17 Jan 2013
Staff Writer
Will Jaeger
Intern
Traditional gender roles, sexuality, and women’s rights in 1960s America play out in “Last Summer at Bluefish Cove.”
Written by Jane Chambers and directed by Sharon Veselic, Denton Community Theatre’s Black Box Theatre will present “Last Summer at Bluefish Cove” on Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. This marks Veselic’s first show at Black Box, and her fifth overall for DCT. Veselic stage-managed a production of this play 30 years ago at a women’s center in New York.
“These shows are usually more experimental, or, perhaps, content we wouldn’t want a family to see,” said Mildred Peveto, Denton Community Theatre’s education director and Black Box Theatre’s manager. “These are not your typical DCT productions.”
The play centers on being a gay woman in American society in what Veselic calls a “dramedy,”,or a combination of comedy and drama.
Jen Peace stars as Eva, one of the main characters in the story. Peace had never heard of “Last Summer,” but had worked with Veselic before. It was that prospect that led her to order the script and read it.
“I thought it was a really incredible script and just an important part of theater history,” Peace said. “I thought it would be a great opportunity to be a part of something like this.”
The venue’s size and layout, with the audience in such close proximity to the performers, is intended to create an atmosphere of empathy for the characters as the plot unfolds. It also presents challenges for the cast and crew.
Jonathan Charles, the production’s soundboard operator, will have no communication with stage manager Morgan Gatson during the performance. All lighting and sound cues will be taken from the actors’ lines as they are delivered. Most rehearsals took place at a local elementary school cafeteria and performers spent limited time at Black Box in preparation.
“Six of the eight actors on stage are also directors,“ Veselic says. “They’ve all been very generous in helping each other. They do this because they love it.”
Tickets for “Last Summer at Bluefish Cove” are $15 and available now at the Campus Theatre box office. They will be available at Black Box one hour before show time.
