Friday, September 25, 2009

Two Actors, Many Roles: Washington College Stages 'Tick My Box' In Newly Opened Tawes Theatre

Chestertown – The Washington College Department of Drama will present the hilarious Irish play “Tick My Box” in Tawes Theatre on Friday, October 2, at 8 p.m.

Tawes Theatre is located in the newly opened Daniel Z. Gibson Center for the Arts, a $24-million renovation and expansion of the original performing arts center built more than 40 years ago. “Tick My Box” is being presented as part of the Gibson Center’s gala opening ceremonies October 2 – October 4.

The production stars recent Washington College graduates Aileen Brenner and Dorothy Johnson in a constantly changing array of multiple roles.

Written by Iseult Golden, David Horan and Carmel Stephens, “Tick My Box” is a comedic look at the world of modern dating and relationships. It debuted to rave reviews at the Dublin Fringe Festival in 2004 and went on to two successful national tours. The Dublin Evening Herald described it as a “brilliantly executed show … a small miracle.” The Irish Times declared, “It is rare that one gets to see so many moving and funny stories, crammed together into such a neat package.”

One room, one night and 40 strangers: It’s either a recipe for disaster or an evening with the potential to change a lot of people’s lives forever – or perhaps even both. Siobhán (Brenner) and Seámus (Johnson) have latched onto the current phenomenon of meeting new people at singles’ nights by organizing speed-dating events through a company called Tick My Box.

Themselves unattached, the pair seem to derive much pleasure from watching the antics of the strangers and serial speed-daters who walk through their doors each night (but maybe this is just a front to protect them from their own feelings).

On a minimalist stage, Brenner and Johnson bring the stories of numerous desperate, lonely and eccentric characters to life. The pair switch gender, accents and personalities repeatedly, relying solely on their body language and gestures to illuminate the various characters.

Admission to “Tick My Box” is free, but reservations are required; call 410/778-7835 or e-mail drama_tickets@washcoll.edu. For more information about other events during the Gibson Center’s gala opening weekend, visit http://gibson.washcoll.edu/grandopeningcelebration.php.

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