“Swimming in the Shadows” by Adam Bock is the debut play put on by Backhand Productions, a production company which almost entirely consists of DVC graduates. The play is directed by Cyle Conley and produced by Chris Lionel. Conley’s production of “Swimming in the Shadows” aptly conveyed the human struggle within self-discovery with a good balance of solemnity and humor.
“Swimming in the Shallows” focus’ on human relationships, whether that be to material possessions or to each other, and how that affects them as individuals. The play, set in Twig, Rhode Island, begins with Barb (Atessa McAleenan-Morrell) complaining to her friend Carla Carla (Lilian Wouters) that she has too many things and that she wishes to reduce the clutter in her life. Carla Carla is having her own crisis by not knowing whether or not she wishes to marry her girlfriend, Donna (Kirsten Dwyer). Donna, seeking a “yes” from Carla Carla attempts to eliminate her smoking which she thinks is preventing Carla Carla from consenting to her marriage offer. Donna and her friend Nick (Michael Tho’r Kuzmack), who has trouble staying in a long-term relationship, decide to make a pact to keep each other accountable in regards to Donna’s stop-smoking campaign and Nick’s desire to find a boyfriend. Other characters include Barb’s husband, Bob (Jeremy Dorado) and The Shark (Kyle Shay Goldman).
The actors did a brilliant job expressing their character’s frustration, uncertainty, hope, and love in addition to the Backhand Productions crew’s effective use of the space that they had to work with. The stage, which was rented from Under the Sun Studios in Concord, is approximately 30ft by 14ft and they used every inch of it to help propel their story efficiently. In the beginning of the play many of the props used throughout are strewn across the stage and are slowly taken away until the end when the stage is entirely clear. The actors all moved across the stage with confidence and drew you in with their emotional performances with a healthy dosage of comedic relief.
The director chose “Swimming in the Shallows” with care, saying that he picked it for their debut because it was “…gentle enough to push people away but provocative enough to draw people in, make them think.” “Swimming in the Shallows” is described by Conley as “…not trivial, but not too harsh…a funny, nutty little play.” and by Jake Froehlich, Sound Board Operator, as “…quirky but cute.” both of which are fair descriptions of what I saw and enjoyed.
When I asked Natalie Barrett, the House Manager, why DVC students should be excited about another Backhand Production she replied that “It’s a growth process and it’s all localized…we should help each other grow. We’re out in the real world now, we don’t have teachers to hold our hands.” It ought to be inspiring to the rest of the DVC student body that DVC graduates are materializing their dreams by putting their degrees and experience gained on campus to good use. Jason Holland, head of costume design, when overhearing my question also added “Theatre kids straight out of college doing theatre- it’s awesome.”
Backhand Productions will be performing “The Last Five Years” by Jason Robert Brown this upcoming November and will be using their talents during this production to fundraise for DVC’s Dramatic Society.