Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and Staples Players’ Crushed is just in time for the occasion. The romantic comedy written by Don Zolidis is the upcoming Studio production, and will be performed at Toquet Hall in downtown Westport this coming Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.
The show is directed by Adam Mirkine ’13, assistant directed by Danielle Honigstein ‘13, and produced by Maddy Seidman ‘13. It follows Jack (Bryan Gannon) and Catherine (Rachel Samuels), two teenagers who are both challenged with the task of finding the right person to date, but seem to have no luck.
“The play follows them through a series of horrific breakups with pathological liars, self-proclaimed fortune tellers, Canadian spies and even someone who plans on becoming a monk,” says Mirkine. “Retreating to the confines of their rooms, the two are each approached by a personal narrator (Julia Green ‘15 and Ryder Chasin ‘14) -a guardian angel of sorts- who leads them through the dos and don’ts of the dating process.”
As a studio production, the show is run in its entirety by students, from the acting to the technical aspects. Mirkine calls the experience “both a tremendous opportunity and a tough challenge.” While Mirkine is Players’ Assistant Director, Honigstein, who has spent the majority of her time with Players as an actor on the stage, has been able to develop her skills on the other side of things. “I love that I have the power to take a script and bring it to life with my own staging and directing,” she says.
Mirkine agrees. “Overall, putting on my own full-length studio production has been unbelievably rewarding,” he says.
While giving students who aspire to direct a chance to enrich their craft, studios also present a chance for more actors to get involved. “It gives many underclassmen the opportunity to receive a significant role in a show and gives the upperclassmen the opportunity to become friends with them,” Honigstein says.
Crushed is a unique play but one that Staples students can relate to as teenagers facing the struggles of dating.
“It’s just a quirky, entertaining show that’ll make you laugh, shift uncomfortably in your seat, and wince in sympathy in the span of a few minutes,” says Nathan Francis, a cast member. “We can relate to it as teens, however ridiculous the script can get to be. In the end, we just don’t want to be alone. Crushed can help us through that trying part in our life with some laughs, which really are the best medicine for everything.”
Crushed is a must see for the most romantic month of the year. Don’t miss it: February 7th and 8th at 7:30 pm, and February 10th at 5 pm.
