; surely we’ve all seen the glossy posters boasting a “World Premiere” of illustrious playwright Robert Louis Vaughan’s newest opus. She has already assembled an excellent group of actors, and has been making arrangements for this performance since last year. I suspect that if anyone from Wesleyan is going to “make it” in the theater industry, it is Jessica Posner, and we would do well to see her early work.
Grace Overbeke ’08 and her production of “The Real Thing” from May 1-3 will be redeemed only through the undeniable brilliance of Stoppard’s script about trying to find out whether a relationship is or is not “the real thing,” the brutally realistic performances of the actors, and the plethora of spinning-rolly chairs. If you can bear to be in the same room as this insufferable thespian, do go see the play: it’s funny, smart and easy to love.
As the final weekend of Second Stage’s season, the period of May 8-10 is veritably crammed with performances. Both the duo of Rachel Silverman ’09 and Rotenberg and that of Gedney Barclay ’09 and Asa Horvitz ’10 are creating original pieces. Barclay describes her collaboration with Horvitz, titled “We Are Monsters Without A Name,” as an examination of how humans “use death to understand who we are, and the epiphanies and confusions that result from our confrontations with death, dissociation, and violence.” Guiding the devised piece is a sense of vitality and the notion of the importance of living fully and with daring. For those keen on experimental theatre, this piece promises to be an intense, possibly somewhat ritualistic evening of fun.
Coming from nationally recognized playwright and dancer extraordinaire Martha Jane Kaufman ’08 is “Icarus” Although Kaufman has said nothing about the piece, if her past work is anything to go by, it will feature the kind of enjoyable originality that makes a person marvel at how fascinating the world inside her head must be.
Most exciting to this writer, however, is Alli Rock’s ’10 original play “Musophobia,” a comedy about what goes on behind the scenes at a theme park called “Imagi-Nation” (that may or may not be based on Disneyland). Rock describes the core of the play as “taking an icon of our childhood and asking the question of whether or not it should grow up.” On a more whimsical note, the play puts a panda, a mermaid, a princess, a hunter and a security guard in one room during a strike, and forces them to choose between a labor organizer and an administrative fairy. Rock’s sly and incisive sense of humor bodes well for the piece, and the combination of substance and wit will undoubtedly make for a crowd-pleaser.
With so many performances in one semester, it’s not surprising that Tori Amoscato ’08 remarks, “I think it’s the fullest season we’ve had since I’ve been on Second Stage.” Perhaps the promise of spring brings out the artistic impulse in Wesleyan’s student body. Perhaps our new president and campus additions have rejuvenated the spirit of creation. Or perhaps people were just curious to see what on earth goes on in that little underground room.
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