Berkshire on Stage

Harbinger Theatre has made a name for themselves in the New York Capital Region as a small volunteer theater company bringing lesser-known, hard-hitting plays by up-and-coming playwrights to the area. Their latest production of Swing State by Rebecca Gilman is currently playing at Sand Lake Center for the Arts with an exceptionally talented cast and expert direction from Brian Sheldon. Though I must say this show’s title is rather misleading.

When one hears the term “swing state,” one probably thinks of partisan political divides and hard-fought elections, especially in politically mixed communities. This is not what Rebecca Gilman’s play Swing State is about at all. The state in which the play takes place is mentioned but once in passing. Swing State does take place in a politically mixed community, and politics are an ever-present theme in the play because politics are an ever-present theme in post-pandemic life. However the actual plot revolves around a grieving widow having suicidal ideation and her discovery that some of her late husband’s possessions have been stolen from her shed. It’s not a very political story, nor is it a particularly thrilling plot, but thanks to a magnificent cast, nuanced writing, and a director that understood how to bring that nuance to the stage, Harbinger’s Swing State is quite compelling.

Robin Leary plays the play’s protagonist, a widow named Peg making arrangements to leave more than 30 acres of her coveted land to conservationists and her house to a younger friend named Ryan. Leary expertly plays a myriad of overlapping motivations, her grief over all she has lost, her morbid sense of humor, her distaste for her neighbors, and her excitement over the restoration of her prairie land, all with wonderful intensity. Ryan, played by Leo Hernandez, is a recovered alcoholic and ex-convict on the straight-and-narrow who worries about Peg in the wake of her husband’s death. Hernandez portrays Ryan with similar depth and breadth of emotion. His take on the character is a bit more youthful than I would expect from a character with Ryan’s backstory, but Hernandez makes the character’s youthful brashness work, especially when playing opposite Peg and her motherly affection.

When some of Peg’s late husband’s belongings go missing in a strange theft with an unclear motive, Ryan becomes the prime suspect despite Peg’s protests. Sheriff Kris and Deputy Dani take on the case, and in doing so reveal the complicated interpersonal relationships between characters in a rural town where everyone knows everyone even when they wish they did not. Dani, played by Brooke Hutchins with quiet determination and genuine optimism that seems out of place in a post-pandemic world, is a divorcee and recent addition to the police force. She genuinely wants to help her community, but she frequently shrinks under the much stronger personality of Sheriff Kris. Lisa Bryk plays an excellent bully of a cop–loud, demanding, and full of herself–whose matter-of-factness is usually irritating but occasionally endearing. 

The action takes place in Peg’s kitchen. Thanks to the unparalleled artistic vision of set designer Adam Coons, the SLCA’s stage has been transformed into a homey and very realistic kitchen, complete with a refrigerator, dishwasher, and impressive collection of cookware, and decorated with mismatched antiques and trinkets. This detailed and realistic set, coupled with excellent acting talent, makes the show a joy to watch even when not much of anything is happening. And I must say that as riveting as I found Swing State, the plot moves slowly. But despite its slow pace, it does eventually reach its gut-wrenching climax and eventual satisfying conclusion.

If you had any misconceptions that Swing State would be a hard-hitting political play about hotly contested elections and staunch political alliances, that is absolutely not what you will find at Sand Lake Center for the Arts. Instead, Harbinger Theatre’s current production is a slow-burn story about a handful of everyday people in small-town Wisconsin butting heads and helping one another in the modern world. It’s dark, it’s funny, it’s tragic, it’s heartwarming, and it is expertly acted and produced by some of the area’s most talented theater artists!

Harbinger Theatre presents Swing State by Rebecca Gilman at Sand Lake Center for the Arts, 2880 NY 43 Averill Park, NY. Directed by Brian Sheldon. Stage Managed by Linda Thorburn. Runs from November 14-23, 2025. Cast: Robin Leary as Peg, Leo Hernandez as Ryan, Lisa Bryk as Sheriff Kris, and Brooke Hutchins as Dani. Sound design by Shaya Reyes. Lighting design by Laura Darling. Costume design by Rachel Stewart. Set design by Adam Coons. 

Performance dates are Friday-Sunday. Friday, and Saturday curtains are at 7:30pm and Sundays are matinees only at 2:30pm. Tickets are $15 for general admission. Runs approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. Contains discussions of suicide and a gunshot. Recommended for ages 14+. Tickets are available online at https://harbingertheatre.ludus.com/, or at the door for any performance. For more information visit https://www.actingclasswithpatrickwhite.net/ or https://www.slca-ctp.org/.