Yay to the LCC theatre students and alumni who braved frustrating technology to put together Stages of Change with the mentorship of Paige Tufford. It’s a series of original, new monologues and playlets addressing issues affecting us during these troubled times, coping with pandemic, political divides, racial issues…  This 50- minute collection was a bit of a struggle to get to see, weathering delays and technical issues — but it certainly provided food for thought. 

The most ambitious segment of the collection was “Don’t Be a Maskhole” written and directed by Christopher Verhil and Tyler Frease. It had elements of humor as it gathered a relatively large cast experiencing assorted frustrations and some serious issues at the unemployment office. I would have liked to have seen this in real life, with all actors together, because the boxed/separate format seemed to prevent the necessary momentum to make the piece really flow - and one actor seemed to have some audio gaps, I think… but still, it’s a worthy script. 

All of the pieces were heartfelt and creative. The sound quality was clearer on some than others. I appreciated Christopher Verhil’s closing advice to help us carry on - delivered with sincerity.

Here is the link that finally worked for me. NOTE: when I started it, it was blurry to the point where I could not read the caption names, but I hit the little gear icon at the bottom and was given the choice to change to “hd” — and that cleared it up. 

https://www.facebook.com/LCCPerformingArts/videos/353278172533158

THANKS to Guest Reviewer Liz Cooke:


The Curtainless Theatre has concluded The Oedipus Cycle with their presentation of “Antigone”. There aren’t enough kudos in the world to offer this group for keeping community theatre alive and well during a time when it seems impossible. I appreciated this production’s addition of a virtual program and recap that played prior to the director’s speech (or Curtainless Speech as it is affectionately known). 

Being the end of a tragic trilogy, "Antigone" is about as cheery as one would expect. The play is bookended (and filled) with death, but it’s still not hard to see why it is often listed as the favorite (including being the favorite of the director). Being the shortest of the three plays at just over an hour, things move along quickly and it keeps your interest.

While the argument for the comment section being distracting is valid, it can be a resource for those viewers who may be less familiar with the material. If you’re able to follow the comments while watching, it can help translate the more difficult language. I urge you to give this a try if you've been hesitant to watch these shows.

One doesn’t need to understand the language to appreciate the top tier talent director Dale Wayne Williams assembled for this production. Ellie Weise as Antigone was a commanding presence, even when not speaking. I sometimes found it difficult not to watch her facial expressions during other people’s lines. Joe Clark (Creon), Kate Dickinson (Ismene), and Steve Neal (Haemon) were also fantastic in their roles - to name a few. Special shout-out to the detailed and believable old-age makeup on Creon and Teiresias (Jordan Climie). 

I found this round of backgrounds particularly nice. Whether real or virtual, they gave the appearance of being part of the same set. The effect was cohesive and authentic, giving us audience members the vision of what this might look like if we were all together in real life. 

Once again, The Curtainless Theatre has stretched the boundaries of what virtual theatre can look like; putting together a production that was as close to the “real thing” as I’ve personally seen thus far. Technical difficulties in this installment were even more minimal than the other two, proving that the expertise of this group (particularly the expertise of technical director Cody Skalmowski I assume) is only growing as this goes on.

If you missed “Antigone” or any of their previous live-streamed shows (such as the rest of The Oedipus Cycle or their previous “Prometheus Bound”) the videos are available on The Curtainless Theatre’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/curtainlesstheatrelansing. All of their virtual shows so far have been free to watch but you can support the group with your donations at http://paypal.me/curtainlesstheatre. The Curtainless Theatre is also taking submissions for future projects. Interested people are encouraged to inquire by messaging their Facebook page.