As a former rhetoric major, I used to loathe having my persuasive pieces meticulously eviscerated by my teachers – constantly hearing that my argument wasn’t clear and that I wasn’t connecting with my audience. Never in a million years did I imagine myself being enthralled by a play whose entire plot consists of just that, but that is precisely what happened when I attended the East Coast première of Lissa Levin’s Sex and Education presented by Doorway Arts Ensemble and Arts Alive Theatre. The production team, director Perry T. Schwartz, and the tiny but terrific cast of three delivered an engaging and passionate performance of Ms. Levin’s disturbing yet hilarious and evocative script.

Originally conceived for the 2009 Kennedy Center Page-to-Stage Festival and first performed at the 2010 Capital Fringe Festival, Sex and Education tells the story of Joe Marks (Jonathan Douglass), a high-school basketball star who doesn’t feel the need to take his education seriously given the glorious career promised to him by every college in the nation. His English teacher Miss Edwards (Ellen Mansueto) catches him passing a filthy (and poorly-worded) note to his girlfriend – cheerleader Hannah Hunter (Emily Thompson). As punishment, Miss Edwards keeps Joe for hours after class and forces him to rewrite his note so that it better achieves his initial rhetorical purpose – convincing Hannah to have sex with him. Thus begins a mental and emotional odyssey for both teacher and student as each questions their own goals and how to effectively and ethically pursue them.

In his director’s notes Mr. Schwartz discusses his proclivity toward directing scripts that only work in the medium of the theatre, and Sex and Education is indeed one such piece. Having the characters step out of the “established reality” of the dialogue and conversationally speak their innermost thoughts to the audience wouldn’t work on film, but it was the perfect device to reveal each character’s true motivations to a theatrical audience. Mr. Schwartz’s innate sense of motion and energy was clearly reflected in the staging and use of the set, brilliantly designed by Sean Urbantke. For a show set predominantly in a room rife with traditionally defined rules of movement, Mr. Schwartz deftly avoided the pitfall of stagnation and gave his actors free rein to express and explore their complex emotions physically – a treat for the viewer. The technical elements worked together seamlessly to give this script the polished and professional look, sound, and feel that it deserves.

As Joe, Mr. Douglass possessed all the charm and swagger befitting the archetype of his character, yet he also displayed innocence and a youthful naïveté that grounded the character in reality and earned the audience’s respect. While some moments felt slightly forced, his performance overall was honest, endearing, and a delight to watch. Ms. Thompson’s portrayal of cheerleader Hannah was surprisingly powerful given the character’s lack of stage time. She acted more as a theatrical framing device toward the play’s beginning – turning Miss Edwards’ English lessons into hilarious cheer routines. As the play progresses however, Ms. Thompson’s skillful performance of Hannah’s few interjections into the main action showed her to be quite an intelligent and capable young lady (with impeccable grammar to boot!).

The standout performance for me was Ellen Mansueto as Miss Edwards. Her portrayal of a long-suffering teacher making one last effort to change a young person’s life before ending her career was astonishing in its honesty and brilliant in its simplicity. From the outset, Ms. Mansueto’s subtle deadpan delivery eschewed every stereotype associated with the jaded teacher character (I’m thinking South Park’s Cartman – “how do I reach these keeeeeeds?”) and established Miss Edwards as strong yet vulnerable, wise yet flawed, sarcastic yet compassionate, and always dedicated to her mission even if she doesn’t always know what it is. As if that weren’t enough, she’s also a riot. Her role as the lifeless teacher we all knew and tolerated in high school was turned on its ear with the injection of Ms. Mansueto’s razor-sharp dry wit. Considering’s Ms. Mansueto’s real-life career as an educator, it’s no wonder that she connected so well to this role and her real passion for education shone through in every scene.

With its frank discussion of teen sexuality and copious amounts of profanity (effective, not excessive), this show is definitely not fare for the whole family. However if you’re looking for a funny, thought-provoking, and oddly (ironically?) educational night at the theatre, I would highly recommend Doorway Arts Ensemble’s Sex and Education. Mr. Schwartz and his cast and crew have put together an exceptional show that, despite its simple premise, asks incredibly complex questions and satisfies almost as much as… learning.

