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Comedies set group's new fundraising record!
 Fun(d)raising Players' Director Petra Ehrenbrink presents Falmouth Service Center volunteer Jayne Skelly with a check in front of the local food pantry. Fun(d)raising Players' June show, "Canker Sores and Other Distractions," surpassed its fundraising goal of $1,000 and garnered $2,336 for the Falmouth Service Center.Falmouth Enterprise, June 24, 2005, p. 8-A FUN(D)RAISING PLAYERS OFFER QUICK, GROWNUP COMEDY IN ONE-ACT PLAYS By Gerree Hogan Trudeau Wry grownup comedy by enthusiastic, talented actors is the hallmark of the Fun(d)raising Players' production of "Canker Sores and Other Distractions," an evening of one-act plays written by Christopher Durang and Shel Silverstein. It will be performed tonight and tomorrow night at 8 in Woods Hole Community Hall, 68 Water Street. Tickets are $12 (students $6); proceeds benefit the Falmouth Service Center. More information is available by calling 508-457-6503. Deftly directed by Petra Ehrenbrink of Elvira Avenue, Falmouth, the pacing of the short plays is quick, even when Durang and Silverstein push a joke a little longer than necessary. The title play features Meredith Axon of North Falmouth and Peter Romano as ex-spouses who meet again, feel that old attraction, and then slowly start remembering why they broke up in the first place. Anita Thacker of Cataumet plays and impatient waitress to perfection, even stashing her pencil in her hair. Ms. Axon appears as Phyllis in the next piece, "Phyllis and Xenobia," two sisters who argue about their mother and other unpleasant things. Alison Hutchinson stars as well. In "1-900-Desperate," Ms. Hutchinson, Ms. Thacker, and Mr. Romano are joined by Mark Roberts, Susan Weliky, and Amancio Dias as pathetic callers to a chat line. Mr. Romano infuses his voice with all the scuzziness of his character's name, Scuzzy. "Wanda's Visit" is funny in a maddening sort of way, as an old hight school girlfriend visits Jim (Mark Roberts) and his jealous, meek wife (played by Ms. Axon). Ms. Hutchinson is hilarious as the pushy, strange Wanda, and the set, which features a vertical bed for the married couple, is so clever that it made the audience laugh out loud. Ms. Axon is particularly good in this one-act, as she starts out as a 'good little wife' and ends up quite different. Lance Davis makes the most of his small role as a waiter. Mr. Roberts gets a chance to shine in the next sketch, "Duck," and elaborate play on words that relies on the excellent timing and attitude of the two actors. Amancio Dias is wonderful as a pipe-smoking hillbilly type, a-rockin' in a rocking chair, trying to explain to a city-folk guy about the vicious proclivities of waterfowl. Between the one-act comedies, Mike Weber reads, with feeling, poems by Shel Silverstein. From the Cape Cod Times, Wednesday, March 16, 2005: 'Two Rooms' weaves personal, global issues by JUDITH SHAW BEARDSLEY, CONTRIBUTING WRITER COTUIT - Working with a beautifully written script, the Fun(d)raising Players stage a moving performance of Lee Blessing's "Two Rooms." Originally produced in 1988 (when it was named Best Play of the Year by Time magazine), the contemporary drama focuses on an American professor taken hostage by Shi'ites in Beirut. A bare stage and four characters give a deceptive simplicity to a script that deals with complex issues. There are two setting - the prison cell of Michael, the professor, in Lebanon and his former home office back in the states where his wife, Lainie, spends most of her time. Taking place a year after his initial capture, Michael's monologues form an ongoing "letter" to Lainie, with whom he cannot communicate at all. Lainie creates a self-imposed prison in Michael's office, stripping it of furniture and light, so she can feel closer to her captive husband. It is clear their thoughts of each other sustain them. Lainie, however, also interacts with the two other characters in the play. As the wife of an American hostage, her natural contacts are with Ellen, from the government, and Walker, from the media. Although written more than 15 years ago, the situation is hauntingly familiar. Playwright Blessing skillfully interweaves themes that are intensely personal, yet have global implications. His decision to make Lainie a teacher and a naturalist adds another important layer to the drama. her observations of the warbler's life in the marsh provide a profound, and chilling, analogy. Director Petra Ehrenbrink effectively directs a cast of experienced community actors. Especially noteworthy is Diane Quaid, who plays Ellen, the State Department staffer. Quaid fives a subtle, controlled performance as the government voice in Lainie's ear. Rob Christman, as Michael, seems every bit the professor-turned-captive. Alison Hutchinson's Lainie is warm and empathetic. Mark Roberts, as the reporter, comes across as one-dimensional, but delivers his lines clearly and forcefully. At just under two hours, the play is all dialogue and little action. Indeed, it's a plunge into the emotional side of already disturbing headline news. The suspense is provided by the question of whether this husband and wife, who love each other deeply, will ever be reunited. The audience is engaged not by plot twist or physical action on stage, but by immersion in a drama that could actually happen to a neighbor tomorrow. Does Michael have reason to hope/ How can Lainie help him? Should she respond to Walker's urging and speak out in the media? Or listen to Ellen and stay silent? Can she trust this woman from the State Department who visits her weekly and sips English Breakfast Tea? Performed initially at the Cotuit Center for the Arts, "Two Rooms" continues this weekend at the Old Woods Hole Fire Station. It is a play that will stay with you. Our 2003 holiday card "Christmas Maja", created by Edith Tingley, was among the few contest entries published in the Sunday Cape Cod Times edition on December 19, 2004 and its "unusual and inventive Christmas cards contest". If you've missed the edition, you can see the card online at www.capecodonline.com, Christmas cards, Gallery 5. 2002: Our March production of "Three for Tea - The Ives of March", three comedic short plays by David Ives, was honored with nine awards for Outstanding Achievement by the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theatres (EMACT). The Award Ceremony was held on June 21, 2002, in Stoneham, MA. |
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