Tom Eubanks, at the helm of Theater 23, debuted his original play Thespis Thinks this weekend at Knoxville Catholic High School’s St. Gregory the Great Auditorium. A witty reflection on the nature of theater, Thespis Thinks follows the Southern Californian Coastline Theater Company as it wrestles with a public relations fiasco with a rival company, Nemesis, over a coveted arts foundation grant. Amid the mess, Hillary, a five-year veteran of Coastline, and Davis, the newly-appointed Artistic Director, develop a budding relationship that teaches them as much about theater as it does about themselves.
Francesca Reggio as Hillary is both warm and stern; you can tell she has the skills and determination to be artistic director, a role she feels Davis has unintentionally snatched from her grasp. Steven O’Shea as Davis struggles with his own personal tragedies, having lost his wife in a terrible accident; O’Shea’s Davis is ambitious but cautious, hoping to make a fresh start relocating from Georgia to Southern California and serve his new theater company while also taking artistic risks he feels he needs to take. Both leads lend nuance and depth to their roles and express the deeply emotional side of the theater business. Barbara Kistler-Martin, Debbie Holtslag, and Barry Wallace, as Miranda, Karen, and Jerry, respectively, are caught in a messy love triangle with a little business treachery sprinkled into the mix (Karen is with Coastline’s rival, Nemesis!). In some scenes with these three, the dialogue is a bit clunky and the actors stumble over lines occasionally, but also do well to disguise any slip ups with cleverly executed pauses or filler words that feel natural to the conversation. Props to Wallace in particular for handling a rather difficult and detailed monologue about the history of alcoholism over the dinner table with Kistler-Martin.
The remaining members of Coastline make this company feel much more like a family than a business. Gordon Michaels as Ron is the father figure set designer who uses his cordless drill for humorous punctuation in a variety of scenes. Caleb Minton as Nona has a sisterly relationship with Hillary, who shares relationship advice with the more naive Nona (in one of those awkward situations where they have both dated the same man!) And as the details of the PR scandal unfold, we learn of the involvement of theater marketing firm hotshot Brock Navarro, played by a stellar Anthony DiFelice (the swagger! The chest hair!), and Nemesis Artistic Director Beverly, played by Susan Jackson, in a whirlwind of secret phone calls, lunch meetings, and horse racing metaphors. Allegiances are shuffled, loyalties are questioned, and relationships are on the line. And all the while, a dear friend and guide–the first Greek actor and father of theater, Thespis (Greg Helton)–emerges toga-clad from the audience and speaks to us directly, reminding us that life imitates art. Helton is the major force of comedic relief in the play, invisible to the actors but present to us as theater-goers. Occasionally his faux-Ancient Greek accent is a bit hard to understand, but his jokes land and he provides a refreshing and fourth-wall breaking form of exposition that involves a bit of audience interaction.
Thespis Thinks has a short run from June 27-30. Showtimes are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2:30 pm at Knoxville Catholic High School’s St. Gregory the Great Auditorium at 9245 Fox Lonas Road NW. Tickets are available at the venue and at Theater23.org/tickets.