Director’s Note

I recently read an article by playwright/actor Sam Shepard in which he said that his plays would not work as film. Shepard’s plays belong in the theatre, are of the theatre, are “theatrical.” Since I am both a theatre director and a film director, I like to think I know what works in each medium. I agree completely with Sam Shepard. His plays will only work in the theatre. When I select a play, I look for those types of plays that work only on the stage. Last year, I directed Samuel Beckett’s Endgame. I chose it because of its theatricality, and because I believed I had a good idea of how to make it work. Beckett and Shepard write serious plays that have comedy in them.

Sex and Education by Lissa Levin is a comic play that has a lovely serious thought behind it. It is unusually theatrical for what some might think is only a situation comedy. Ms Levin made her living for some time as a writer of situation comedies for television, but she understands that television and theatre are different media. So with that understanding, she has written Sex and Education as a wonderfully theatrical play that uses the theatre to tell the story and to reveal complex characters in a comic situation.

As a director, I have tried to enhance all the theatrical elements of her play to tell this interesting story. We hope you will laugh, perhaps shed a tear and come to understand how this very theatrical play relates to you, the audience, and your lives.

– Director Perry T. Schwartz

Cast

• Miss Edwards: Ellen Mansueto
• Joe Marks: Jonathan Douglass
• Hannah Hunter: Emily Thompson

Crew

• Producers: Claire Myles, Perry T. Schwartz
• Director: Perry T. Schwartz
• Stage Manager: Theresa Hindersinn
• Costumes: Ellen Mansueto
• Set Design: Sean Urbantke
• Lighting Design: Christopher Campanella
• Sound Design: Jay Gilman
• Composer: Roger Coleman
• Cheer Choreography: Alden Kilbourne

Disclaimer: Doorway Arts Ensemble provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

The Race, written and performed by John Milosich, is a multimedia autobiographical solo play which explores a white man’s awareness of race and racism. Portraying himself and a host of characters that are at once hilarious and infuriating, John confronts his own racism, calls into question his position of racial and social privilege, and challenges the apathy and prejudice that characterized his racist upbringing.

A one-man show can be boring, but John Milosich has chosen to take on one of the last taboos in America: race. Milosich gave a heart-felt performance discussing his coming to terms with race in America. And it was not just the black population that he looked at. There was also a scene about Mexican American culture and how some regard Mexicans as “lesser people.”

The performance was a combination of on-stage vidnettes, music, and video. The videos were presented as commercials, which allowed for Milosich to portray all the characters, male, female, black, white, brown, green, etc… Milosich was more or less believable when he played another character within the scenes he was sharing with us. His excellent use of his own body allowed us to quickly identify the characters, even when they returned later in the show in a different scene. His dance training came to life in his later numbers, especially as he was “swimming.” His strong yet graceful movements gave a feeling of strong emotion to his inner struggles with race and racism. There were a few points when the piano or background music made it difficult to hear all of Milosich’s lines. Milosich changed his basic costume a few times; while he was wearing the cape I was reminded of the fantasies that Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes) would create in his own mind.

The scenes flowed quickly. If one doesn’t really strike your fancy, just wait a few minutes and another will appear. I’d be willing to bet that The Race will dredge up at least a few memories from your own life. The Race was an interesting show, although it really feels like it should be performed at Fringe Festival in a found space, as opposed to the more formal theater environment.

Writer’s Note

About five years ago, I began to experience an unfamiliar dissonance. I noticed walking down the street, at work, and in social settings. I became aware of a separation I felt between myself and people of color. My original aim was to build a performance that would carry some definitive message about race and racism, so I read as many books as I could get my hands on, became familiar with sociological theories, and spoke to those around me about their experiences. It seems niave now, to the point that it’s nearly impossible for me to declare anything at all. Rather, I think that the dissonance I felt comes from a disparity in awareness. Years later, it seems that the only right thing to do is pay attention, to read and ask, and to tell about my experience, hoping it helps us all lean in closer.

-John Milosich

Photo Gallery

Photos provided by the Doorway Arts Ensemble.

