Theater group’s spring play opens Saturday
By Tracy Ouellette
SLN Staff
A husband and wife team from Delavan is teaming up with the Off the Square Players to present “The Gin Game” at Ivan’s Backstage in East Troy.
Joan and Steve Hay are portraying Fonsia Dorsey and Weller Martin, in the D.I. Coburn play, which uses a card game as a metaphor for life. The play is directed by Mary Hubbard Nugent.
The Pulitzer prize winning, two-act comedy/drama features two cantankerous, headstrong seniors,who form a friendship while playing cards.
In the play, Weller is playing solitaire on the porch of a seedy nursing home. Enter Fonsia, a prim, self-righteous lady. They discover they both dislike the home and enjoy gin rummy. So they begin to play, sharing the details of their lives.
“Joan and Steve had the opportunity to do this show in December with the Geneva Theatre Actors Guild and they loved it and really wanted to do it again. So, we gave them the opportunity for that,” Nugent said. “It’s part of our mission, if people come to us and really want to do a show, we do our best to make it happen.”
On her bucket list of plays to do, Nugent said she was excited about the production.
“One of the things I like about the show is its portrayal of older people,” she said. “If you look at some of the classics like King Lear by Shakespeare or Death of a Salesman or All My Sons, they all have strong characters dealing with the challenges of old age. I like that.
“So often on television today we only see two kinds of seniors, the trendy, doing everything hip grandparents or the doddering old fool who can’t even use a cell phone. Most seniors I know don’t fit into either of those categories.”
Nugent added that the play digs into the loneliness that comes with old age and how important it is to reach out to others.
“Playing cards, at least in the play, is a way for these two characters to connect,” she said. “I remember growing up and my aunt and uncle would play cribbage and these two characters remind me of them. Playing cards and talking. I think a lot of us can relate to that.”
As with past productions, proceeds from the play will be donated to a local charity.
“This one is going to fund a bench at the new dog park,” Nugent said. “One of the reasons we chose a park bench is because people sit on the benches and talk. Maybe they’ll meet someone new and start up a conversation. Who knows where it will lead.”
The Off the Square Players will present “The Gin Game” by D.L. Coburn at Ivan’s Backstage, 2093 Division St., East Troy, in March.
Show times will be at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, March 7, 13 and 14; and 2 p.m. on Sundays, March 8 and 15.
Tickets are $15 and available at East Troy House and www.brownpapertickets.com.
Dinner reservations before or after the show are available by calling East Troy House at 262-642-7100.
For more information, call 262-441-0280.
