by Jamie DesRocher
It’s a little weird to write about a show produced by a part of a company you used to be a part of.
But then again, it’s also weird to go see shows produced by a company you used to be a part of, and I’ve done that a few times now, so…woot.
CHAOS is Point of Contention’s annual new short works festival. The brainchild of original POC member Leeann Zahrt back in the day, it’s grown and grown and always proves a surefire way to get butts in seats and have some theatrical fun. POC produced Chaos earlier this year, but decided to give it another go this fall.
This time, there are 10 short plays, most of which are honestly rather entertaining and well-done. There were three stand-out pieces for me.
The first is “Finger Food,” by Dean Lundquist, which on paper had to seem like an impossible play. It’s a fork and a spoon talking about their plight and their dreams. I’m totally serious. Director Jason Pikscher did a wonderful thing by casting two endearing actors – Brandon Boler and Andrea Decamp, handing them oversized silverware, and having them just do the scene. It was very Avenue Q, and I was cracking up.
The second piece I enjoyed was probably the best written of the evening. “Four Faces,” by Chelsea M. Marcantel, is an adorable little slice of a modern relationship. Marcantel has a wonderfully modern young urban voice, and her piece is exquisite in its overlapped dialogue and twists. Dan Krall’s direction is simple and dead-on, and his casting puts the piece over the top. Kevin Crispin is all things adorable and nervous, and Mallory Nees, simply, knocks it out of the park. Incidentally, Ms. Marcantel (yes, she’s a friend of mine) has a piece also running in the new Collaboraction show.
The most touching piece of the evening is “Bonnie and Clementine on Their Way to the Grand Canyon, Explore the Limits of the Dramatic Form,” by Shannon Reed. Directed by Dan Foss, and starring Hayley L. Rice, Megan Schutt, and Brent Walker, the piece is odd – and yet, it caused me to tear up. It’s about theatrical conventions and sisters and loss and, under Foss’ direction, is the most solidly staged piece of the evening.
I must also mention “The Ray Play,” by Reina Hardy, directed by Timothy Bambara, simply because it’s an almost perfect ending to an evening of random plays. I can’t reveal the ending, but there are some dance moves that have to be seen to be believed. (Megan Brown, I am talking to you.)
There are a couple missteps – Mostly in pieces I feel were strange purely for strange’s sake. Though Mary Mikva is doing everything she can, “Cracked” doesn’t make much sense. I disliked “Grocery List,” quite a bit, though I can’t decide if that’s due to script, direction, performances, or a combination of all three. Though I liked the cast of “Flashers,” very much, I’m still – after about 12 hours of thinking about it – not sure what the point of the play was.
All in all, though, Chaos showcases a lot of talented young performers and is worth your $12.00. Make sure you use the restroom first, though – there’s no intermission for the 2 hour show.
There are two more performances of Chaos – tonight and tomorrow.
Visit pointofcontention.org for more information.
(Note: Though it’s always been a problem with Chaos and other short work plays I’ve seen around town, as an audience member I find it really distracting when cast members, after and before their scenes, come and go in and out of the audience. I was pulled out of the show last night four times that I can recall by performers climbing over people into the space – especially one where an actress decided to plop down in the seat right in front of me. I get that actors want to see the pieces, too, but isn’t there another way to accomplish that? Dress rehearsal, maybe? I also find it distracting when actors friends come to a festival and leave after their friends piece. Have a little respect for the time and effort everyone else put into the festival, and stick around.)
Read the original blog here.