Cast

• Performer/Playwright: John Milosich

Crew

• Director/Dramaturg: Regie Cabico
• Producer: Megan Myer
• Co-Producer: Perry T. Schwartz
• Co-Producer: Claire Myles
• Video Artist: S. Aerial Longmire
• Lighting Designer: Chris Campanella
• Stage Manager/Board Operator: Richard Robinson

Disclaimer: Doorway Arts Ensemble provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

Endgame is a one-act play by Samuel Beckett. Beckett being fond of the Theatre of the Absurd did just that, wrote an absurd play about life and its meaninglessness framed around four people. A man who can’t sit down and wants to leave his master, a master who can’t walk, a husband and wife who have no legs and live in a box where the man whimpers frequently.

Endgame requires you to pay close attention to the words being spoke. Only one actor is able to move freely around the stage. You really have to pay attention to get the hidden and double meanings in the words. If you are a fan of searching deep for nuance and interpretations of a play, you shouldn’t miss Endgame.

The set was the most inventive use of space. Master Carpenter Richard Robinson built a grid of rope and covered three sides of the black box stage. On the front edge of the “cage” were openings that appeared to be windows that Clov would “pull back” to show the sea or sky or whatever. It was so well done that after a time you forgot the ropes were there. Ellen Mansueto’s costumes were reminiscent of rags, but their many textures and muted colors worked really well.

Hamm, played by Gordon Adams was the wheelchair bound main character. His elocution was well performed. Clov (Michael Harris) was able to wander around the set to do Hamm’s will. The legless couple Nagg and Nell played by Doug Krentzin and Susan Holliday lived in trash bins. Nagg was difficult to understand, and therefore his speeches seemed plodding. The bulk of the emotion actually came from Clov. He was a strong counterpoint to Hamm’s expositions. Clov’s phrasing, though still long winded, had a drive to it that made you relate to his plight and desire to leave Hamm.

So what are we saying about Endgame? The acting was extraordinary, as three of the actors had to rely almost entirely on their voices to give depth and meaning to their lines. The set and dressing was very interesting. Unfortunately, since not a lot “happens” in Endgame, it is very easy to get distracted by the comfortable seats, or your to-do list at work, or one of a hundred other things. This is not a play to use to escape from the Real World.

Director’s Note

Samuel Beckett has been labeled by critic Martin Esslin as one of the major writers of the “theatre of the absurd.” What this meant to Wesslin was that Beckett wrote about life from an existentialist point of view. Beckett was not crazy about this type of categorization. From his point of view he was writing about life, albeit in metaphors, but life as he saw it nonetheless. As the director of Endgame, I agree with both Beckett and Esslin. This is partly because I have great admiration for both of them in their area of writing for the theatre, Beckett as the post WWII playwright in the last half of the twentieth century, and Esslin as the insightful theatre critic/analyst who saw a movement in the writings of Beckett, Ionesco, Pinter, Genet and others in post WWII Europe. As one reads these playwrights and sees or directs their plays, one sees a definite attempt to show us a world through the lens of the existentialist, to show us the modern world by abstracting the concrete. This is not a world of “realism” but rather a world where ideas are objectified, are shown to us in a very theatrical manner. This world is world of the theatre, which can only exist in the theatre. But in spite of that, this theatrical world directly relates to our world and to how we individually live our lives. Many think Beckett is painting a picture of hopelessness but I think he is trying to show us how to do something about a life that can seem hopeless. It is, of course, up to you as the individual audience members to interpret Endgame for yourself. I hope you will look for ideas in this wonderful play and in the brilliant language of Beckett and then find something in our production that can make you think or even change your life a little.

Photo Gallery

HAMM (Gordon Adams) and CLOV (Michael Harris)	HAMM (Gordon Adams) and CLOV (Michael Harris)
HAMM (Gordon Adams)

Photos provided by Doorway Arts Ensemble.

Cast

• Clov: Michael Harris
• Hamm: Gordon Adams
• Nagg: Doug Krentzlin
• Nell: Susan Holliday

Crew

• Direction and Production Design: Perry T. Schwartz
• Lighting Design: Christopher Campanella
• Costumes: Ellen Mansueto
• Co-Producers: Claire Myles, Perry T. Schwartz
• Assistant Director: Eve Vawter
• Stage Manager/Master Carpenter: Richard Robinson
• Program Cover Design: M Price Workshop
• Specialty Hardware Props: Housewerks Architectural Werkshop

Disclaimer: Doorway Arts Ensemble provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.