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Directors raise curtain on plays about communication
Thursday, Jun 10, 2004 - 09:59:53 pm CDT
BYMICHAELBRUNTZ
When Judy Hart, Tammy Meneghini and Greg Peters were preparing for Summerstock, they turned the organization of the production on its head.
The trio chose the cast, then picked a play to fit the cast before selecting a theme for the whole event.
"It was a little bit backwards, but a good backwards," said Hart, of The Angels Theatre Company. "When we finally decided on plays, they were about communication and miscommunication."
The evening of short plays, music and visual art is the product of collaboration between The Angels and Rough Magic theater companies and University of Nebraska-Lincoln theater art students.
Performances run Wednesday- June 20 and June 23-26 at The Loft at The Mill, Eighth and P streets, with curtain at 8 p.m.
An evening built around the theme of miscommunication came together through the collaboration of three different groups.
The three directors read plays and corresponded over the Internet while deciding what form the evening would take.
"Our idea was to bring those groups together, and see if we could have people come in and experience that with us," Meneghini said. "A lot of this came together through the magic of e-mail."
The trio worked around a small budget using simple sets and few costumes. The low budget allowed them to take risks.
Hart said the UNL students are gaining valuable experience by putting on a production and seeing that a small budget doesn't mean a vision can't be brought to fruition.
"We depend on the box office to pay our bills, so it's interesting for the students to know that if they have an idea, they can make it happen for very little money," Hart said. "We're here to say 'yes you can,' you can manifest an idea."
Characters in the three productions will sort through communication issues and near-misses in daily life. Hart promised the plays will be light, but will leave audience members thinking after the curtain closes.
"We wanted to raise some questions, so we don't do all the work for the audience," Hart said. "We wanted some 'wonder ifs' on the way out of the theater."
Here's what is on the program:
n "Left to Right" by Steven Dietz and directed by Hart is a naturalistic play about a married couple and their friends.
n "Duet for Bear and Dog" by Sybil Rosen and directed by Peters, is a postmodern farce about civilization and nature that raises questions about life through the interaction between a bear and dog.
n "The Last Time I Saw Timmy Boggs" by Catherine Butterfield and directed by Meneghini is the third installment of Butterfield's 1991 trilogy "Life in the Trees" and follows the lives of 10 New Yorkers and how they survive life with all its insecurities.
n "Can I Really Get Married Next Week?" was originally a series of monologues by local writer Toby Burger that became a performance in itself.
The play follows the battle between an angel and a devil and the id and superego for control of Cody, the main character.
Summerstock also will feature gallery exhibits and art by local artists available for purchase and student work from the Lincoln Public Schools Arts and Humanities Focus Program.
The program also features a 7:30 p.m. preshow with live music.
Reach Michael Bruntz at 473-7254 or mbruntz@;journalstar.com
If you go
What: Summerstock: an evening of short plays, music and visual art
Where: The Loft at The Mill, Eighth and P streets.
When: Wednesday-June 20 and June 23-26. Preshow starts at 7:30 p.m., curtain at 8 p.m.
Admission: General admission $15, students and seniors $7
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