PlayFest: The Great Beyond

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I sketched a rehearsal for The Great Beyond by Stephen Dietz, leading up to their performance on Saturday, November 10, 2018 at the Orlando Shakes (812 East Rollins Street Orlando FL). This is a four character play that focuses on a family in a time of grief. Despite their differences, sisters, Monica (Courtney Bahr) and Emily, (Melanie Whipple) reunited
to tie up loose ends after their father’s death.

The two sisters are always at each other’s throats. Emily is the younger and perhaps favored daughter but she lived a life of addiction and with her recovery, she set a task of apologizing to everyone she had slighted.  This became her new addiction. Rene, another character, referred to the people Emily found as her “marks”. Some of these apologies resulted in rifts that pulled other people’s lives apart. The road to ruin is paved with good intentions.


The true seed of discontent between the sisters, however, is the death of a brother, Joseph, when they were young. Blame, whether founded or not, always surfaced in every conversation. Another point of contention was the estate left behind by the father. Emotions run raw when you want some physical object to remember someone by. Who gets what can become a battle that can divide any family. A coat or table might suddenly become the most important artifact to remind you of love.

Monica’s Ex, Rex, (Cameron Francis) is there with his girlfriend, Rene, (Chelsey Panisch) who happens to be a medium. With her help, the
siblings attempt to summon their father’s spirit to gain forgiveness and
discover the truth. The second act revolved around this seance. Monica dismissed the seance as a hoax from the start but even she was swept up in the raw emotions in the darkened room.


I fell in love with this family as they stumbled to find their way after their father’s death. For years an unspoken agreement had held the family together but after the father’s death a greater truth was needed. What was so exciting about watching the rehearsal was that the script was in a constant state of flux. Having the author in the rehearsal resulted in his trimming and fine tuning the script as they rehearsed. Actors highlighted their linesas they were changed. Monologues could be made into more concise and polished gems. It was a fascinating process to watch. When you experience PlayFest you are actively participating in the development of new plays.

 

Director: Cynthia White

Stage Manager: Alli Gersbach

Stage Directions Reader: Krystal Rajkowski

Other Cast: Mark
Ferrara as Coach Mayes. 

Tickets for The Great Beyond  by Stephen Deitz are $10. The performance is at 8pm tonight, November 10, 2018 in the Shakespeare Center Margeson Theater.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for November 10 and 11, 2018

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Saturday November 10, 2018

4pm $10 PlayFest: I Can Go by Meridith Friedman. Orlando Shakes 812 Rollins Street Orlando FL. Armed with sharp tongues and dry wit, Richard and David
navigate complex family relationships on the eve of their wedding. Despite
hindrances ranging from white lies to life-altering secrets, I CAN GO uncovers
human truths about the ones they love most. This contemporary and wryly
humorous dramedy is the final installment in a series of three plays by
Meridith Friedman, following The Luckiest People (produced by Orlando
Shakes in April 2018) and Your Best One (read at PlayFest 2017). 

6:30pm $15 per person in advance; $18 per person at the door. PlayFest Party. Orlando Shakes 812 Rollins Street Orlando FL. Share a drink and dinner with your fellow PlayFest attendees, playwrights, and artist between readings in the Dr. Phillips Patron’s Room. Buffet dinner provided by Tako Cheena.


8pm $10 PlayFest: The Great Beyond by Stephen Deitz. Orlando Shakes 812 Rollins Street Orlando FL. Despite their differences, sisters, Monica and Emily, reunite
to tie up loose ends after their father’s death. With the help of a medium, the
siblings attempt to summon their father’s spirit to gain forgiveness and
discover the truth. 

Sunday November11, 2018  

Noon to 1pm Free. Yoga. Lake Eola near the Red Gazebo. Bring your own mat.

1pm to 4:30pm Free. Family Day on Second Saturday. The Mennello Museum of American Art, 900 East Princeton Street, Orlando, FL 32803. The make-and-take craft table is open from noon-2:30 p.m., and docents
are available to give mini-tours of the museum. Then it’s open house in
the galleries until 4:30 p.m.


1pm $10 PlayFest: My Lord What a Night by Deborah Brevoort. Orlando Shakes 812 Rollins Street Orlando FL. When famed African-American singer Marian Anderson is refused lodging
because of her ethnicity, she finds an unlikely friend in Albert
Einstein. Quick witted debates attempt to solve the nation’s problems
over tea. Inspired by true events, this story explores the racial,
religious, and gender-based struggles plaguing two of the most iconic
entities of the 20th century.

Love the Cracksman

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Love the Cracksman by Mark Brown offered some comedy a this year’s PlayFest. Feats of daring-do are nothing new for the suave James
Willoughby Pitt (Logan Benedict). Relying on his wits to stay one step ahead, Pitt bets he can
commit the perfect crime. His determination takes him on a whirlwind adventure
across the Atlantic. He gets a second class ticket on the Lusitania and spies the woman of his dreams in first class (Sarah Hubert). Reputation, fortune, and true love are at risk for Jimmy
in this witty, fast-paced comedy. 

In the rehearsal I sketched, the actors were working their way through the second act when I entered and then after a break, they went back to the first act, so my impression of this comedy is very non-linear. Burglary is a fine art for some and the Cracksman only committed crimes to win a gentleman’s wager. In truth he had more of the heart of a detective who would rather return stolen gems once the wager was won.


Logan wore a black jacket for the dress rehearsal. At one point the script called for him to place a stolen necklace in his jacket pocket, but his pockets were sewn shut. He explained that he bought the jacket for his wedding but never used it. Another member of the cast explained that sometimes the stitches just had to be removed. Without missing a beat the stitches came out without any interruption to the flow of the rehearsal.

 

Director Mark Shanahan had the actors crouching down behind the music stands when they were in hiding, and characters were in hiding quite often. I have no doubt that the final reading was a fun filled, tongue in cheek romp.

PlayFest is a two weekend festival of new plays features seven readings of raw,
as of yet unproduced works! PlayFest gives audiences the opportunity to be
involved with the creative process by giving feedback in real time and
mingling with the playwrights, actors, and directors. Next weekend, November 10 and 11, 2018, three more plays readings will be presented, I Can Go by Merideth Friedman, The Great Beyond by Stephen Deitz and My Lord What a Night by Deborah Brevoort.