Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Heckart plays read

Winning plays from the 2007 Eileen Heckart Drama for Seniors Competition were given readings on February 27th at Ohio State's Department of Theatre New Works Lab, with veteran area actors performing for an appreciative audience. First up was Harriet Weiss's Billie and Henry, winner of the ten minute play category. The play, a charming piece with a twist at the end, is about two aging veterans of the motion picture industry facing retirement and limited resources, and coming up with an ingenious -- if not entirely ethical -- way of coping. Ann Mirels read Billie, while Ira "Bill" Simons was Henry. Ann's been active for decades in local theatre, as has Bill; both have read for us before, on numerous occasions. In a twist that matches the play, neither is actually the appropriate age for their characters--Ann is several decades younger than the mid 80's Billie, while Bill, who celebrated his 83rd birthday just last week, is a decade older than Henry. Here they are together:


Ann as Billie

Billie considers Henry's proposal

Billie's initial reaction


Bill Simons as Henry

Henry reacts

Henry has a plan--



Dori Appel's Bon Voyage treats three sisters, retired teachers Dottie and Lottie, and their younger sister Scotty, as they prepare to go on a cruise. Veteran Columbus performers Sarah Worthington and Linda Dorff were Dottie and Lottie, while recent Ohio State MFA performer Robin Post, who now heads Ohio State's outreach performance group, was Scotty. Sarah has been active in Senior Theatre in Columbus for over twenty years, having founded her own troupe, Footsteps of the Elders. Linda, a member of Actors Equity, has played roles ranging from Madame Armfeld in A Little Night Music to Fonsia in The Gin Game, Ma Joad in Tobacco Road, and a zany singing detective in Something's Afoot, among many, many others. Robin played many leads on Ohio State stages; her troupe currently does role playing and presents performances that dramatize ethical and professional choices for students in the medical and engineering programs (among others) on the Ohio State campus.

Here are the three sisters: from left to right: Sarah Worthington as Dottie, Linda Dorff as Lottie, Robin Post as Scotty



Sarah Worthington as Dottie

Dottie is worried


Linda Dorff as Lottie

Lottie reacts


Robin Post as Scotty


Scotty smiles


all photos by Ann Alaia Woods

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