The Return Of The One Acts

By J.J. Harrier

Frontiersman

WASILLA �” Good things come in small packages, the old saying goes, but with the premiere of the Valley Performing Arts Center’s (VPA) “The Return of the One-Acts,” small packages comes in the form of fresh directing talents and surprise endings.

Four directors bring their four 20-minute plays to life in a production that is not only well-rounded and incomparable in substance, but showcases new Mat-Su Valley talents as well.

First up is Yvonne Oliver’s directoral debut in the comedy “The Red Carnation.”

Set in the summer time, two male suitors (Pat Collins and Kevin Cohran) arrive at a park wearing a red carnation. Both men, who don’t know each other but carry the same last name, are about to rendezvous with a young woman (Summer Horton) they had met at a masquerade ball, wearing identical costumes. In this comedy of coincidence, which Smith will the woman pick?

For Oliver, even though the uproarious idea of “Carnation” seemed doable, she really wasn’t willing to sign up.

“There was some arm twisting by the artistic director for me to do this,” Oliver said.

Oliver, a VPA board member for the past 14 years, said she has worn many hats at the small playhouse in Wasilla, including as an actress in more than 20 productions, but has never directed before. She said her biggest challenge in producing the one-act “Carnation” was paying attention to all of the particulars, as well as the timing.

“I don’t think I’m detailed enough,” Oliver said, “ but I enjoyed working with actors from a different stand point this time around.”

The cast for “The Red Carnation,” with respectable performances from each.

The curtain re-opens to “The Day After Forever,” a drama short directed by newcomer Jack Foster.

Foster is living proof that if you show up at VPA enough times to volunteer your time and energy, something big will eventually go down. He’s done just about everything from sweeping, painting sets, and stage design to eventually acting in a handful of productions.

It was only a matter of time before Foster’s talents would be put to test in “The Day After Forever.”

On a young, wealthy couple’s wedding day, a visitor arrives at the Clayton household. The bride-to-be believes this homely looking female has come to help mend her lavish wedding gown, unbeknownst that she brings with her a 20-year-old secret that could destroy everything she’s held true.

“Forever” is full of lavish set design and Old English mannerisms, making it difficult to determine what time frame our characters are set in. Regardless, the real drama comes to life via the actors’ performances, but not just in their words.

Throughout “Forever,” a mother’s pain of losing her daughter is unmistakably portrayed, in more ways than one, and a bumbling house maid’s antics creates a few laughs, generating a roller-coaster of emotions in a quick one-act ride. Though there are a few awkward “Is this going to end now?” moments, Foster’s cast stays true to their characters, delivering an touching message.

“Getting this cast together wasn’t easy,” Foster said. “I used some acting first-timers and also wanted each person to reflect their character as best as possible. I think we did that.”

After a short intermission, the audience returns to “Blind Women’s Bluff,” arguably the best of the four plays.

VPA acting alum Ted Carney directs this intriguing suspense short with true inclination, showcasing his theatrical talents off the stage.

Mrs. Bristol, a blind woman who lives alone on a hill, receives a visitor she thinks is interested in buying her old recliner. The man turns out to be a burglar, more interested in her silverware and cash holdings than the furniture. Is this woman as naive as she looks?

As with all of the one-acts, “Bluff” is astonishingly deceiving as this thriller abruptly turns into a comedy of errors.

Janet Kennedy plays the clueless blind woman perfectly, having jumped on board to play the part just two weeks ago. With a little help from her family (her daughter played Helen Keller in VPA’s “The Miracle Worker” two years ago), Kennedy’s Mrs. Bristol carefully walks around the living room set with careful precision as the opportunistic thief (Dane Crowley) gazes around the room at what he can steal away with.

Crowley, a full-time forester, said he was repeatedly asked to play the machismo thief in “Bluff,” even though he had never acted a day in his life, before giving in.

“I think they asked me because they knew I wouldn’t hesitate to strip-down to my skivvies in one of the scenes,” Crowley said.

With the feverish rehearsing schedule (five nights a week, three hours a night) aside, Crowley said he has enjoyed learning “stage lingo” as well as taking his character seriously.

“I would do this again,” he said. “Especially if there was a signing part involved.”

The last of the one-acts is the comedy, “Wanted: One Groom.”

Phyllis arrives at her friend Kayla’s home to find she is about to get married, even though Kayla isn’t dating. Confused, Phyllis finds that Kayla has placed an ad in the New York Times for a groom, one that has to meet certain criteria: He has to be 21-23-years old, successful and hard working, respects elders, and likes antiques. Appalled by this notion, Phyllis begins to unravel the truth behind this illogical plan, the ad itself, and learns a little bit about herself along the way.

Director Marlene Smith, another VPA acting alum, said she literally grabbed at the opportunity to direct her first production.

“I saw Larry Botjens at Three Bears and said, ‘I want to direct!’” Smith remarked. “He said he had the perfect play for me, and it has been.”

Smith said the biggest challenge in directing a one-act play has been getting the timing between the actor’s lines just right. A bonus, she said, was that she got the opportunity to use a few special effects to spice things up.

“There’s a couple of zingers in there,” she said.

Smith noted that each VPA director from “The Return of the One-Acts” has helped each other out immensely, helping with creating a vision for each of the four plays.

“We all help each other,” Smith said. “Ted’s given me some good angles that have helped and we all add our own pizzazz to liven up the shows. That’s why I think this works so well.”

Eight of the fifteen actors performing in “Return of the One-Acts” are new to VPA’s stage, keeping true to the Mat-Su Valley’s diverse mix of up-and-coming acting talents.

For $18 a pop, this production deserves a try. It delivers the good, the not-so-bad and many surprises, all rolled into one.

For ticket and showtime information, visit Valleyperformingarts.org.