Summer Events

Shakespeare and Others in the Park

A celebration of the spoken word in short plays, prose and poetry.

July 8, 2009 | Short Play

Laundry and Bourbon by James McLure (mature themes; not recommended for children)
7pm | Central Campus Mall (rain site: The Cabin)
Directed by Rose Dolan-Neill; presented by BareBones Ensemble Theatre.

The setting is the front porch of Roy and Elizabeth's home in Maynard, Texas, on a hot summer afternoon. Elizabeth and her friend Hattie are whiling away the time folding laundry, watching TV, sipping bourbon and Coke, and gossiping about the many open secrets which are so much a part of small-town life. They are joined by the self-righteous Amy Lee who, among other tidbits, can't resist blurting out that Roy has been seen around town with another woman. While the ensuing conversation is increasingly edged with bitter humor, from it emerges a sense of Elizabeth's inner strength and her quiet understanding of the turmoil which has beset her husband since his return from Vietnam. He is wild, and he is unfaithful, but he needs her and she loves him. And she'll be waiting for him when he comes home--no matter what others may say or think.
Cast:
Rose Dolan-Neill | Beth Gengenbach | Rhiannon Schaub

July 15, 2009 | Short Play

Lone Star by James McLure (mature themes; not recommended for children)
7pm | Central Campus Mall (rain site: The Cabin)
Directed by Josh Dolan-Neill; presented by BareBones Ensemble Theatre.

The play takes place in the cluttered backyard of a small-town Texas bar. Roy, a brawny, macho type who had once been a local high-school hero, is back in town after a hitch in Vietnam, and trying to reestablish his position in the community. Joined by his younger brother, Ray (who worships him), Roy sets about consuming a case of beer while regaling Ray with tales of his military and amorous exploits. Apparently Roy cherishes three things above all; his country, his sexy young wife, and his 1959 pink Thunderbird. With the arrival of Cletis, the fatuous, newlywed son of the local hardware store owner, the underpinnings of Roy's world begin to collapse as it gradually comes out that Ray had slept with his brother's wife during his absence and, horror of horrors, has just demolished his cherished Thunderbird. But, despite all, the high good humor of the play never lapses, and all ends as breezily and happily as it began.
Cast:
Ben Richgruber | Derek Lee Brehm | Timothy Hartzel

July 22, 2009 | Open Air Poetry Reading

7pm | Central Campus Mall (rain site: The Cabin)
Featured poets for the evening:
Jim Larson | Steve Maddox | Norma Desprez | Yvette Flaten

July 29, 2009 | Open Air Poetry Reading

7pm | Central Campus Mall (rain site: The Cabin)
Featured poets for the evening:
Alan Jenkins | Peg Lauber | Jeannie E. Roberts | Nadine S. St. Louis