Posts tagged justin hand

Out Front on Main, Inc. is pleased to present a showcase of challenging and thought provoking One Acts opening in May. Edward Albee’s Zoo Story directed by Ryan Daniel and Therac 25 directed by Buddy Jones will run May 19-June 5, Thursdays-Sundays at 7:30pm. For Information and reservation (615) 516-6279 or www.outfrontonmain.com Out Front on Main, Inc. is located at 1511 E. Main Street, Murfreesboro. Tickets are $10. general admission and $5. students/seniors.

The Zoo Story: This one-act play concerns two characters, Peter (George W. Manus, Jr.) and Jerry (Justin Hand). Peter is a middle-class publishing executive with a wife, two daughters, two cats and two parakeets who lives in ignorance of the world outside his settled life. Jerry is an isolated and disheartened man who lives in a boarding house and is very troubled. These men meet on a park bench in New York City’s Central Park. Jerry is desperate to have a meaningful conversation with another human being. He intrudes on Peter’s peaceful state by interrogating him and forcing him to listen to stories from his life, including “THE STORY OF JERRY AND THE DOG”, and the reason behind his visit to the zoo. The action is linear, unfolding in front of the audience in “real time”. The elements of ironic humor and unrelenting dramatic suspense are brought to a climax when Jerry brings his victim down to his own savage level.
The catalyst for the shocking ending transpires when Peter announces, “I really must be going home;…” Jerry, in response, begins to tickle Peter. Peter giggles, laughs and agrees to listen to Jerry finish telling “what happened at the zoo.” At the same time Jerry begins pushing Peter off the bench. Peter decides to fight for his territory on the bench and becomes angry. Unexpectedly, Jerry pulls a knife on Peter, and then drops it as initiative for Peter to grab. Bleeding on the park bench, Jerry finishes his zoo story by bringing it into the immediate present, “Could I have planned all this. No… no, I couldn’t have. But I think I did.”

Therac 25: Therac 25 is a play about two young people who meet and embark on a relationship in the cancer ward of Princess Margaret Hospital. The first question one must ask is why would anyone choose such a bleak setting to present a love story? For the play’s author Adam Pettle the script was a survival mechanism to preoccupy himself during radiation therapy after a stay in the hospital in 1995. Extremely well developed characters suffering from two forms of cancer are what navigate Therac 25. Alan’s (Andy Woloszyn) is less serious while Moira’s (Heather Danielson) is inoperable. Drawing empathy for them doesn’t appear to be a great challenge. The obstacle at hand is immersing theatregoers in deep seeded fear and allowing them to ache for hope. Alan and Moira meet while undergoing cancer treatment. Their companionship and humour help them struggle against isolation and fear, even while their personal boundaries and Moira’s worsening condition strain their bond. Adam Pettle’s Therac 25 reveals how friendships form under the most difficult circumstances

The Zoo Story