Last week, Bay View’s Boulevard Theatre opened local
playwright Chad M. Rossi’s comedy
Kirk Thomsen and Aaron Kopec wrote and star in
Alchemist’s 31. Thomsen plays Pete, a
timid, by-the-book crime scene investigator who has been pulled out of a leave
of absence to look into a series of murders. Kopec plays William, a consultant
on the case who helps Pete in his quest to capture the murderer. Liz Shipe
rounds out the cast in dual supporting roles.
The story explores the darker side of human thought.
“If you could hear the thoughts of the guy in the check-out lane next to you in
the supermarket…would you be scared?” Kopec asks. “What if he could hear your
thoughts?”
Kopec concedes that the themes explored in 31 have been examined in a number of
different novels and movies. “We simply wanted to write a one-act drama that
got under your skin a little, had interesting characters and felt like a
satisfying production under one hour in length,” he says.
Kopec adds that he is hoping to use the small space
of the Alchemist Theatre to immerse the audience in the drama. Detailed sets
and sophisticated theater equipment for a space this size should ensure that
the sound design and lighting will be comparable to productions by big-name,
big-budget theater companies.
Cracks In The Floor stars Tim Chrapko as Alan and Tracy
Doyle as his sister Ann. Jason Hames plays the neighbor, Michael. The rest of
the cast consists of do-it-yourself theater regulars playing book-club members
and cultists.
“I consider this project to be more of a theatrical
experiment than a cohesive play,” says director Wesley Tank. Developed in
Insurgent Theatre’s workshop, Cracks In
The Floor makes it to the stage after progressing through a sophisticated
process. Tank first brainstormed general plotlines and character concepts,
before working with individual actors to develop their characters. As actors
became acquainted with their roles, the dramatic dynamics were further worked
into the plot.
“Because we choose to work [in] a way that is
radically different than traditional theater, we hope the finished product is
something that hasn't been experienced before,” Tank says.
The double feature
runs through May 4 at the Alchemist Theatre,
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