“Circle Mirror Transformation" at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre -- August 18 through 27.
Friday, August 18, through Sunday, August 27
Playcrafters Barn Theatre, 4950 35th Avenue, Moline IL
With the New York Times calling it “the kind of unheralded gem that sends people into the streets babbling and bright-eyed with the desire to spread the word,” author Annie Baker's thoughtful comedy Circle Mirror Transformation enjoys an August 18 through 27 staging as part of the Playcrafters Barn Theatre's Barn Owl Series, the stage piece also lauded by Variety magazine as “orchestrated with a subtlety and unfailing naturalness that makes the play's small revelations disarming and unexpected.”
Set in the quiet town of Shirley, Vermont, Circle Mirror Transformation finds acting teacher Marty hosting an "Adult Creative Drama" class at the local community center. Those who sign up for the class include Schultz, a recently divorced carpenter; Lauren, a reserved high-school junior; Theresa, a former actress; and Marty's husband James. Marty takes her "students" through various acting and dramatic exercises, requesting that they act like objects such as trees, beds, and baseball gloves. In one exercise, however, they act as one another, and consequently tell their life stories. As a possible romance begins to develop, all of the group members slowly reveal themselves, hearts are quietly torn apart, and tiny wars of epic proportions are waged and won. A beautifully crafted diorama that received off-Broadway's 2009 Obie Award for Best New American Play, Circle Mirror Transformation is a figurative petri-dish in which we see, with hilarious detail and clarity, the antic sadness of a motley quintet.
Directing Circle Mirror Transformation's Moline run is Playcrafters veteran Michael Turczynski, who previously helmed such productions as The Whistleblower's Dilemma and (alongside Callen Brown) Avenue Q, and who has been a cast member of productions including Clybourne Park, Dog Sees God, and the recent Sense & Sensibility. With Bez Lancial-McMullen portraying Marty in her Playcrafters debut, four Barn Theatre returnees complete the cast: Adrienne Evans (Sylvia) as Theresa; Lance Maynard (Their Town) as James; Cece Olvera (The Wolves) as Lauren; and Eric Teeter (Princeton's Rage) as Schultz. Natalie Hansen serves as Circle Mirror Transformation's stage manager, with additional members of Turczynski's creative team including assistant director (and Reader theatre reviewer) Roger Pavey Jr., props designer Sara Laufer, and poster designer Katie Newport.
Circle Mirror Transformation runs at Moline's Barn Theatre from August 18 through 27, with performances Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (no show on Friday the 25th) and Sunday at 3 p.m. Admission is $13-15, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)762-0330 and visiting Playcrafters.com.
