By Erin Randolph erin@dmcityview.com

Even though Nicole Schremp auditioned for the Drake University production of "Arts & Leisure," she really didn't see herself as a good fit. Even after she was called back for another audition and eventually cast as Lenore, a woman on the verge of a mental and emotional breakdown, she didn't see herself in it. Still, she was up for the challenge.

And it's that challenge that drew Michael Rothmayer, director of the play and Drake assistant professor of theater arts, to the script in the first place. "Arts & Leisure" has very strong character parts, is very topical and provides commentary about society as a whole, he says.

"Arts & Leisure" is a wickedly caustic play about a drama critic, Alex Chaney, who emotionally exhausts the people in his life because he judges the real world around him in the same way he critiques plays. During the course of "Arts & Leisure," Chaney is confronted by the bitter women he has alienated over the years - his live-in maid, his mother, his daughter and his ex-wife (Schremp's Lenore).

But despite the dark, adult theme of "Arts & Leisure," it's also a comedy.
"The comedy comes from really listening to the words and is not necessarily farcical," Schremp says. "Nobody's going to trip on stage or anything like that. It's very intellectual humor. At some points, it's humor where you're so nervous and uncomfortable that you laugh because you don't know what else to do."

The play is also unconventional in that the playwright, Steve Tesich, screws with the typical conventions of theater, Rothmayer says. Characters break the fourth wall on occasion and talk to the audience. Then they will proceed to make fun of the fact that they've broken the fourth wall and talked to the audience.

"It's very different from anything I've ever done," Schremp says. "It's very different from what a lot of people have seen because it's very intellectually deep and psychological just with the way that the characters talk to each other and the way we interact with each other. It's not your happy ending."

Stage notes

The scheduled production of "Doctor Dolittle" will not be presented as planned. The national tour of the play closed on Oct. 2. Though the show may be rebooked at a later date, the Civic Center is contemplating adding another production to its Broadway season. The Civic Center will communicate directly with season ticket holders, and those who purchased tickets through Ticketmaster are asked to keep their tickets until future plans are finalized... StageWest opens its 2005-2006 theater season Oct. 14 with the wide-reaching epic "Angels in America Part 1: The Millennium Approaches" at the Stoner Studio Theater in the Civic Center. The play continues weekends through Oct. 29. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, the Civic Center box office or by calling 246-2320... Comedian Lily Tomlin will perform at the Civic Center on Thursday, Oct. 13, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, the Civic Center box office or by calling 246-2320. CV

Comment on this story | Return to top