Gearing up for ‘An Adult Evening’
Name: Ashley Rushman, 19, sophomore of Gurley.
Character: Sylvia in “One Tennis Shoe”
Describe your character in one word: Crazy. Sylvia tries to fill a void in her life with trash.
How do you think the audience will react?: It depends on their generation. The play is inappropriate and hilarious.
Name: Laven R. Adair, 19, freshman of Hot Springs, S.D.
Character: George in “Wash and Dry”
Describe your character in one word: A weasel. George teaches his victims to pay attention to the fine print or horrible things may happen.
How is acting in the Black Box?: You don’t have to worry so much about facing the audience.
Name: Erin Neal, 21, senior of Crawford
Character: Jen in “The Lifeboat is Sinking”
Describe your character in one word: Witchy. She tries to confirm that she is the most valuable thing in her husband’s life.
What do you think of the play?: Each scene has its own personality. The skits are tied together by Shel’s writing style. They couldn’t have come from any mind but his.
or many people, the name “Shel Silverstein” conjures images of quirky cartoons and children’s poetry about that magical place where the sidewalk ends. Silverstein was an author, musician, cartoonist, and screenwriter who referred to himself as “Uncle Shelby” in his children’s books.
However, his writing reveals a darker side, which can be seen in his collection of short plays “An Adult Evening with Shel Silverstein.”
Silverstein did not originally write for a young audience. He was a cartoonist and reporter for the “Stars and Stripes,” a U.S. military publication, He was also a reporter and cartoonist for “Playboy.”
“An Adult Evening with Shel Silverstein” consists of 13 plays, from “One Tennis Shoe,” about a woman’s transformation into a bag lady, to “Buy One, Get One Free,” where two prostitutes offer customers a deal on their services. As the title indicates, these plays are for mature audiences.
The CSC production, which features 19 student actors, will be at 7:30 p.m. ,Feb. 9-11 and 2 p.m., Feb. 12 in the Black Box Theatre in Memorial Hall.
Memorial Hall’s Black Box Theatre is alive with anticipation. Plywood facades spring up to cover demure black walls. Stage lights ignite, illuminating actors who pace the black floors in practiced patterns. The week-long countdown to opening night has begun, and every member of the up-coming play, “An Adult Evening With Shel Silverstein,” labors to perfect their portion of the craft.
The Black Box Theatre, since its construction in 2000, has borne a host of memorable plays, most recently “Doubt.” The room’s moveable seating and intimate atmosphere make it the perfect space for unconventional theatre.
“When I see a black box show, I feel as though I’ve come into a character’s world, instead of them sending the world to me.” Roger Mays, Performing Arts
Professor and Director, said. “The basic relationship between actor and audience is changed.”
The up-coming play will be staged “thrust” style, with audience seated on three sides of the action. Having audience on multiple sides directing challenges, but Mays insists the visual dynamic is worth the effort.
“The disadvantages include how many sight lines we have to consider.” But Mays commented that this doubles as one of the black box’s boons. “Proscenium theatre is painting, black box is sculpture. It’s in three dimensions, an aspect that modern media lacks… The audience watches the creators during the creative process, that can’t be obtained on film.”
Even when the stage is set and the actors prepared, an important feature of theatre cannot be overlooked. Costumes, from a layman’s view, are just the clothing the actors wear. Becci French, 22, junior of Alliance who is a longtime student costumer, refutes this view.
“Costumes aren’t just clothes; they’re the panty hose, the undershirts, the glasses, the gloves, the jewelry. All of these contribute to the character’s persona.”
French has helped costume more than ten Chadron productions. When asked about the specific costuming challenges “An Adult Evening” poised, she grimaces down at the fluffy white body suit she’s sewing.
“With so many characters, you can’t just pick one theme or genre. You have to match each scene and character’s personality. This dog suit is also particularly annoying.”
French’s exasperation stems from the outdated machines that populate Memorial Hall’s costume shop.
“We have plenty of equipment, it’s just all old. It would be nice to have more updated technology, much of the sewing is done by hand.” French said. Challenges, like these, are gamely attacked by the student costuming worker, like French.
A set is more than just clap-board and paint, especially in the Black Box Theatre. The need for clarity and flexible staging is especially important in the limited space. A play like “An Adult Evening” adds to these hurdles, because every vignette takes place in a different area. It is a challenge, then, for a set designer to maintain cohesion while representing the changing settings.
Scott Cavin, technical director for the show, designed scenery with these problems in mind. Larger set pieces rest on wheeled platforms, while the general set maintains charismatic simplicity.
Creating such a flexible but memorable atmosphere involves collecting photos representing specific localities, like down-town New York, and recreating them inside the black box’s bounds. This is only executed through the hard work of student builders, who labor to make the idea reality.
Preserving the black box theatre’s flexible functionality, Cavin’s set has movable walls, foldable shelves, and an entire rolling bed. All these aspects are purposefully placed to make the black box’s interior as dark and colorful as the comedy it will host.
John Prante, 19, freshman of Grant, operates an electric screwdriver while preparing the set for "Shel Silverstein." — Photo by T.J. Thomson