Chain Theatre Winter One
Act Festival
February 15, 2022
Program 1 – 6:00 PM
A Place for Us & For My Very Own
Photo courtesy of Chain Theatre
Chain Theatre continues their Winter One Act Festival with riveting performance of new and unique plays. The festival consists of nine different
programs, including comedies, dramas, and musicals. Each program is given four performance dates
and one live stream date. Program 1
showcases two strong pieces: A Place
for Us, written and directed by Anthony M. Laura, and For My Very Own,
written by Emma Lefkowitz and directed by Sarah De Baets.
In A Place for Us, playwright Anthony M. Laura explores alternate realities. When Judith (played by Donna L. White) finds a bloody towel in her laundry basket, she questions her daughter, Hannah (played by Madison Murrah). This adds to the already elevated level of stress between them, due to Judith’s infidelities. Natalie, an unexpected visitor (played by Raina Silver) arrives, claiming she lives in their house. Hannah befriends Natalie, against the strong warnings of her father, Vincent (played by Emerson A. Buchholz). Natalie refuses to leave, and offers little detail to her life and history. Even though her true identity remains a mystery, the family slowly begins to resolve their differences.
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| Photo courtesy of A Place for Us |
Playwright Anthony M. Laura structured his play in short scenes. This heightens the tension and mystery throughout the piece. Each scene suspends the reality further, while grounding the characters in realistic actions. It is the careful balance of this dichotomy that keeps the audience engaged, while continually questioning the levels of truth. The final scene delivers a solid answer to Judith’s discovery of the bloody towel in the opening scene, yet opens the door to possibilities for Hannah’s continued journey.
The cast fully commits to the realistic traits of their characters. Their objectives are strong and clear, building genuine conflict. This gives the audience a compelling story to follow, while the alternate realities unfold. Madison Murrah effectively portrays Hannah as a confused and conflicted teenager. Donna L. White builds an authentic mother relationship with her that is riddled with conflict. Emerson A. Buchholz plays the father with humor and wisdom. Raina Silver is enigmatic as the unexpected visitor.
For My Very Own takes a humorous and effective look at white privilege. Anne (played by Maya Kate Frueh) is looked over for a promotion at the Center, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to changing social policy. She admits to her co-worker, Ines (played by Hannah Deale), that she is ready to sacrifice her white privilege to prove her dedication to making change. She connects with Nora (played by Hadas Brown), who is starting a movement to adopt homeless people and place them in pods for support. Anne takes her commitment too far, and ends up needing more help that she was ever able to offer in the first place.
Playwright Emma Lefkowitz’s writing has a sharp wit and biting tongue, which serves her theme of white privilege very well. Director Sarah De Baets guides this cast of skilled actors to deliver the powerful punch Ms. Lefkowitz’s play sets out to do. Maya Kate Frueh plays the self-serving, righteous white woman with total conviction and bold humor. Hannah Deale makes the side remarks that keep the far-fetched actions reality based. Hadas Brown adds the intellectual, analytical point of view to the over the top actions. Brian Mendoza plays a reporter who adds an outsider perspective to the story.
Program 1 has one more showing on February 18 at 8:00 PM. Go to the Chain Theatre website (www.chaintheatre.org) to get tickets for their final performance. While there, check out the other one-act programs. The festival runs through February 25 at 312 West 36 St. (4th floor). Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. The Winter One Act Festival continues to build Chain Theatre’s reputation for presenting quality theatre. Don’t miss out. Get a ticket today!
Domenick Danza
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