Thursday, February 24, 2000
OxAct peeks at lives of women
BY JENNY CALLISON
Enquirer Contributor
OXFORD — It's a slice of 11 lives, an often-comic but always sympathetic look at human nature.
The play, Talking With ..., is a series of monologues that lets the audience share the innermost thoughts of 11 women, young and not-so-young.
The characters include an aspiring actress who's conceived a tricky strategy to get the part she wants, a bag lady, a cynical actress, and a woman in labor. There's a cat, and a box that may or may not contain a snake.
Produced by OxAct, Oxford's community theater, Talking With ... will be performed three times this weekend. Director Michael McVey chose the work deliberately.
“I discovered it when it was originally produced by the Actors Theatre of Louisville in 1982,” he said. “Because it's a series of monologues, it's a great way to involve people who would not ordinarily get involved because of a lack of time.”
Mr. McVey added that since there is no interaction among cast members, they could rehearse on their own for the first few weeks. The bare-bones set and simple props made Talking With ... easy to stage.
Deb Richardson plays a middle-aged woman whose tattoos give her life meaning. Dr. Richardson, a physician with Miami University Health Service, welcomed the opportunity to participate.
“I helped backstage when my kids were in Oliver! last summer,” she said. “It re minded me how much fun it was.
“I haven't been involved with community theater for 20 years,” she said. “But it sounded intriguing, and the time commitment was doable for a working mom.”
Talking With ... is written by Jane Martin , a prize-winning playwright who is so reclusive that many people think she's a pseudonym for one or more writers at the Actors Theatre of Louisville.
The play, Ms. Martin's first, went off-Broadway and was recently filmed for a PBS production directed by Kathy Bates.
Mr. McVey said the play's strong language and adult content makes it unsuitable for children.
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