Summer of the Play

Since we’ve been in Crystal Lake (it was two years last month), I’ve nicknamed our summers. Our first summer was The Summer of the Move, and didn’t really count as summer since we got out here in late June and spent the following two months unpacking, settling in, and trying to avoid the 18,000,000 mosquitoes that had made our backyard their home.

Our first picture in front of our first house!

Our first picture in front of our first house!

Last summer was The Summer of the Screenplay, because I worked on a horror screenplay with a former student of mine. I am 99.9% sure that it will ever be made (or read by anyone, ever), but it was a weird and interesting experience and now I can say that I’ve written a screenplay. A good screenplay? Well, let’s just move on.

Roo oversees the writing process

Roo oversees the screenplay writing process

This summer has been The Summer of the Play because this summer I’ve been rehearsing for a play that opened last night. (Do you notice how amazing my nicknames are? I am the most creative person you know!) The play is God of Carnage, and I wrote about it a bit last week. Here are my castmates and me, posing like happy, well-adjusted people:

Me and my GOC castmates

Me and my GOC castmates (Photo Credit: Brian Bieschke Photography)

And here we are, being…not happy:

Although we’re four of the angriest, saddest, most frustrated people on stage, we’ve been having a hell of a lot of fun backstage.

A dressing room selfie with me and the amazing Shannon Mayhall

A dressing room selfie with me and the amazing Shannon Mayhall

Our sound technician Paul and assistant stage director/"Monica"/clafouti server Danielle

Our sound technician Paul and assistant stage director/”Monica”/clafouti server Danielle

Maggie comes in to give Patrick a haircut before final dress

Maggie comes in to give Patrick a haircut before final dress

And our comfortable, relaxed, and frequently silly backstage energy fed us last night, for the opening night of the show. Our ninety-seat black box theater space had an audience of about sixty, and let me tell you, they were terrific. They laughed and cringed and reacted visibly and audibly. It was a wonderful relief. I’d forgotten how funny this play is — our director and crew have sat through it about a dozen times; we’re used to them, and during tech early this week they were much more concerned about lights, sound cues, and costuming than they were about laughing at us. But having a room full of strangers laugh where you want them to (and laugh where you don’t expect them to) was new, fresh, and fantastic.

One of the audience members was Bill Geheren (a.k.a. Sir William), co-host of the 2 Dudes and The Duchess radio show on Huntley Community Radio, where we appeared last week to promote the play. And post-play, while some of the cast came to Camp Crystal Lake to eat, drink, and debrief about the performance, Sir William was writing a generous and flattering review of the show. It was lovely of him and we are grateful for his support.

Sir William, setting it all up

Sir William, setting it all up

Sir William (Bill Geheren), The Duchess (Kate Curtin), and Franklin/Alan (Patrick Thompson)

Sir William (Bill Geheren), The Duchess (Kate Curtin), and Franklin/Alan (Patrick Thompson)

Patrick, Bill, Kate, and Me, at Huntley Community Radio station

Patrick, Bill, Kate, and Me, at Huntley Community Radio station

Trevor is coming to the show tonight with Mom and Dad Bork (he might try to sneak Roo in, too…). I told them to get to the theater early enough to enjoy a piece of clafouti, which will be served for the first twenty minutes that the house is open.

Apples and pears? Apples and Pears!!!!!!!!!

Apples and pears? Apples and Pears!!!!!!!!!

Danielle in the kitchen

Danielle in the kitchen, serving up clafouti

If you’re looking for something to do tonight or next weekend, come out to Camp Crystal Lake to see the show. It’s only eighty minutes and you’ll get to see me do things you have likely never seen me do before. Yes. You’re intrigued. So make a reservation now.

Notes

6 thoughts on “Summer of the Play

  1. Greg Boyd

    Hi!

    This is Greg, from your composition course a while back. Just found out you had this blog from reading the program from God of Carnage (which I saw tonight), so I wanted to say hello.

    I also wanted to say how good you (and everyone else) was in the play. I read it a few years ago and loved it, but hadn’t seen it staged until now. Tremendous work. Bravo.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. Dominic Catrambone

    Hey there old friend! As a guy who is fortunate to make a living as a performer, I appreciate it when I see fellow classmates getting involved in the creative process! Writer and actor. Well played Laura Bork (Power). Great blog!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
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