A number of local theater people (performers and off-stage contributors) have
joined together to explore the fertile field of myths our society has
inherited from earlier cultures ranging from the Asian to the African to the
European. They are encouraging local playwrights to come up with short
pieces (no more than 15 minutes each) that can be presented in a short
program. The first installment is this set drawn from Greek myths, which
seems a logical choice given that the western concept of "myth"
comes almost directly from Greece.
Storyline: Greek myths including Pandora and her box, Procne who served her husband a stew made of their son's body, and the creation of
mankind are given distinctly contemporary twists.
There are extremes of concept here. Karen
Currie's Cessa and the Copier contemplates just what a copier thinks
of the couple who come in to use the copier room for sex. It plays like
skit comedy. Jack
Robertson's The Open Box asks which stop on the Metro is closest to
the afterlife. It plays more like a modern fringe theater rumination, as
does Dan VanHoozer's The Song of Procne. Kimberly Braswell, Ann DeMichele and Jeff
Davis intertwine nicely in Jack Robertson's Creation and the Ages of Man.
It has more of the feel of a choreographer's piece than of a playlet,
which is not too surprising given that it is the only one of the four with a
credited choreographer: Katherine E. Hill.
The group mounts its show in the open playing
space of the Clark Street Playhouse with the platforms for the current show in
the hall, The
Royal Hunt of the Sun, behind them. Minimal set pieces (a table, a
chair) and props (a bag of balloons) help create the mood and establish
location.
It seems that everyone involved in putting on
this short set has had a fine time doing it, but none of the playlets
develop a concept strong enough to carry the audience along in the pleasure.
Instead of fascinating new insights into the role of myth or the truths that
myths have transmitted across cultures and generations, the evening is a mild
diversion for a summer's eve.
Written by Karen Currie, Jack Robertson and
Dan VanHoozer. Directed by H. Lee Gable, Dan VanHoozer and Genevieve
Williams. Choreography by Katherine E. Hill. Design: Genevieve Williams
(photography) Eryn Chaney (stage manager). Cast: Joe Angel Babb, Kimberly
Braswell, Jennifer Cooper, Jeff Davis, Paul McLane, Ann DeMichele, Dan
VanHoozer. |
