Sunday, May 27, 2018
Staff report
STRUTHERS
The Strand Project – a special theater production in which original monologues from writers all over the country are performed – will return for a third year with a program that focuses on moving on, one day at a time.
The audience hears from unknown artists: a young woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a woman who served in Fallujah, a young man recalling an awkward experience with his college health teacher, a teenage girl whose history teacher won’t let her write about Queen Aliquippa, a sex addict and many more.
The production will be staged at Selah Restaurant, 130 S. Bridge St., at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and again on June 8 and 9. Each performance will be followed by a talk-back with writers, actors, and the production team. The shows sold out more than a week in advance last year, and theatergoers are encouraged to purchase tickets early. To purchase, go to the events page at selahrestaurant.com or call 800-838-3006.
The action of this year’s show takes place over a day in four different group therapy sessions. Unlike other monologue productions, the actors tell their stories to other actors onstage, instead of speaking to the audience.
This year’s production features the work of 21 writers, nine of them from the Youngstown area. They are: Seth Freeman, Tom Pugh, Karen Schubert, Kameron Morton, Nina Schuyler, Sharon Dilworth, Daniel Ari, Pamela Gay, Kelly Bancroft, Brenda Zyvith, Terry Shears, Bill Soldan, Susan Blevins, Adrianna Lamonge, Kayla Jeswald, Christopher Woods, Jan LaPerle, Randall Brown, Constantine Middlebury, Frank Martin and Jewel Beth Davis.
“Each year, we discover new ways to let this project grow organically, and we end up with an intriguing fusion of artistic interpretation from writers, actors, and directors,” said Kris Harrington, coordinator of the project and stage director.
This year’s cast includes Thomas Burd, Terry Shears, Connie Cassidy, Frank G. Martin, Victoria Clark, Terri Davis-Liller, Mitchell Meyers, Sarah Puhala, Miranda Canacci, Medford Mashburn, Emma Miles, Jeanine Rees, Gillian Canacci, T.R. Thomas, Denise Sculli, Sam Perry, D’Ella Heschmeyer, Amy Banks, Brenda Zyvith, Bill Soldan and Joey Frattaroli.
The production team includes Harrington; Bill Soldan as co-coordinator; Mary Ruth Lynn, co-director; Emily Maroni, stage manager; Brian Palumbo, set designer; Jeff Chann, lighting designer; and Johnny Pecano, sound designer.