'Life' a showing of three brutal comedies

By Jenni Glenn

Fine & Performing Arts Editor

"Family Life: Three Brutal Comedies" will experiment not only with themes but also with the technical aspects of the show when it comes to the Basement Arts stage this weekend.

The performance marks the first time that a Basement Arts show will build a complete set and then load it into the Arena Theatre. This type of set building is normally only done in larger theaters and is not typically feasible due to the Basement Arts budget of time and money.

The production staff of "Family Life" decided to build the elaborate set designed by Tim Reynolds in order to add a new dimension to the Arena Theatre. Some pieces of the finished "Family Life" set will be permanently donated to Basement Arts after the show ends, leaving a legacy from this production. "The Basement is going to be used in a way its never been used before," director Marya Keefe said. "We wanted to use the space in a way that people would walk in and say, 'This is different.'"

The set also reflects a central theme in the three short plays, the contrast between fantasy and the real world. The scene appears normal to the audience at first glance but gradually reveals its hidden incongruous aspects during the course of the action. "There is this very strange line between the absurd and reality in these plays" which the set embodies, Keefe said.

The comedic action taking place on the set focuses on the theme of strained familial ties. The first play studies an argument between parents and a child over the topics of love and cockroaches. "Minna and the Space People," the next piece, follows a man trying to convince his sister that she cannot communicate with aliens using her mascara wand. The final story looks at another dysfunctional family celebrating the mother's birthday. "The plays deal with relationships between parents and children and what happens when that communication fails," Keefe said.

Keefe selected the script by playwriting Prof. Wendy Hammond for her senior directing project because of its powerful, universal message. "When I finished reading it (for the first time), I was shaking," she said. "The plays are pertinent to decisions I'm making at this point in my life and decision I see my friends making."

The elements of personal truth in the show present a directing challenge to Keefe. She said that sometimes she feels too emotionally involved with the show. "At some point, it's time to just be a director and not be viscerally affected by the piece," she said.

The emotional stories impacted the cast, which is composed of School of Music students Julia Siple, Andrew Bielski and Sandra Abrevaya, in a similar way. The actors created acting exercises in order to reach the necessary emotional state to bring the "Family Life" personalities to life. "It has to come from (the cast) because the characters are inside those bodies," Keefe said. "People who come to see this show are going to be surprised because they're doing things they've never done before."

The actors faced the added challenge of being double cast in this production. Each actor portrays two parts, one older and one younger, to show the development of a single personality type over time. "It's not that they're playing the same characters," Keefe said. "They're using the same behavioral patterns that repeat themselves unless the cycle stops."

Between the powerful themes, the comic script and the new set, "Family Life" offers plenty of enticements to its audience. Keefe hopes that those in attendance will recognize elements of their own experiences in the show and have cause to reexamine them. "The way these plays are written, everyone has a sort of personal experience with them, whether it's from theater or not," she said.