"boom / OR," OR... The Best Thing No One Ever Saw

"I won't have one of those 'OR' titles... one of those greedy, get-it-all-in titles. 'The something-something OR what-you-something...' I don't care if the Great Man did it, they take up half the poster, and the typesetter charges by the word. Make up your mind and pick one, thank you." - Lady Davenant

In a near-impossible 3-page hulked-out monologue in OR, by Liz Duffy Adams, that line is mine. It arrives wedged in near the end - a breviloquent lesson on naming plays twice; a practice I became well versed in watching episodes of Rocky and Bullwinkle as a kid. So, it's not without irony that I wrote my own title the way that I did.

We opened a show last night. boom by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb. A genius little 3-person one-act (though to be fair, it runs about 80 minutes - it just doesn't have an intermission) about the end of the world. A straight up comet-explosion, apocalyptic, civilization-destroying end of the world comi-tragedy. And tonight, we'll open another - OR, - Liz Duffy Adam's even sexier, albeit somewhat ridiculous, Restoration Era door-slamming farce about spy/playwright/poetess Aphra Behn. And we'll do it with the same 3 cast members. Intriguing? Sure. But for an actor, the concept was all but mind-blowing.

When Generic Theater announced their season last year, I was taken in by a few things.

1.) A partnership with Double Dog Theater on this (these) show(s). Double Dog does undeniably interesting work, is run by some amazing, truly creative, and fun-to-work-with folks. Point boom/OR,. They also have a profit-sharing model for paying their actors and crew, which, let's face it, is a major bonus. Time = money, and if any of that comes back your way, it's basically like winning the lottery. Another point boom/OR,.

2.) The concept of 1cast/2plays was just difficult enough to understand that you can read the heightened concentration on Jeanette Rainey's face in the video as she struggles to make sense of what this event actually IS. Complicated theater that can't be readily explained by a cue card? Color me curious. Point boom/OR,.

3.) It looked like a CHALLENGE. I'm choosy about the shows I audition for - they're time consuming and I have a day job. And a significant other who eventually wonders where I've run off to. So, the things I ultimately audition for are things I know I will KICK MYSELF for not being a part of. And this was, without a doubt, exactly that. Great writing. Multiple roles on different sets. Repertory theater, which is essentially unheard of in this area. And repertory with the same actors and crew? Point boom/OR,. Basically all the points. I sucked it up, hauled that giant sack of points into an audition and laid them at the feet of our now-director Brendan Hoyle, who I'd recently declared a creative genius. (Don't tell him this, his head will swell, and we'll have to revoke the title and that will be the end of it.)

So, cut to now. Weeks of rehearsals and hundreds of lines memorized and nearly a dozen characters developed (well, hey there, multiple roles in one show!), we open. To a warm, receptive, engaging crowd. Of about 20 people. And that little red warning light that had been quietly blinking in the back of my head since before I even auditioned suddenly comes into focus. This show is a TOUGH SELL. While conceptually brilliant, well marketed (read about us here... and here... and here!) and doing everything it needs to be amazing... the fact remains. It's going to be a hard sell! The plays are basically brand new. Consider theater years in terms of dog years - the oldest of the shows was written only in 2008, which means most people have yet to even HEAR of this title yet. It's a gamble to pay for a ticket to a show you've never heard anything about. On top of that, there's a good chance you might not KNOW anyone in the cast... There are only 3 of us. And while that's a huge part of what makes this so conceptually amazing, I'm as guilty as anyone of not seeing local shows when I don't know anyone who's in them. Never heard of the show and no one's gonna be mad if I don't see it? I'll keep my $17, thanks. Maybe I'll go see a movie... I don't know Matthew McConaughey personally, but he looks like he could use my money. And those Hollywood studios are really struggling to make ends meet...

So, begins my point. (Did you see it coming...? I know, it nearly slipped right by in the subtlety, there.) There are amazing things happening that need your support, and boom/OR, juuuuuust might be one of those amazing things. And, oddly enough, this isn't about me for once! (WHAT?! I know!) Whereas I'm having a total blast, and I want people to come and be impressed with my ability to put on a bunch of different wigs and hats really fast (isn't that why people go into acting in the first place?), this is about something else. It's about recognizing something special... Something different... Something that might expand the definition of what art and theater is in this town. Something that's good for everyone! Support it now and you'll get to see more interesting things down the road. Actors and techies alike will be provided bigger and better opportunities to do things that stretch them, because it's already been proven that the community will hold up the ticketing end of the bargain.  

This might not be a life-altering experience... You'll see a play (two, if you like what you see and decide to catch them both), and you'll be hella entertained - because, let's face it, they're comedies and it's near impossible not to get a laugh or two out of it. BUT, support for something like this will benefit everyone. Actors, directors, crews, audiences... the whole flipping City of Norfolk and then some! But you have to come. Suck it up and drop the cash, because it's going to make all the difference in the world.

I can't encourage you enough to come out... Whether you want to (somewhat dramatically) change the course of history or not. :) We run for 3 weekends at Generic Theater down under Chrysler Hall in Norfolk, through February 15. I promise you will kick yourself for missing it.