Glory Be to Gloria!

 Hey, Everyone –

I tussled and turned with what I wanted to dive into for this “first” (albeit technically “second”) post. 

Should I begin with a classical piece? Nah, Shakespeare is like an oyster; an acquired taste.

Okay, Contemporary. What would be relevant to y'all right now?

In search of inspiration, I went online to see any theatre companies were putting on a performance this weekend of something I could “easily” write about. In my searching I found my muse; Gloria by Brandon Jacob-Jenkins is being performed by Stray Cat Theatre in Tempe through October 14th. What better place to begin than a contemporary play that a Pulitzer Prize finalist?

When I dive into a work of dramatic literature, I begin a process of work that is called “Dramaturgy”. There is really still debate about what dramaturgy is, what it encompasses, what it doesn’t. Some duties of a dramaturg could be more research based—helping a director and production team research and contextualize the world of a play for an audience. This includes looking up information on the playwright, any notable performances of the work, vocabulary words that may need definitions, translations of words and works, so on and so forth. This position is really helpful for historically rich pieces of dramatic literature like Shakespeare, Moliere, Chekov, among others. This tends to be all helmed under “research dramaturgy” and is integral for new play development and correctly staging classical works. Among other duties of a dramaturg could be dramatic criticism, audience building, crafting marketing materials and program notes for the production. This is another type of dramaturgy called "Production Dramaturgy" I’ve linked a dramaturg’s portfolio so you can see some of the really in-depth work that goes into creating high quality theatrical productions. Molly is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, where the first program in the US for Dramaturgy was created. Click Here to view her portfolio.

Now onto Gloria. 

*Warning* The script, Gloria, contains VERY heavy themes, workplace violence, suicide, gunshots, screaming, blood content, and is really intended for a mature audience.

Gloria is a play by Brandon Jacob-Jenkins that debuted Off-Broadway at the Vineyard theatre in 2015, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2016. Without revealing too much about the plot structure, it’s a harrowing tale of what happens to workers at an editorial magazine when ambition goes unchecked. Going into this production, I had not read the script (something I highly recommend if you can!), so I was at the will of the production team at Stray Cat. 

Stray Cat Theatre, whose home is the Tempe Center for the Arts, is known for putting quirky, edgy, irreverent theatrical experiences. It’s no shock to me that they would be one of the first theatre companies in Arizona to take on a behemoth of a production like Gloria. You'd be hard pressed really to find a theatre around doing such ambitious and daring work (especially without Nearly Naked Theatre around). 

(pictured above: Tempe Center for the Arts)

When I first read Gloria I laughed, cried, screamed "What the f**kity f**k?", and sat in solitary mental digestion of what the goose I had just read. Maybe these are the reasons why bigger companies in Arizona don't stage radical work like his; they're petrified of it. And they should be. It takes daring leadership to pick a piece such like Gloria, and even more courage to execute it from the ephemeral/intellectual into something tangible and real. The director of this production, Dolores E. Mendoza, does a wonderful job of bringing us into this world and her vision beautifully. The set provides a backdrop that allowed the action to unfold uninterrupted.

As an actor, this piece would terrify me to the point I would kill to take part in it. There is a reason Brandon Jacob-Jenkins was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for this work (and for his other play Everybody)-- these characters are vividly painted with every flaw that comes along with humanity and boy are they in some seriously dramatic circumstances. 

Willa Eigo's performance as Kendra was a standout-- she was a certifiable "C U Next Tuesday". Megan Holcomb's depth in performance between Gloria and Nan was also remarkable. For me though, Everett Pervall's Miles and Jonathan Hernandez as Lorin were the cherries on topped of this f**ked up cake. Each were remarkable foils to the whirlwind of the other characters.

(Willa Eigo as Kendra in Stray Cat Theatre's production of Gloria)

(Jonathan Hernandez as Lorin in Stray Cat Theatre's production of Gloria)

There's a lot of messed up stuff happening in the world and within the theatrical community; I'm a grade-A whiner who could whine up a storm on the topic but that doesn't change things. What does change things is supporting the theatre YOU want to see. I want to see more shows like Gloria. More companies daring to take artistic risks. More companies hiring local talent :')

 

Go see this dang show!