TWS Director's Workshop Offers Ironic, Funny Pair of One-Act Plays

Each play, one act: two productions back-to-back. The Theater of Western Springs Directors’ Workshop offers an evening of humor and sarcasm pairing Losers and For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls this weekend in the intimate Cattell Theater.

In Brian Friel’s Losers, control is the theme. Andy, the narrator, takes the audience through his courtship with his beloved wife Hannah. The middle-aged couple’s attempts at intimacy are consistently and comically interrupted by her “saintly” invalid mother who overhears their interludes.

And in Christopher Durang’s piece For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls, a satire of The Glass Menagerie, a similarly controlling matriarch, Amanda, prepares her terrified hypochondriac son for a female caller. The ensuing dialog between Amanda, the overbearing caller Ginny, and Amanda’s son Lawrence results in comic tension.

The performances are part of a Directors Workshop that offers theater-goers a unique experience: audience participation. The two productions, separated by a 10-minute intermission, will end with a discussion where the audience may ask questions of the shows’ directors: Judy DiVita (Losers) and Denny Wise (Southern Belle).

Thirty-two -year veteran director Wise felt lucky to have his first-choice of script approved for the production. He chose it because it is “a funny, humorous piece.”

According to Wise, the challenge is in interpreting the script. “I try to interpret the author’s intention,” he said. “The script is presented with words, but not how to deliver them.”

There are some scenes where the actors contribute to the telling of the story. “One of the characters is hard of hearing,” said Wise. “She shouts, so we used that to add bits of humor."

Director Judy DiVita had some challenges with her script—the story is set in the 1960’s in Ireland. Casting for her play required the actors speak with an Irish Brogue. “Two of our actors came with accents, the others were quick studies,” she said.

DiVita thinks the audience will find her piece relatable. "It's an enjoyable play, it's poignant and it touches home," she said. "Everyone knows someone with an older parent and the troubles that ensue."

Both directors agree the theater itself takes special consideration. “It’s not a proscenium theater.” said DiVita, referring to the ¾-round venue. “We need to keep moving the actors around so the audience can see them.”

Young actress Denise D’Asto plays Hannah, the lead role in Losers. When asked where she learned her convincingly Irish Brogue she said, “From my mother.”

The best part about playing Hannah for D’Asto is remembering her own Irish matriarch. “This is her skirt,” she said tugging at it.

Showtimes are Friday March 25, 2011 at 8:00 p.m., Saturday March 26, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday March 27, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. in the Theatere of Western Springs' Cattell Theater. The theater requests a donation for admission.

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