Janus Theatre Company: How Do We Talk About Race?

"Public dialogue is never real dialogue," says Dean of Students Sara Daniels, played by Tricia Miller Hewson. It's one of many powerful observations made by "Spinning Into Butter," a 1999 play by Rebecca Gilman, directed by Richard Pahl and produced by Sean Hargadon of Janus Theatre Company. The play opened Friday at the Elgin Art Showcase.

It's a continuation of Janus' season-long series entitled "Inspired By ..." which attempts to understand, through theater, the creation, debate and removal of Elgin's "American Nocturne" mural in 2016. "Spinning" addresses the question, "How do we talk about race?"

In a series of scenes full of lots of private dialog, a small New England college struggles with its response to incidents of racial hostility. Art truly imitates life in this play: there's lots of words and not much action, and public remarks on racism make an all-white audience rather uncomfortable.

Tricia Miller Hewson ("Sarah Daniels") handled her huge leading role very nicely, anchored by a long confessional exposition toward the end. A stalwart supporting cast led by Justin Schaller ("Ross Collins") were able to differentiate their characters into various shades of whiteness. Spencer Huffman ("Greg Sullivan") gave an especially controlled and convincing performance in a smaller role.

A 360-degree stage setup made beautiful use of the space in keeping with this company's up-close style, and the face-to-face audience arrangement added depth and meaning to the script. The brisk and often tense lines were generally easy to hear and the lighting and sound were excellent in design and execution.

"Spinning Into Butter" leaves us with unanswered questions about race and more. Do we create a false "otherness" by recognizing individuality? Does our class membership determine what we're allowed to think and say? Is justice possible in a diverse society? But two things this play is sure of: generalizing about racism is as bad as generalizing about race; and authentic dialogue must be private and intentional.

You can participate in the public/private conversation by seeing "Spinning Into Butter" Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3pm through March 25th at the Elgin Art Showcase. For tickets and more information, go to www.janusplays.com.

Steel Beam Theatre's "Dry Powder" is a Strong Buy

In the deal-making world of private equity investing, words do most of the work, and the four-member cast of Sarah Burgess' 2016 play Dry Powder does lots of hard work in a single act filled to the margins with fast-paced corporate-speak. Directed by Sean Hargadon, the play opened at the Steel Beam Theatre Friday, January 12th.

From left: Jennifer Reeves-Wilson as Jenny, John Westby as Rick, and Justin Schaller as Seth
 in Dry Powder, directed by Sean Hargadon at the Steel Beam Theatre

John Westby plays Rick, the firm's restless President who's constantly juggling deals, investors, and press coverage. He's a simple man who plays a complicated game very well. His two managers, Jenny (Jennifer Reeves-Wilson) and Seth (Justin Schaller) are more sharply defined. Jenny's decisions are as black-or-white as the numbers printed on her reports; she regards public relations as a mere necessary evil. Seth tempers his profit motives with qualitative principles, recognizing value in loyalty, patriotism and good will.

As a team, their constant verbal sparring over strategies is a three-person industry of its own that thrives on persuasion and competition. Yet as tightly as they are wound, the executives remain almost entirely impersonal toward each other, their employees, their families, even themselves (Rick: "My personal life can't factor in...")

The play revolves around the firm's leveraged buyout of a luggage manufacturer, headed by CEO Jeff (Richard Isemonger), who is quite the opposite: proud and paternal about his employees and their brand. Just like his suitcases, he's concerned about preserving and protecting what he already has: a reputation, a legacy. The main thing his corporate suitors are concerned with is keeping their powder dry, a metaphor for investment capital based on an old solider's maxim.

Richard Isemonger as Jeff (left), with Justin Schaller in Dry Powder.

Scenes set mostly in New York are dense with dialogue, leaving little or no space between lines. The well-prepared cast never faltered, and the limited physical action reminds us that we are looking into a world where looking good and talking smart are the essential qualifications. The script's comedic material was nicely delivered, and the audience laughed best at moments when the characters did a little acting of their own.

As the plot moves from office to restaurant to waiting room, music and video provided effective page-turns, and the stripped-down set was versatile and unobtrusive. The Steel Beam Theatre is comfortable, visually interesting, and there isn't a bad seat in the house. Snacks and beverages are available to sustain you through this 95-minute performance.

There's lots to think about after the play concludes with an interesting and refreshingly personal coda by Jenny. There are no clear victims, villains, heroes or clowns in Dry Powder, just lots of questions, among them "what is the price of a conscience?"

Make your own company valuation, Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM or Sundays at 3PM through February 4th. For more information go to steelbeamtheatre.com