Theatre Company: The Emergency Room
Writer: Neil LaBute
Directors: Shane Bosher, Kip Chapman, Margaret-Mary Hollins, Dena Kennedy, Colin Moy and Edwin Wright.
Actors: Julia Croft, Peta Rutter, Todd Emerson, Rachel Forman, Ross Anderson, Elizabeth Easther, Andi Crown, Simon London, Olivia Tennet, Will Wallis, Annie Whittle, Bruce Phillips
Location: The Basement

Synopsis:

Comprised six short vignettes involving two people - who are stuck in a vehicle which may or may not be moving:

• Teenage Rebel (Julia Croft and Peta Rutter directed by Margaret-Mary Hollins) - A young woman, being driven home from the “Twin Oaks” rehabilitation facility, knows exactly how to drive her mother to despair.
• Attempted Breakup (Todd Emerson and Rachel Forman directed by Shane Bosher) - A white, middle-class academic is foiled in his attempt to break up with a girl he obviously only intended to be involved with while he was studying.
• It’s Hard to Say I’m Sorry (Ross Anderson and Elizabeth Easther directed by Edwin Wright) - A guy who is a little rough around the edges, with some interesting thoughts on language, spends 15 minutes not really apologising for calling his wife the “c-word” in the supermarket.
• “I KNOW you shouldn’t drink” (Andi Crown and Simon London directed by Simon London) - Its clear that this attractive, effervescent, young woman’s story about fainting with two strangers at her door and waking up sore “down there” is missing a few details.
• Please Say You are her Father!!! (Olivia Tennet and Will Wallis directed by Colin Moy) - A precocious young girl has been dragged from school and is being driven to a secluded cabin with an older, but not unfamiliar, man with dubious intentions.
• We Gave it Our Best Shot (Annie Whittle and Bruce Phillips directed by Kip Chapman) - An older couple a driving home after “returning” a foster child who just didn’t work out as they had hoped.

Thoughts on this Production:

I was looking forward to seeing this because, well, what better vehicle for exploring a wide range of human interactions than watching two people who are stuck in a car. And this play didn’t disappoint! It was great trying to figure out what was going on by listening to a conversation you are dropped into the middle of with little or no context. Half of the vignettes were thoroughly engaging and laugh out loud funny. The other half made me squirm in my seat. I should have expected at least some level of discomfort from the person who wrote “The Shape of Things”. Definitely left the audience with lots to think about!