In a cross talk, two writers sit down to discuss a book, movie, TV show, or a piece of art they both feel strongly about. On this occasion, Maggie Smith and Brendan Kelso review Spike Tape’s latest production, “Pencils, Wastebaskets, Etc.”, performed on Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5, 2025. This original play was directed by Holly Thorndike ’27 and written by Olivia Bowers ’25.
Maggie Smith: I just want to start off by saying that I was instantly impressed by the fact that this was an original play. The storyline, the historical aspects, and everything else just really shocked me in a good way.
Immediately, walking into the Memorial Chapel on Friday night, I was immersed in the World War II era of the story. I really liked the details, like the music that was playing. Even as we took our seats, I enjoyed the space of the chapel: the stained glass on the walls, the organ in the background.
Brendan Kelso: I felt like Jack Torrance walking through the halls of the Overlook Hotel, with all that ’40s music echoing around me.
MS: Let’s get into our favorite characters and character arcs!
As a general recognition, the body language of all the actors was really great, even in scenes where they weren’t the prominent characters. I have much respect for director Holly Thorndike for including all those special details.
BK: She really made good use of the whole dimensions of the set. I mean, there was one scene where two characters are flirting and talking at their table while some others are frolicking at the bar, and we saw those two situations play out on opposite sides of the stage simultaneously. It reminded me of a frame from a Robert Altman movie or something, like a choose-your-own-adventure for the eyes.
MS: Yes, the bar scene was a favorite of mine! Going off that, shout out set designer Jake Maskara ’27.
BK: I see him at Weshop all the time.
MS: Haha. I really liked the setup as a whole, including the costumes, which were designed by Jack Pagano ’28. I was obsessed with the dresses.
BK: A real Renaissance man. You should see him on that trombone…my God.
And those costumes…yeah. Annie’s (Amelie Dalporto ’28) costume particularly stood out to me. I liked her more daring outfit with the big smoky eye and red lips. It was very representative of her flirty, diva-esque nature. Betty (Peyton Brill ’26) was dressed a little more modestly, I would say. I guess she was the most laid-back and obedient of the crew, so that choice made sense. Jean (Sasha Nelson ’28) was a mix of both of them. Her outfit was a little more edgy than Betty’s but not quite as striking as Annie’s. As for the dudes, I liked Davis’ (Harry Resnik ’28) slicked-back hair and mustache. Never trust a man with a mustache, unless they’re Freddie Mercury or something. He was cool.
MS: I really saw all these actors as their characters. I got invested in the storyline and their personalities. I appreciated their character arcs as well. Dalporto did a really fantastic job of portraying Annie’s character, first presenting Annie as a little ditzy and then embracing the character’s intelligent side and showing her becoming invested in the friendships.
BK: She stands up for herself; she throws the pineapple drink at that asshole, Davis. Now that got the crowd going!
I’m no allergist, but I don’t know if it’s possible to be allergic to pineapple. We should Google it. It’s probably because of the citric acid or something. I’ll ask someone at health services.
MS: It’s definitely possible. That was another one of my favorite scenes with Davis, played by Resnik. His scream made me really laugh.
One nod I must also give is to Nelson, who played the role of Jean. She had so many monologue moments, and it was actually insane. I was thinking to myself during the play, “How does she memorize that?” They were very intense and emotional scenes: a very impressive performance, indeed.
BK: Indeed. Her arc was kind of the opposite of Annie in a way. She starts off not wanting to be married and wanting to be independent, but at the end of the play, she becomes a lot more willing to embrace love.
I also liked how writer Olivia Bowers challenged traditional gender roles and how Henry (Roman Zelman ’26) talked about how he felt more connected to the ducks in the pond as opposed to the ducks flying off somewhere. He doesn’t want to follow the male expectations of the time of being the breadwinner, or the war hero, or what have you. He just wants to sail, spend time with his wife, and start a family; he doesn’t want his name in the history books, and I kinda respect that. Cheers, Henry.
MS: Zelman really nailed the initial awkwardness of his character when talking to Jean. He excelled in portraying an awkward romantic.
BK: Henry’s outfit was my favorite because he started off looking very unkempt, with his shirt untucked and everything. But as the play progressed and he got more confident in himself, his love for Jean grew, and he stood up for the girls and started to appear more professional. But when you first saw Henry, you could tell he had a lot of emotional baggage to carry with his father’s death. I mean, just by the way he walked, you could tell he’d been through some shit.
MS: Next up, I really want to talk about Lieutenant Peter Peters (Jeremy Meehan ’26).
BK: I was in a play with Meehan called “The Game of Love and Chance.” He’s a great actor. He has this great ability of making the audience laugh just with his facial expressions.
MS: Every time he stepped onto the stage, he captured the audience immediately. From that first moment, I was like, “Wow, who is this?” He was really funny, and I loved the nickname part.
BK: Also, I liked his character arc because he started off not taking the girls seriously, but at the end of the play, he started to actually stand up for them after Davis robbed them of the position in Washington, D.C.
And Betty, she also stood for the girls. She started off kind, going with the flow of Davis and the men, but by the end, she found the strength to fight for the girls and protest how unfairly they had been treated.
MS: I think my favorite part was when Private Johnson (Zoe Nagle ’27) spoke for the first time and brought out the recording tape.
BK: She had no lines until that point, but she made her presence felt just by her little glances and breaking-the-fourth-wall moments. But, God, when she spilled the tea on Davis, what a moment. Garbo talks!
MS: Also, let’s not forget Captain Davis. He played the classic villain.
BK: I wanted to punch that dude in the face, especially towards the end. But obviously I didn’t: I remained a reserved theatergoer. I did go up to Resnik at the end of the play and say, “I hated you.” He replied, “Thank you.” It’s hard to play such a deplorable person, especially when you’re such a chill guy like Resnik. Hats off to him.
I did think that in the end Davis would get away with it and that the women would have to grapple with the fact that their hard work went unnoticed, because a lot of that happened back then.
MS: I actually had a different fear. I thought Jean was going to quit her job opportunity in Washington, D.C. to be with Henry. Instead, Henry, who was the one unhappy with his job, quit his job, and she was able to follow her passion. Maybe the ending wasn’t historically accurate, but it was very satisfying.
BK: Still, it’s not like the future for the girls is going to be all sunshine and rainbows. I mean, they’re still going to have to struggle with misogyny for their whole lives. My God, it wasn’t until the ’70s that women could have their own credit cards, right?
MS: For me, the big themes of this whole story were the importance of friendships, female power, and fighting against sexism. I really enjoyed the girls sticking together as a team.
BK: Also, the relationships were really well written. I found myself always rooting for Henry and Jean to get together.
MS: With that, props to the intimacy coordinator, Kekoa Dowsett ’28.
BK: Lots of smooching in that play. PG-13, at least. Don’t bring your kids to the show if you have any. Jesus, I sound like Tipper Gore or something.
MS: Anyway, to conclude, I think everyone in the cast and crew should feel very proud of this production.
BK: And their parents should be proud too. And maybe this play could make it to the big leagues…. Broadway, West End…. Who knows? I’d buy a ticket.
Maggie Smith can be reached at mssmith@wesleyan.edu.
Brendan Kelso can be reached at bkelso@wesleyan.edu.
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