Let's Go to the Theater

The Premiere Stages launched their 2016 – 2017 with the New Jersey premier of the Pulitizer Prize winning drama Water by the Spoonful. At last Friday’s Opening Night, Producing Artistic Director John J. Wooten welcomed the audience with some very thoughtful reflections on the role of theater in society. He said that there is power in theater being able to address social issues and changes in society. After attending the performance that evening, it can be said that the play bears witness to his words.

Written by Quiara Alegría Hudes, Water by the Spoonful was the winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The story revolves around a family who has been pulled apart by drug addiction. Odesssa Ortiz struggles daily to keep her addiction to crack under control by facilitating an online support group. Clever staging allows actors to provide the lines they have typed into the threads of the support group site where they go by their screen names: Orangutan, Chutes & Ladders, and Fountainhead. Their online interactions create a virtual family which eventually leads to several meetings between the members.

Odessa’s son, Elliot Ortiz, is an Iraq war veteran who has returned to his hometown of Philadelphia. His combat experiences have led him to have nightmares and signs of PTSD. His distain for his mother comes out when his aunt with whom he lives dies and he visits his mother to get money from her for flowers for the funeral. His aunt (who we never see in the play) was a legend in the Puerto Rican community where the family grew up and lives for all the good things she did. His mother, whose addiction tore the family apart, is a stark contrast to the good lady who died. Another character is Yasmin Ortiz who is Elliot’s cousin. She has worked hard, studied in school, graduated and now works as a professor at a local college. Her love and care for Elliot help him to eventually face the ghosts that are haunting him.

The intimate size of the Zella Fry Theatre provides an opportunity for audiences to experience this play in a very powerful way. There is more to the plot that has to be seen acted out and there are scenes in this show that will rip your heart out. Great care has been given to detail and emotion that is captured by the actors. One of those scenes occurs towards the end of the show when Odessa is struggling to regain herself after a slip back into drugs.

Zuleyma Guevara as Odessa and Zack Calhoon as Fountainhead in the Premiere Stages production of Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegría Hudes. Photo by Steve Hockstein/Harvard Studio.

As shown in the photo, she is being cared for by Fountainhead. Although another scene is being played out on the other side of the stage, audience members just have to glance over at this bathing scene taking place to see the complete emersion into the moment that is taking place. It is a moment that will tear at your heartstrings and long be remembered.

This production is directed by Kel Haney. The professional company of actors provide characters who are very real and who touch the souls of those experiencing this play. The company includes Zack Calhoon (Fountainhead), Sean Carvajal (Elliot Ortiz), Zuleyma Guevara (Odessa Ortiz), Kana Hatakeyama (Oranguttan), Ethan Hova (Professor Aman/Ghost/Policeman), Jamil A. C. Mangan (Chutes & Ladders), and Emma Ramos (Yasmin Ortiz).

About the Show:

Running Time: Approx. 2 hours with one intermission
Location: The Zella Fry Theatre on the Kean University main campus in Union, NJ
Performances: Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturdays at 3:00 and 8:00 pm, and Sundays at 3:00 pm. Through July 31, 2016.
Contact for Info and Tickets: Tickets are $30 standard, $20 for senior citizens and Kean alumni, and $15 for students and patrons with disabilities. Significant discounts for groups of 8 or more apply. To make reservations or to order a season brochure, please call the Kean Stage Box Office at 908-737-SHOW (7469) or visit Premiere Stages online at www.kean.edu/premierestages.
Suggested Audience: Mature teens – adult. This show will be of special interest to those who follow the concerns of the military’s needs particularly with PTSD. Also, theater goers who are interested in addiction recovery and education.
Additional Information: Audience members are invited to further engage with the issues raised by Ms. Hudes’ thought-provoking play through Premiere Stages’ 2016 Talk-Back Series, which offers free post-show discussions with community leaders and local experts after select matinee performances. The theatre’s first talk-back, focusing on Recovery & Education (Sunday, July 17 at 3:00 pm), will feature Sabrina Sabater, Recovery Counselor, and Morgan Thompson, Recovery Mentor/Outreach Coordinator, for the Raymond J. Lesniak ESH Recovery High School in residence at Kean University, as well as Christopher Freeman, Community Recovery Supervisor for The College of New Jersey. Additional topics and dates include Water by the Spoonful in Rehearsal & Performance with Ms. Haney (Sunday, July 24 at 3:00 pm), and Technology & Community Building (Saturday, July 30 at 3:00 p.m.) with Dr. Mary Chayko, Director of Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies at Rutgers University’s School of Communication and Information.

Premiere will also offer a series of informal pre-show talks every Saturday evening 45 minutes prior to performance in the lobby of the theatre.

Please call 908-737-4092 for a list of sign-interpreted, audio-described or open-captioned performances. For more information, visit Premiere Stages online at www.kean.edu/premierestages.