Page 20 - the NOISE September 2014

THEATER:
A PLAYFUL DARK COMEDY
from left: Adrienne Bischoff, Michael Levin, Joe Maniglia, and Becky Dagget make up the cast of Theatrikos’ God Of Carnage, opening this September at the Doris Harper- White Community Playhouse.
STORY BY CLAIR ANNA ROSE
PHOTO BY RENE RIVAS
This September Theatrikos presents God of Carnage, a dark comedy written by Yasmina Reza and directed by Jan Rominger with first assistant Angela Keith.
Though very early in production at the time of our inter- view, Ms. Rominger has a lot to say about the new production. The night before our interview the cast of four — Becky Dag- get, Adrienne Bischoff, Michael Levin and Joe Maniglia, began the planning of this play with a dinner party.
“My husband and I hosted a dinner for the cast, I like to do this at some time during the process, and I thought, why don’t we start with a party? They all know of each other and some of themhaveworkedtogetherbefore,”Ms.Romingertellsme. “We had food in the theme of the story that is presented, and we had a chance to socialize as ourselves. As dinner started I noticed they were sitting next to each other as couples, and they started to quip at each other as couples — so they started to set the tone, which was really fun to watch that evolve naturally.”
After dinner, Ms. Rominger had a game for the cast to play. “We played the newlywed game,” she says. “It was very sponta- neous and improvisational and Angela went back and forth with questions from the original Newlywed Game back in the ‘70s and asked them to answer questions about their spouses. They were making it up as they went along from the amount they knew from the script. They are all very familiar with the story, the script and their characters already — it was really a lot of fun.
“We ended up establishing a lot of really interesting infor- mation. They answered questions like, ‘What is your spouse’s favorite outfit that just disgusts you?’ It was hysterically fun- ny. I’m already impressed by this cast; their ability to be quick on their feet and their ability to be improvisational was like going into a comedy club. Last night after having them over for dinner, if you didn’t know them, the way they were able to interact with each other, you would have thought they were married. They were just playing it so beautifully last night.”
When I dropped by the Doris Harper-White Communi- ty Playhouse the next evening, I made my way backstage, downstairs and to the green room where the cast was gath- ered for the first read through of the script. When I walked in, they were reading the final 10 minutes of the play, and already the cast had developed their characters to a point where, if they weren’t holding their scripts, you would have thought they were approaching the end of rehearsals.
“The meat of this play is timing and characterization,” Ms.
Rominger says. “It’s a dark comedy, so I think we have to be able to play it off believably. I don’t want it to look like a farce — if anything, these characters are trying to maintain their calm and their composure, and that’s what makes their evolution into childlike behavior even funnier. We played a game where they play their characters and it’s like a hot seat, where you ask ques- tions like, ‘What’s your favorite color?’ and we go down the line and each actor has to answer in their characterization.”
“We had a blast,” Ms. Rominger says of the evening. “Now they have to work, they have to memorize all their lines. It’s go- ing to be fun and challenging, they’re all very busy people and Theatrikos is so lucky to have people who want to volunteer their time to put on these works. I’m so grateful to have the op- portunity to do this show, first of all, and then to have this cast.”
The cast of God of Carnage is made up of four experienced and talented individuals who I have had the pleasure of see- ing on stage before — some of them have directed the plays I’ve attended as well. Put them all together, and you have a cast that Ms. Rominger says could essentially direct them- selves. “They don’t need me there, but I’m grateful to be there and be their observer and their guide,” she tells me. “There are a few things I think I can bring to their performances. I’ve watched them all and I’m huge fans of all of their work, but it’s always nice to have a different director who just points out things they have learned. I’ve been involved in theater so long and I’ve worked with many directors — some exception- al and some who were kind of weak — and I prefer a director that says, ‘Hey I noticed you’re doing this, are you aware of it?’”
That the cast members have been involved in Theatrikos and other community theater productions before presents a chal- lenge as well as advantages. “It’s important for an actor, espe- cially in a small town, if you’ve been on stage a lot, to not act like any other character you’ve ever portrayed or sound like them,” explains Ms. Rominger. “I raised the bar in the auditions and said that to them. I gesture all the time in my normal life, but when I’m on stage, unless my character has that gesture, I’m not bringing that into that scene. They were all up for the challenge, which I’m sure they’ll do beautifully with.”
A few members in the Theatrikos Artistic Committee had the chance to see the Broadway cast perform God of Carnage onstage in Los Angeles, and chose the play as one of the sea- son’s productions. “We were lucky to get the rights,” Ms. Rom- inger says. “I thought it was a really smart choice. They were
looking for directors and sent out a general director’s call. I only had a limited time I would be available to commit to it, and I told them wherever they needed me to direct, I would love to be a part of it. I hit the jackpot with this one.”
Ms. Rominger is a fan of the playwright, and has a strong affinity with this play. “Every time I read it, I love it even more — there are so many nuances. Yasmina Reza is the author and also an actor, and so she brings a really deep and richer char- acterization to everything she does. This play, I think, appeals to where I am at this point in my life. I’ve had the opportunity to be in a married relationship for a long time, so I can relate to these married couples.”
In her life outside the theater, Ms. Rominger works as a rec- reation therapist and PE teacher, and relates to the play on that level as well. “The element of adults trying to behave well and then unraveling into childlike behavior drew me to the play. I see kids when they’re not getting along well and I love the idea that the altercation happened on the playground, because I can totally, completely relate to that. I see it every day. How do we resolve it? Well, I try to have children resolve it on their own in the moment it happens. That’s always been my goal as a teacher. I like them to resolve things quickly, otherwise it festers and it becomes this huge elephant in the room. I think that’s the theme that has been brought to this play — the longer it festers the bigger it gets, and really, it could have been resolved rather quickly. I really align with all of those themes.”
Ms. Rominger tells me about the comedic aspects of the play she enjoys. “I love comedy that isn’t always farcical, in my face and obvious,” she says. “I like the subtle — the throw away lines. Sometimes I’m laughing a line later. I love that stuff, and it’s all woven into this script beautifully. Yasmina Reza is one of my favorite playwrights and this is one of my favorite pieces. Every time I read it, I find something new and fascinating. It’s like a beautifully cut diamond, there are all these different an- gles depending on which way the light hits it.”
God of Carnage opens Friday, September 26 at the Doris Harper White Community playhouse, located at 11 W. Cherry Avenue, and will play through Sunday, October 12. Theat- rikos.com, 928/774-1662
| Clair Anna Rose is welcomed back this edition.
clairannarose@gmail.com
20 • SEPTEMBER 2014 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us