Berkshire on Stage

Four acting hopefuls have enrolled for a creative dramatics class in the imaginary town of Shirley, Vermont. The group, led by the wife of the community center administrator, finds to their consternation, that in spite of the seemingly innocuous and at times mystifying acting exercises, their lives connect in unexpected and disruptive ways. This engrossing production of Annie Baker’s award winning Circle Mirror Transformation at Chester Theatre Company in Chester, Massachusetts is the fourth and final summer season choice rounding out a spectacular debut for James Barry and Tara Franklin as producing co-artistic directors.

As they meet for six weeks in the Center’s gym where Marty leads them through a series of practices designed to bring them closer to themselves; they improvise scenes with nonsense sounds, deliver monologues as someone else in the group, play theatre games, act as a tree or a bed or a baseball glove and chat during breaks in the activities.  Their relationships and lives imperceptibly change as the play runs through a multitude of short but subtly revealing scenes.

The acting is superb and fully engaging as each “actor” struggles through insecurities and painful history as a  way to identify the intimate, sometimes almost unspeakable, personal memories.  Corinna May’s Marty is the efficient, yet emotionally remote instructor whose husband, James (Alex Draper) tries his best to be part of the group, even though he is not a willing participant.  Tara Franklin’s Theresa is a former actress looking for a new life, but she isn’t sure what it is.  A recently divorced, and angry carpenter, Schultz, (Joel Ripka)  expresses his neediness through his bravado, while the teen-age Lauren (Hero Marguerite) is, at first, reticent but becomes stronger as she begins to define herself and observes her fellow classmates undergo their own angsts.

Baker’s intent as the playwright is to dramatize the concept that other people’s inner lives are mostly hidden and therefore, taken for granted by strangers, who are also doing their best to conceal real feelings.  As the six weeks of classes progress the group comes to realize that they have entered the innermost core of each others’ lives and a new dynamic evolves.

Director Daniel Elihu Kramer, former producing artistic director at Chester, says in his notes: “…the more carefully we look and—most specifically for Baker—the more carefully we listen, the more fully we will come to know people, and to understand how they see and experience their lives.”  Under Kramer’s tight direction and fluid staging the company does a more-than-splendid job fulfilling Baker’s objectives.        

The gym designed by Juliana Von Haubrich has the feeling of an arena.  It is a large virtually empty space with traces of a locker room in the upper right corner, a huge blue ball that is used as a prop, a large mirror on the wall and a door into the room.  Lara Dubin’s lights are bright, to be expected in a gym, save for the final light cue that focuses on Lauren and Schultz.

The everyday costumes designed by Christina Beam are exactly what one would wear to this kind of theatre class since much time is spent on the floor with delicate suggestions to each character’s self-perception.  Nathan Leigh’s original music complements the story line as it covers the transitions from scene to scene.

This provocative play is a wonderful ensemble piece with each actor contributing to the stimulating story-telling which is Chester Theatre Company’s singular gift.

Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker; Director: Daniel Elihu Kramer; Cast: Corinna May (Marty) Alex Draper (James) Joel Ripka (Schultz) Tara Franklin (Theresa) Hero Marguerite (Lauren); Set Design: Juliana Von Haubrich; Costume Design: Christina Beam; Lighting Design: Lara Dubin; Sound Design and Original Music: Nathan Leigh; Stage Manager: Meg Lydon; Running time: 95 minutes, no intermission; 8/10/23 – 8/20/23; 15 Middlefield Rd., Chester, MA 01011; www.chestertheatre.org; 413-354-7770