Six world premier performances by the newly formed Five & Dime Drama Collective, five plays lasting ten minutes each and a poetry slam, all written by local writers and performed by local actors, drew an enthusiastic audience Sunday at the Main Stage Theater. The plays covered issues ranging from racism/fascism to Alzheimer’s disease and the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder toll on veterans deployed to war.
The Noble Animal, written by Charles Templeton, had a police officer played by Jocelyn Morelli confronting a homeless veteran with PTSD played by Edward Bibber. “War is hell, but sometimes even when the war is over, the hell continues,” according to the synopsis. A cop and a veteran struggle to understand each others’ worlds during a battle that can have no victor, and the play ended up as a cliffhanger after a loud blank gunshot drew gasps from the audience, which was left to guess who might have been injured or killed.
Morelli also was featured as Amy in Tom Gorsuch’s play Fluffy, a blend of humor and angst that delved into what can happen when a young married couple are growing up, but growing apart. They don’t seem to know what to do about it. One yearns for the past and the other can see only the future; perhaps Fluffy (a rhinoceros that only they can see) can bring them together again. Playing the part of Kevin was Tony Stephenson.
Atlanta is Burning, a poem written by Wendy Taylor Carlisle and adapted for stage, covers a relationship from decades ago, tragically ended, but never forgotten. The girlfriend, the guitar player, and the guitar player’s ex-lover reminisce. Dan Bennett played the guitar player, Pearl Brick his girlfriend, and Virginia Ralph as the ex-lover.
The Bride’s Father, written by Ann Hopkins, was about a South Louisiana father of the groom, Hank, played by Bryan Manire, meeting his new daughter-in-law’s father from Chicago, Robert, played by Dan Bennett. Hank thinks Robert is being an uptight Yankee because he is so wooden and silent. The bride, played by MacKenzie Doss, ends up explaining that her father has Alzheimer’s.
Flags of Honor written by Gorsuch, explored racism and fascism, and also left the audience with an unexpected ending when a Nazi flag was unfurled instead of what the audience had been led to expect, a Confederate flag. Stephenson gave one of the most memorable performances of the day playing the redneck Jeb.
Slam Poetry Showcase, written and performed by Molly Sroges and MacKenzie Doss, was also well received. The women each did a three-minute solo poetry slam followed by a three-minute dual piece where they each took parts in the poem. The themes were timely writing about anxiety, society, politics, and the cosmos.
Director Larry Horn, who recently retired from a long career in arts and theatre administration, said they were delighted to be able to present these all-new performances by local talent in front of audiences in Eureka Springs. The Five & Dime Drama Collective evolved out of a group of local writers who meet weekly at the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow. The performance series was inspired by the national popularity of 10×10 Series, which is a set of 10 ten-minute plays. A 5×10 Series seemed a more realistic goal for a first production.
“We had only two weeks of rehearsals so working with everyone’s schedules was a challenge,” Horn said. “We saw great work with the writers collaborating with the actors. It was a nice coming together of a creative effort.”
He said the goal of the group is to attract more writers and actors, and put on additional performances. In addition to creative talent, the group is looking for people who enjoy working behind the scenes on all the details that make a production come together.
The Five & Dime Drama Collective is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Tax-deductible donations can be made on the website fiveanddimedramacollective.org. Sponsors of the performances included Basin Park Hotel, Community First Bank (now Equity Bank), Cornerstone Bank, Ermilio’s, EurekaZen, iDiva.it, Kendrick Law Office, Main Stage, Salon Seven, and the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow.