Friday, June 24, 2011

‘Transformation’ reflects on community

Company of Fools play at Liberty Theatre in Hailey


By SABINA DANA PLASSE
Express Staff Writer

Company of Fools will present “Circle Mirror Transformation” by Annie Baker on Tuesday, June 28, through Saturday, July 23. Photo by Kirsten Shultz

When the Company of Fools' theater troupe members decide on shows for the season, great pride is taken in connecting an entire community through theater.

"When [we] choose shows, we think about great stories and how they reflect back in the community we live in," said John Glenn, director of the play "Circle Mirror Transformation." Annie Baker's play will be staged at the Liberty Theatre in Hailey, but the setting could easily be mistaken for a space at the nearby Community Campus.

"The name of the play is an actual theater exercise," Glenn said. "It's interesting to be in the midst of a show about a theater class while Company of Fools is having its own classes—Jump Ins and Act II theater classes."

A reflection of a theater doing theater and actors working through their own issues as people, "Circle Mirror Transformation" is a play about transforming through life. Baker portrays the participants in the drama class doing bizarre stuff—acting like inanimate objects or pretending to be one another.

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The cast includes Beth Hilles as Theresa, a former actress who has just moved to this small Vermont town from New York. HYPERLINK "http://movies.nytimes.com/person/6305/Reed-Birney?inline=nyt-per"Scott Creighton is Schultz, a lonely, divorced guy who lives in the local condo complex, and Russell Simone Wilson is Lauren, a teenager who wants to work in theater when she grows up or maybe go to veterinary school. Also in the production is Andrew Alburger as James, the theater instructor's husband.

As the class begins to experiment with harmless theater games, hearts are quietly torn apart and tiny wars of epic proportions are waged and won.

"Circle Mirror Transformation" will open at the Liberty Theatre on Tuesday, June 28, at 7 p.m. in a "Pay What You Feel Night." Tickets will go on sale at the theater box office one hour prior to the performance. There are no reserved seats.

On Wednesday, June 29, the Fools will present an "Educator Night" with a performance at 7 p.m. Tickets priced at $10 are available to currently employed educators and school administrators. These tickets can be bought in advance and there is a limit of two tickets per person. In addition, a "Girlfriends' Night Out" show will take place on Tuesday, July 5, at 7 p.m. Advance ticket purchase includes a $20 ticket, which is regularly $30, $4 wine and beer at the Liberty Theatre, a chance to win a bag of treats, and champagne and chocolate after the show.

Performances will continue through Saturday, July 23. For performance days, times and ticket prices, visit www.companyoffools.org or call 788-6520.

Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com




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