The student-operated Pocket Playhouse begins its season tonight with the play “Spin the Bottle.” Written and directed by senior video production major Ben Martin, the play deals with the connections between people — how they are made and broken, what sustains them and why we need them.
The theme of a spinning bottle perfectly reflects the unpredictable way the characters in the play develop and interact. The script and acting are so well done that at times, it seems you aren’t watching a play; you could just be watching some people talking at a party. This realism was achieved by Martin’s unusual way of developing his production.
“I had a rough sketch of what I wanted to do, then I cast the show,” he said. “Then I had improv sessions with the cast set at a party where they came in character.”
These parties were videotaped, as well as other parties not involving cast members. After observing the tapes and how people interacted, Martin wrote the
“The ideas I played with and where they went depended on what the actors did,” he said.
The show was cast in May, and the entire summer was spent on the production. In addition to the acted portion of the play, there are video segments that help give insight to characters and events.
The beginning of the play shows an edited portion of the film “Koyaanisqatsi” by director Godfrey Reggio. The portion of the film shown to the audience was intended by the original director to reveal his disapproval of what our society has become. Martin uses a less dramatic adaptation of this message throughout his play.
Another blend of multimedia in the presentation is provided by new University professor Camille Dussinger. Martin came into contact with Dussinger less than two weeks ago by pure coincidence. Dussinger has been working on a continuing series of photographs for the last seven years dealing with the connections between people. Her device for doing this visually is posing people in situations and somehow connecting them physically with a piece of red string.
“The string is sort of symbolic of communication between people, or lack thereof,” Dussinger said.
The prints add another level of depth to the production that goes beyond previous boundaries in the Pocket Playhouse.
The action of the play revolves mostly around a party, with a series of interjecting monologues by each of the play’s characters.
Ben Hubert, who plays the character Dax, has enjoyed the work that he and the crew have done to get to this point.
“The coolest thing about this show is working with experienced actors, people [who] know when to get down to business,” Hubert said.
Elizabeth Flesh, cast as Sophy in the production, enjoyed the unorthodox methods that Martin used to create and develop the play.
“I think that most of us as actors want a career in film, so it’s cool starting out with being filmed,” she said. “Ben’s going to be a great film director.”
“Spin the Bottle” plays tonight and Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Pocket Playhouse in Villard Hall. A $1 donation is suggested.