There’s an old proverb that says the future is in the hands of the youth. Another tells us to look to our elders, for they are wise. Could it be that both pieces of advice are in fact, true? Theatre Fairfield seems to think so.
Theatre Fairfield’s New Works Festival premiered the best and brightest new plays from the University community on Feb. 21 and Feb. 24 at the PepsiCo Theater. The festival included pieces authored by underclassmen Kerry Davies ’11 and Jayson Cowley ’10, as well as three short plays by Theatre Fairfield [TF] mentor and resident playwright Staci Swedeen. A cast of seven actors brought these five new plays to life in a night of staged readings. Each reading was embellished with a certain amount of stage direction from Director Marti LoMonaco.
The first of the plays, “Row Six,” penned by Davies, tells the hilarious story of three passengers en route to Los Angeles Airport from John F. Kennedy airport. Howard (Adam Newson ’11) is an eccentric writer with a lucky banana and an overall penchant for food. He is trying to rewrite Hamlet as a musical. His neighbors in ‘row six’ are the pregnant, uber-Christian Chloe (Lindsey McKitterick ’09) and “serial-bitch” Gail (Mary McGrath ’10).
“It’s always fun playing a bitch,” said McGrath. “Kerry Davies is incredible. She’s hilarious and only a freshman. So much potential!”
Narrated by Brendan Sargent ’11, “Row Six” is filled with witty remarks, pop-culture humor and a wondrous energy. Indeed, “Row Six” has to be one of the most impressive new works on display in quite some time here at Fairfield.
The second play, “Compiled,” by Cowley, is another demonstration of young, playwrighting talent. Three pairs of actors are introduced by the narrator (McGrath) and are placed in heaven, purgatory, and hell. Numbered 1-9, the characters attempt to deal with the purpose behind their placement – that is, if they know where they are.
Anne Krane ’09 and Jeremy Shea ’10 sit below a sign that says “Welcome to heaven” and debate how they were chosen to be there. While both seem to know why they are there, they cannot help but question the fairness of everything and what made them “good.”
Meanwhile, the attitude-laden character played by Sargent and perpetually-in-prayer character played by McKitterick slump on the opposite end of the stage underneath a sign that reads “Welcome to hell.” Sargent berates and mocks McKitterick because he does not understand why she is in hell. The pious McKitterick feels wronged by God and repeatedly defends herself.
In the middle of the stage, Jen Martin ’10 and Newson sit with no sign. They are in purgatory, and because they do not know if they are in heaven or hell, the pair is confused, lost and philosophical.
The three dialogues are sewn together by Cowley in such a way that they complement one another, overlap at times, and even answer each other’s questions.
These fantastic new works were followed by a trio of plays from resident playwright Swedeen, whose work has been read and produced at a number of professional theaters across the country. She holds a number of domestic and international honors for her writing.
The first of Swedeen’s plays of the night was “The Pennysaver.” Narrated by McKitterick, this was the story of a small family consisting of unsatisfied mother Stephanie (Krane) and uninterested father John (Newson). The family is moving and attempting to sell their bed to visiting couple Tom (Sargent) and Emily (Martin). The play unfolds in a way that is anything but expected and is delightful and humorous the whole way through.
The next play by Swedeen, “Requiescat in Pace,” brought together two exes for the funeral of their daughter’s pet bird, Tweety-man. The young Melissa (Krane) is outrageously funny as she leads the funeral procession. There are also tender moments from the couple as they share fond memories of Tweety-man.
The last play of the evening was Swedeen’s ultra-funny “Couple Capacity,” which was carried by the relationship-bitter Tracy (Martin). Narrated by Krane, the two other characters next to Tracy in the movie theater are introduced as Sexual Man and Sexual Woman, played by Sargent and McGrath. The two invade Tracy’s space continuously, only stopping their teenage, hormone-induced make-out session when Tracy reprimands them. Just as Tracy’s “couple capacity” is reached, the pair get the hint and take their activity elsewhere.
“It’s an interesting experience because it’s so many plays but also tough to find a new character every 10 minutes,” said Shea about his participation as one of the readers.
TF’s New Works Festival was a wonderful journey through the minds of the amateur and the experienced. While Davies and Cowley raised the bar for any underclassmen writers, Swedeen showed her experience and ability.
These staged readings were so entertaining, the audience could only hope to one day see them done full-fledged; but until then, the world awaits more new works from this talented group.
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