(Photos by Brian Heaton)
After weathering the weather, the Parkland Theatre opened this past weekend with their first play of the new semester. “10 out of 12” tells the story of a theater production in its last week of rehearsal in which nothing is going right. We get a look at the interplay of a group who has been working together for weeks, and we see their emotions bubble to the surface at the most inopportune times.
And this look begins before the play starts. The atmosphere upon entering the second stage theater is casual; folding chairs are scattered near the front of the stage, a table is set up at an angle with papers and drinks dotted on top and a playlist of disjointed music plays over the speakers switching from showtunes to 80’s house music with seemingly no rhyme or reason. In a traditional performance there is a very clear moment when the show starts, the lights dim and opening music starts. In “10 out of 12”, a stage tech starts sweeping the floor and the audience wonders aloud, “Wait are we starting?”
Shortly after, the rest of the ensemble cast trickles in with many familiar faces to the Parkland theater. All of them do a lovely job of portraying a group that has clearly been working with each other for too long. The interplay of the group is natural and understandable whether you’ve been in a play or not. There are jokes, strange conversation and infighting amongst the actors clashing over artistic integrity and the crew dealing with their own issues. The director, played by Ed Pierce, can’t make up his mind, the lighting manager (Mariah Smith) is still fiddling with the levels and the stage manager, (Zoe Dunn) just wants to be on schedule for once.
The play really immerses the audience in the activity too, with virtually no monologues, and the radio playing messages over speakers and layered conversations. There’s always something going on, always something to focus on.
One character, an old school underground method actor named Paula, played by Lindsey Markel, stands out from the nonstop activity. Paula turns to the audience in monologues and stands out as a representation of the ‘historical 90’s’ theater culture in gritty New York. And Paula is the one who poses the question “In life we are all vital, must we not be so in the theater?” And this question applies not just to theater but to any creative endeavor; what work do we do to elevate our art to the highest level?
”10 out of 12” is a little different, but a good different. The kind of different that will leave you never watching a play the same way again and leave you with an appreciation for the work that goes into it. “10 out of 12” will run from February 17th to the 27th and dates and ticket information can be found here.