 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Productions for the 26th Baltimore Playwrights Festival
Productions for the 26th Baltimore Playwrights Festival
|
All performances were at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8:00 PM, and Sunday nights at 7:00 PM. Admission on Thursday is "pay-as-you-can", all other nights $12.00. Cash only, please. |
|
The Blessed Mothers of War by Ty DeMartino directed by Barry Feinstein opened: July 5, 2007 closed: July 22, 2007 Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights at 8:00 PM, Sunday at 7:00 PM Admission $12.00 (cash please), except Thursdays are pay-as-you-can Synopsis: The play focuses on two mothers -- one American, one Arab -- searching for their sons during a time of war. Zaira wanders the streets of the Middle East, asking if anyone has seen her son, Raja. Rosie, the owner of a small bookshop in Appalachia, waits for correspondence from her only son, Brian, who is stationed overseas guarding prisoners of war. When Brian receives an early discharge due to a mysterious injury, he returns home to a hero’s welcome. However, Brian’s internal struggle about what really happened in combat pushes him to the edge and away from his mother. As Rosie reaches out to her troubled son, Zaira finally finds Raja. The lives of these two women parallel one another and show the heart-breaking effects of war on all mothers -- no matter on which continent or side of the enemy line they reside. The structure of “The Blessed Mothers of War” mirrors Greek tragedy with a chorus of townspeople offering commentary on the action on stage and on war in general. The play shows how war can tear apart a world, a community and a mother and child. |
Almost Vermilion by Sonja Kinzer directed by Kathy McCrory opened: August 2, 2007 closed: August 19, 2007 Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights at 8:00 PM, Sunday at 7:00 PM Admission $12.00 (cash please), except Thursdays are pay-as-you-can Synopsis: Set in the 1950’s in a rural WV farming community, Almost Vermilion is the story about the oppressive life of a creative young boy named Henry and his inventive mother Dorothy, who tirelessly attempts to balance out the tension & chaos ever- erupting by way of her overbearing husband, Clyde. Henry, who is about to turn 16, is an emerging art prodigy...a talent lovingly nurtured by his mother and desperately despised by his father who finds his art “sissified” and downright useless, to say the least. Meanwhile, Paul Edwards the town doc and lifelong friend of Dorothy continues to encourage Henry with his artwork, all the while carrying a secret of his own. As Clyde's ill-mannered nephews settle in for a long, uncomfortable visit, both Henry and Dorothy struggle to come to terms with their very clouded futures. Called away to a family emergency, Dorothy begs Clyde to let her son come with her but is instead forced to leave him behind. When her worst nightmare is realized, Dorothy's struggle challenges her ability to trust in God, to trust in anything. Soon, it isn't possible to “keep the peace” any longer, and she is forced to face the truth about her years of disappointment and the lifetime she spent wondering “what could have been.” Isolation, oppression and ignorance are the opponents to the struggle for freedom, artistic expression, and evolution of self for both Henry and his mother. It is an account of a sometimes ugly journey that boldly spits in the face of all that is supposed to transpire within the protective walls of hearth and home. |
Reviews of The Blessed Mothers of War...director Barry Feinstein, the Theatrical Mining Company cast, and DeMartino have dug deeply, and, it's safe to say, they've struck gold. John Barry, Citypaper ...what really makes this play worth going to are the riveting performances by Peggy Dorsey as Brian's mother, Rosie, and Peter Kendall as Brian. ...[Ms. Dorsey] is a seething mass of calm under duress, anger tempered by keeping the peace, and finally a mother bear protecting her cub. ...[Mr. Kendall's] descent into the madness brought about by the atrocities of war, and his sad struggle to regain his footing in a world he (and everyone else) no longer understands is a virtual study in acting subtlety and tone. James Howard, Broadway World |
Reviews of Almost Vermilion
Ms. Kinzer's semi-autobiographical play is a beautiful, heartfelt and deeply troubling piece. It is full of genuine heart – there isn't a false moment in it –
and never overindulges in the sentimentality that plays of this nature, even by the most seasoned of playwrights, often get mired down in. This drama, which
tells of a 1950's family in West Virginia, is honest, bold and captivating. Its positive themes of faith, the sanctity of marriage and sacrifice are wonderfully
balanced with the much darker realities of abuse, ignorance and the power people allow others to have over them.
|