The Drama Studio
41 Oakland Street, Springfield MA
www.dramastudio.org
8th Annual Winter Shorts Festival
January 29 - 31 and February 5 - 7, 2010
Reviewed by Donna Bailey-Thompson
The second weekend of the Drama Studio's Winter Shorts Festival
demonstrated, again, that young people's creativity is a force worthy of
respect and nourishment.
The playwrights' choice of material suggests they have faith that the
audience, mostly adults, is mature enough to appreciate the subjects -
suicidal thoughts, morals and ethics, and the emotional trauma generated by
a failed marriage. How ironic that these are topics adults prefer to shield
children from experiencing.
Phone Call by Playwright Molly Bogin, a fifth year Drama Studio (DS)
student, focuses on adolescent angst - the ennui of Kelly (Allison Reardon)
and despair of Jacob (Kyle Morton). Directed by Kyle Kate Dudley (attended
DS for nine years, earned BFA in Theatre and a BA in Anthropology, now
Assistant to the DS Executive Director), Phone Call is a tight, polished,
well-acted play. The naturalness of Reardon and Morton makes it possible for
the stage to drop away
and reality to take over.
In contrast, The Devil You Know, written by Derek Egerton, an adult who took
the playwriting class in 2009, updates the Faust legend with broadly-drawn
characters. To feed his exceptional intellectual attributes - not yet 12 and
worthy of immediate acceptance to MIT - young, likable Barney (poised Dillon
Fitzgerald, age 12) contends with smothering mother syndrome (Dina
Christopher). Enter the Devil (Jenna Race, 17, a high school senior and a DS
regular since age 9) who offers Barney a deal: in exchange for his soul's
desire to have its mind cultivated, the Devil will convince the mother to
support her son's desires. In this swirl of me firstism, nerdy Barney is
bullied by a high school jock (Tyrell Stewart); his intimidating posse
(Charlie Fullwood and Austin Yelinek) provides a LOL tableau that channels
Tweedledee and Tweedledum. At MIT, Barney is bedeviled by attractive coeds
(represented by Adaire Robinson). The final scene is of a frightened child
(Austin Richardson), the victim of bullying, being rescued (he thinks) by
the now devil-saturated Barney. The no free lunch point is made.
Kristin's Rainbow, written by a collective of playwrights - Chloe Connolly,
Michael Green, Lalia Hays-Rivest, Sierra Hays-Rivest, Austin Richardson,
Meredith Viens) honors the fertile imagination of young people. Within a
mixture of realism and fantasy, deep-seeded concerns of Kristin (winsome
Lalia Hays-Rivest whose initial protracted silence speaks volumes) are
depicted through mini scenes, sometimes replayed with significant
alterations. Kristin's younger brother, Jason (Daniel Kemplen) looks to his
only slightly older sister for the emotional security that was
systematically smashed by their fighting parents and their ultimate divorce.
Jason confesses, "I cried last night." Kristin speaks of feeling sad, numb -
and gray.
Into Kristin's colorless existence steps Iris (Bailey Gaines) who as Purple
along with Red, Orange, Yellow, Green help Kristin realize that "All the
colors are within you." Simplistic, yes, but as directed by Amelia
Hays-Rivest and Steve Hays, the sentimentality is light - in a swirl of
colors, a rainbow is new-born. The actors who portrayed Red and Green (not
identified in the program) did so with aplomb. The costuming was
imaginative; the special effects (broad seated rope swings descend from the
ceiling); and the charm and ability of the acting company conspired to
further the raison d'etre of Springfield's Drama Studio.
Reviewed by B. K. Grant
Attending the Drama Studio's annual Winter Shorts Festival was a new and
amazing experience for me. The multitude of talented people, ages 9 years
and older, involved in the creation and performance of three one-act plays
fully mastered their roles, bringing the audience to cheers and even tears.
The quaint and intimate amphitheater was jam-packed with theater-goers both
young and old.
As the lights flickered and the theater went dark, a hushed crowd eagerly
anticipated the first production, Klepto. At the beginning of this short
play, all seven minutes of it, written by 13-year-old Aiden Moriarty, Vlad
(Noah Wintman) vividly described being subjected daily to a weapons check
upon entering school. His delivery was highlighted by a crisp German accent
that generated a frenetic pace for the remaining action. While in the
principal's office, he professed he wouldn't steal, didn't want to steal,
all while trying to pocket, unsuccessfully, the principal's stapler and pen.
Convinced he could be a better person on the other side of the (Berlin)
wall, he devised a scheme to 'catapult' himself into a life more desirable
than his current mediocre existence. The play faded to black while Pink
Floyd's "Just Another Brick in the Wall" accentuated the script's message.
The audience showered strong approval as final bows were taken.
The Studio’s second offering, Chances, by Tom Rowland, took us to a place we've
all been. After determining through long and hard thinking that choices,
rather than luck, direct life's path, John (Derek Egerton) made the choice
to attend his high school reunion. Alone at a table, brooding over a beer,
he is elated to see his high school sweetheart Sally stroll across the room,
indeed, she almost floated. John and Sally (Carrie Egerton) exchange
restrained small talk about their respective successful lives, only to
finally confess they are both currently unattached and quite miserable.
While appropriate 50s tunes play in the background, detailed episodes of
John's high school memories are portrayed by Kevin Morton and Brianna Paine
as the young Johnny and Sally, culminating with Johnny's decision to
continue his education in Europe, resulting in the ending of the couple's
relationship. Having listened to John's touching recollections, Sally
suddenly exits when an inebriated classmate, Vincent (Gene Gramarossa)
approaches John and eventually delivers the dreadful news that Sally had
passed away the previous summer. Some who were perceptive enough to realize
Sally was not wearing the traditional "Hello" name tag had surmised
something was amiss. The audience reacted to Chances and the good ole days
with resounding applause.
For the third production, Orphan Trains, more than 30 young people of
different ages filled the stage. This poignant play by Deborah Craig
chronicled the journey by train of 200,000 plus children to new homes,
families and lifestyles. From 1854 to 1929, orphans from Boston, New York
and other thriving cities were shipped all over the United States - Three
Rivers IL, Germantown KS, Bismarck ND -- for adoption. Most were placed in
good homes with new parents ready to love them as their own. Some, such as
Yakob (Peter Paleologopoulos) received a less than warm welcome, working
long hours on the farm and sleeping in the barn. Maria (Abby Dias) and Emma
(Bridgid Sawyer) were sadly separated from younger siblings and close
friends; their plight brought tears to many. Director Ellen Morbyrne
brilliantly met the challenges within the script such as creating the
illusion of a train by the clever placement of long wooden platforms on
which the children boarded and disembarked. The accurate period costuming
earned an A+ and the unique choreography was outstanding.
Following the final performance, an appreciative audience remained seated
for the Talk Back session during which cast and crew elaborated on their
individual roles and techniques. Questions and comments sparked an
interesting dialog, an exchange that could have continued much longer than
time allowed.
The components of the weekend's trilogy, while vastly different in mood,
subject and characters, represented substantive material, and gave the
youthful performers opportunities to explore their capabilities and test
their metal. Bravo to the Drama Studio's talented student body and to Steve
Hays, founder and executive director.
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