LaBute New Theater Festival 2023
Directed by Kari Ely and John Contini
St. Louis Actors’ Studio
July 14, 2023
The 2023 edition of St. Louis Actors’ Studio’s LaBute New Theater Festival is currently running at the Gaslight Theater. It’s a streamlined setup this year, with one slate of five plays showing for the whole run, which is a benefit as I see it, since it makes the festival easier to follow, and also seems to lend an increased degree of consistency to the productions. While in past years, there have been some excellent plays, the festival has usually had its ups and downs in terms of overall consistency of productions. This year, all five plays are solid, thought-provoking productions that feature strong acting and a step up in production values. They are also all two-handers, with communication issues and personality conflicts being a major theme, as well as an air of mystery in most of them.
Production values are impressive across the board, from the relatively simple staging of the first play, “Safe Space” to more elaborately staged plays with a degree of lighting effects and costuming like “The Mockingbird’s Nest”, the creative team has done impressive work. Technical director Joseph M. Novak, set designer Patrick Huber, lighting designer Kristi Gunther, props designer Jenny Smith, and costumes/hair/makeup designer Abby Pastorello have contributed much in the way of tone, atmosphere, and overall style to the productions, as have sound designers and directors Kari Ely and John Contini. As for the individual shows themselves, here are some brief thoughts:
“Safe Space”
by Neil LaBute
Jane Paradise, Reginald Pierre
Photo by Patrick Huber
St. Louis Actors’ Studio
This is the “headliner” show, by the festival’s namesake playwright, LaBute. Like several other of his entries in previous festivals, this play consists mainly of a conversation between two people about a potentially volatile subject. The setup here is a “Black Out” performance of an unnamed play, where a Black man (Reginald Pierre) is surprised to see a white woman (Jane Paradise) take the seat next to him. What then ensues is an awkward interaction in which both convey their opinions about various topics relating to this situation, such as the need (or not) for “Black Out” performances of shows or “safe spaces” in general, and both characters’ personal and family experiences of racism and oppression. The structure of this script is clever in that it first appears to be an exploration of theatre manners, and the issue of the actual situation is revealed gradually. Both performers give convincing performances, and the arguments given can be alternately intriguing, thought-provoking, and occasionally infuriating. The issues brought up might better be covered in a longer play, but this vignette provides a lot to think, and talk about.
“The Blind Hem”
by Bryn McLaughlin
This play is probably the most straightforward relationship drama of this year’s group, but elements of mystery and communication troubles are also on clear display. In what appears to be a hotel room or small apartment, Kate (Eileen Engel) and Robert (Anthony Wininger) are engaging in what has become a regular ritual for them–getting cleaned up after a rendezvous, while reflecting about the nature and future of their relationship, as well as Robert’s past and reluctance to commit. While this general idea isn’t new, it is approached in a clever way by playwright Bryn McLaughlin, who employs the inventive device of a running water faucet to obscure sound just enough so the characters can share their true feelings without being sure if the other can hear. Also, Robert is a college English professor, and Kate is a former student of his, so there are a fair amount of literary references (especially Shakespeare) thrown in to give the story a bit of a poetic flair at times. The performances are strong, with Engel and Wininger demonstrating believable chemistry as the younger, optimistic Kate, and the middle-aged, widowed and regretful professor.
“Da Vinci’s Cockroach”
by Amy Tofte
This play is a quirky one, and it has a lot to say, as two very different people reflect on art, science, and the meaning of life after a chance encounter in an art gallery, where Finn (Laurel Button) works and Dana (Colleen Backer) has come out of a sort of clinical curiosity following the recent death of a family member. The acting is the real highlight here, with Button’s sincere, determined hopefulness serving as a contrast to Backer’s more reserved, cynical Dana. The art gallery setting is well realized through means of artwork provided by Abby Pastorello, and the staging is dynamically paced, the characters memorable, and the dialogue thought-provoking.
“One Night in the Many Deaths of Sonny Liston”
by J. B. Heaps
Eileen Engel, Reginald Pierre
Photo by Patrick Huber
St. Louis Actors’ Studio
Here is perhaps the darkest play of the evening in terms of tone. Its an imagination of an evening toward the end of the life of former World Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston (Reginald Pierre), who died under mysterious circumstances. The story imagines a meeting between Liston and a mysterious woman (Eileen Engel) who has been sent by a guy named Vinnie with a “gift” that appears to be drugs. Soon, the two engage in a flirtation and a discussion of Sonny’s life and career, as a harsh truth is gradually revealed. The actors here do an excellent job, working together well as the tone grows more ominous as the story plays out. The costumes and set are also especially impressive in this production.
“The Mockingbird’s Nest”
by Craig Bailey
This is perhaps the weirdest play here, but it starts with a basic premise, as Robyn (Colleen Backer) is spending the day caring for her elderly mother, Daisy (Jane Paradise), who suffers from dementia and is getting increasingly unpredictable in her behavior and recounting of once-familiar stories. That’s just the beginning, though, and the story develops in an unexpected direction that I will not spoil. It’s a fascinating story, though, with stellar performances from both Backer, as the increasingly exasperated Robyn, and Paradise in an impressively versatile and physical performance as Daisy. The lighting effects are also memorable here, in a story with no dull moments.
Colleen Backer, Jane Paradise
Photo by Patrick Huber
St. Louis Actors’ Studio
St. Louis Actors’ Studio is presenting the LaBute New Theater Festival at the Gaslight Theater until July 23, 2023
