2008 Woodie Awards
'Six Characters'
Two views on BU Player's latest play, 'Six Characters in Search of an Author'
Dane Rooney and Jerrod Foley
Issue date: 11/9/06 Section: Arts and Entertainment
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Though there are many aspects of the Bloomsburg University Players production of "Six Characters in Search of an Author" that were sloppy, awkward and ridiculous, a few parts of the play worked very well onstage - mostly the actors who played the six characters. Asude Yucel (Stepdaughter) and Andrew Huard (Father) were by far the most memorable, well-acted and exciting characters out of the entire cast. And that's not to say that they were perfect, for their dramatic roles never took a necessary plunge into silence, but not seeing this actors in many other plays, they were captivating to say the least. The other six characters acted as they should (Jeremiah Getkin as the nervous and silent Little Boy and Autumn Maurer as the doll-holding Little Girl), especially BU freshmen Aaron Stahl as the Son who was impressively unwavering and very believable throughout his entire performance. Lauren Burke as the Mother could've seemed more elderly with a coarser voice, but otherwise performed well.
However - and this is a huge however - "Six Characters" was a shoddy fiasco in many ways. First of all, most of the actors who played Bloomsburg Players, thus playing themselves, were very awkward with lines and movement onstage. The two women, Tawna Blair and LeeAnn Stempien, were the only natural, plausible roles. It was as if there was this division between the six characters dressed in 1920s attire and the present day acting-as-themselves actors. But, I can't totally blame the actors for this fault; it could have been resolved if they kept the BU Players aspect, and switched roles or made them up. Acting as yourself just doesn't work.
Other than the fact that the play was hard to follow and didn't really go anywhere, the costumes for the six characters were well-chosen, the staging was simple and easy to do (because it was supposed to be a stage), and the script itself was creative and very Dadaist. There were also some exciting scenes (i.e. the Little Boy shooting himself and when Father and Stepdaughter got intimate), which made up for the downers - but not completely.
However - and this is a huge however - "Six Characters" was a shoddy fiasco in many ways. First of all, most of the actors who played Bloomsburg Players, thus playing themselves, were very awkward with lines and movement onstage. The two women, Tawna Blair and LeeAnn Stempien, were the only natural, plausible roles. It was as if there was this division between the six characters dressed in 1920s attire and the present day acting-as-themselves actors. But, I can't totally blame the actors for this fault; it could have been resolved if they kept the BU Players aspect, and switched roles or made them up. Acting as yourself just doesn't work.
Other than the fact that the play was hard to follow and didn't really go anywhere, the costumes for the six characters were well-chosen, the staging was simple and easy to do (because it was supposed to be a stage), and the script itself was creative and very Dadaist. There were also some exciting scenes (i.e. the Little Boy shooting himself and when Father and Stepdaughter got intimate), which made up for the downers - but not completely.