The sixth annual Festival of Independent Theaters (FIT), a group of 10 companies without a permanent venue, close their 24-day run August 5-7, 2004 at the Bath House Cultural Center on White Rock Lake. Events include eight one-act plays, two multi-media presentations, and numerous pre and post-show events. The cross-pollination among these companies could also make FIT an acronym for Festival of Incestuous Theaters, which can be a double-edged sword.
In the cases of Echo Theater, Wingspan Theater Company, and Beardsley Living Theater, the synergy works well. The fest's best play is presented by Echo: The Six That Fell, about six women with six different reasons for wanting a baby. It provides an hour of non-stop laughter with featured roles by Linda Marie Ford, a co-founder of Echo; Kateri Cale, a co-founder of Undermain Theater; and Elizabeth Rothan, one of Dallas' finest talents. (Rothan can be seen beginning September 12, 2004 at Theater Three in the delightful one-woman show, A Woman of Independent Means, by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey.) Six is expertly directed by Terri Ferguson, an Echo producing partner. Ellen Locy, another Echo producing partner, is a hoot as the French- speaking member of a tri-lingual trio who introduces each segment of FIT.
Wingspan offers a pre-Tony Doug Wright (2004's I Am My Own Wife) play, Wildwood Park, about an addled realtor (Beverly Jacob Daniel) showing a house in which a murder has been committed, to an enigmatic buyer (Scott Latham) who may or may not be harboring his own secret. Wingspan's founding artictic director, Susan Sargeant, was formerly an artistic associate of the now-defunct New Horizons Theater Company founded by Daniel. Latham is represented by the Horne Agency, formerly the Daniel Horne Agency founded by Beverly Jacob Daniel and and Suzanne Horne. Sargeant is much in demand as a director throughout the Metroplex. Wildwood Park's director, Cynthia Hestand, is one of Dallas' best directors.
Beardsley Living Theater's co-founder, Beverly Galgan, can always be counted on to unearth another off-beat script with zany characters. She always casts herself as the chief zany -- an event I look forward to each year. This year's FIT entry is Graceland, about two women camping out in front of Graceland and squaring off for the right to be the first person to enter the hallowed halls of Elvis.
The above three companies are examples of what can go right with an abundance of talent and good script selection. The following is what can go wrong:
Tied in a dead-heat for one of the two worst plays I ever saw are Audacity Theater's production of For The Love of an Anesthesiologist by its artistic director, Brad McEntire. I'm not sure what it was supposed to be about. Vying for worst play was Theater Quorum's Bedbound. Carl Savering, Quorum's artistic director, cast himself in the lead. The godawful plot revolved around a dysfunctional -- no, make that non-functional father and daughter. She is confined to her bed as an aftermath of polio. Early on I lost count of the number of times the "f" word was invoked, as well as all the other profane and scatological references. Savering seems oblivious to the fact he was performing in an intimate black-box theater and not in a cavern for the profoundly hearing impaired. Much of his Irish dialogue is unintelligible, and given the foul language, it's just as well. Christie Beckham, playing his daughter, is a fine actress who deserved better material.
Ground Zero Theater Company presented Leonard's Car, about an alcoholic woman in denial (Cindy Beall) mourning the loss of her lover. She is confronted by her two very different daughters (Elizabeth Ware and Catherine Holmes) who are dealing with their own internecine issues. While the acting is quite good, the play is so bad, it evokes the sense of being a voyeur at a dysfunctional family therapy session.
However, a real laugh getter is Ricardo Ricardo's (Brian Patrick Hathaway) comic routine prior to Bootstrap Comedy Theater's production of Breast Men, a one-joke skit that drags on way too long. It is the type of play one might expect to see at a fraternity party.
