Indy Theatre Habit

The first full show that I saw at this year’s Indianapolis Fringe Festival was “Squashamole! The True Cost of Things,” produced by In Forma Theatre out of Canada.  It was presented at the Comedysportz Arena at 6:00 Friday night.

I had never been to the Comedysportz Arena before. It has a good feeling to it.  The walls are a lovely shade of grape, and there is a dark peach curtain gathered in poufs over the small stage in one corner.  But there is also a huge, electronic, sports-type score board high up on one wall, and lots of framed photos of comedy teams.  They reminded me of athletic teams sponsored by a neighborhood pub.  The juxtaposition of “artsy” and “sporty” is very comfortable, as is the casual, cabaret-style seating.

A waiter comes around to see if you would like a bucket of bottled beer or some chicken noodle soup.  More fun juxtapositions.

“The “Squashamole” show itself has a pretty straightforward and therefore deceptively powerful format.  The ensemble member who introduced it called it a ”forum theatre piece.” 

Another member posted a sign with their goal written on it:  “To create a space where environmental awareness or change is possible.”   The ensemble wants people to think about the questions, “How could I make a difference?  How could I help create an environment where change is possible?”

They accomplished this Friday night, not only within the show but through their being at the Fringe.  I left with an increased sense of the choices that I always have in any situation, not just situations related to overwhelming global crisises but also situations related to my personal life.  I also left with an increased sense of how powerful tiny changes can be, even with complicated issues, especially when you’re exploring them through play.

I left feeling “opened,” if that makes sense.   Less paralyzed.

Basically, the ensemble presents a couple of short, connected scenes in which there are several conflicts that go unresolved.  Then they do the scenes again and when an audience members has an idea for how the characters might behave differently, he or she calls out “Stop!” 

Then the Joker (one of the ensemble members, aka the facilitator) asks which role the audience member wants to take on, and where he or she wants to go back to in the story.  The audience member goes up on stage and becomes part of the cast of the scene, only this time playing it in a different way. 

Afterwards, the Joker asks everyone in the cast how they feel about what was introduced.

I am afraid I am making it sound more dry or, conversely, more “touchy-feely” than it actually was.  I “intervened” twice, and although it was scary, it was also energizing.  The ensemble members do a good job of setting things up so that the audience feels comfortable being so interactive, and the piece as a whole is very engaging, very thought-provoking.  There is also time at the end for people to just make comments, without having to get up on stage.

The first time I intervened, I fell out of character when another character, a sullen coffee shop employee, told me she didn’t care if I spoke to her manager because she was an actor.  “Oh, yeah?” I said. “Well, I’m a reviewer!  Tell me what show you’re in and I will be sure NOT to write about it!”

Improvisational acting is a lot harder than it looks.

However, there is no way to do it wrong in this show.  The ensemble members acknowledge up front that the issues they are exploring are complicated.   They just want people to help them explore them.

Local actor Michael Davis is running tech for this show.  He also intervened a couple times.  (Michael Davis, you may remember, was one of the fabulous pirates in Beef and Board’s recent production of “Peter Pan.”  He will appear next in B&B’s “The Sound of Music.”)

I had a boss once who said, “The problems of the world are problems of individuals.  If we can change individuals, we can change the world.” 

I admire the “Squashamole” group for reminding me of this.

Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com