LBHS Drama Company once again delivered a strong performance in a string of 13 one act plays Saturday night, but it came at a cost.
The cost is what drama director Kelly Grayum has long been willing for his students to pay- a loss of innocence, in a sense, for the privilege of performing in LBHS. With few exceptions, LBHS Drama Company is the only local platform for kids aged 15 and over that want to act on stage.
This year’s fall production of 13 one-act plays, under the title Pilloried, had familiar themes of dystopia, absurdity and humor overladen with tragedy. Inherent goodness is hard to find in Grayum’s choice of plays. Everything is seasoned with a darker underlying meaning.
Grayum elevates this season by associating the production with plays by Tennessee Williams, Euripides and “a variety of award-winning 10-minute plays, some comedic, some tragic.” In the end, the emphasis is on the tragic.
The play by Tennessee Williams, where a husband encourages his scorned, suicidal wife to kill herself, includes interactions so writhing, they could be in a manual on emotional abuse. Yet, these kids perform. Like lions in a circus, they perform, and the audience laps it up. Grayum knows the formula- a little bit of satire followed by a whole lot of tragedy. It’s a formula he has used before, like there is something on his own mind that he needs to sort out.
He’s supported by a loyal audience, acolytes that think the community is lucky to have him, although with only two performances, he’s not really reaching out beyond his fans. (A full performance usually runs a couple weekends.) His productions are generally good, but his task is not just to put on a good show, but to ensure these talented kids have a solid foundation, which necessitates boundaries, their boundaries.
Grayum gets students to perform complex adult relationships and situations that question morality. The audience applauds and gave the performers a standing ovation Saturday night. For the talent, yes, but the themes, oh the themes.
It’s best if there are a few comedic scenes sprinkled in to make it more palatable, more accepting for the actors and the audience. He delivers a gut punch underneath a saccharin exterior. It’s all fun and games until you examine what the play is about.
Grayum is joined on the playbill this fall with co-director and School Board Chair Dana Stromberger, who is running unopposed for reelection. Stromberger, a vocal coach, usually works with students in the spring production but told MVE, “This year I’m pleased to be in the classroom all year, singing all year and being helpful in a large class.”
When asked how these plays were selected, Stromberger reiterated what Grayum has said- the students chose them.
“For this quickly produced fall show, as Mr. Grayum has previously said, the students sort themselves into work groups and choose plays and monologues from a wide variety of materials available. The resources are part of a large collection gathered over the years.”
Methow Valley News reported the production is PG-13, but this is not reflected in LBHS’ playbill. When asked why LBHS Drama Company (again) chose a production where more than half the students are disenfranchised under the recommended guidance, Stromberger shifted responsibility to families.
“No one is handing out tickets except at the theatre box office. As with any movie or theatrical production, the information regarding mature themes is provided, and the decisions about attending are made by each family.”
Would the information provided be a brief description that mentions Tennessee Williams, Euripides, a “song and dance routine,” and “award-winning” plays? Let’s dig a little deeper.
The Best Daddy, by Shel Silverstein, is a play about a father gifting his daughter a dead pony for her birthday. The daughter is distraught. The dad reveals it’s not a dead pony after all, but her dead sister. His daughter, at this point, hates him, until he reveals it’s not anything dead at all, but the motorcycle she wanted. She jumps into his arms with glee.
I an Aldolpho, by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, is a humorous mnemonic song from the musical The Drowsy Chaperone about Aldolpho, “a lady’s man who wins acclaim.”
Monologue from the play Medea, by Euripides, adapted by Freyda Thomas. Medea is a Greek tragedy about a scorned woman who, in revenge, kills her two children and her husband’s fiancée. The student is dressed as a mature woman who laments her betrayal.
Petrified Forest, by Hilary Bluestein-Lyons, is a play about a lost 10-year old girl who visits a co-sleeping unmarried couple at a campground. The girlfriend cannot find the girls’ parents and when the girl disappears, calls the forest service, only to discover that a girl matching that description went missing in 1977.
Parent Teacher Interviews, by Lindsey Brown, is about two privileged parents who bring a list of absurd expectations to a meeting with the dean of their child’s school. The dean turns the conversation around and the parents become the subordinates.
Every 20 Minutes by Tennessee Williams. “Every twenty minutes somebody in America kills himself.” Thus begins a 10 minute conversation between an affluent married couple which descends into a hellish scene that includes contemplation of suicide, encouraged by the husband, who tells his wife where she can find the gun.
37 Origami Bees by John Busser presents a dystopia about AI taking over our lives. A woman wants to hear the eponymous song 37 Origami Bees, only to be coerced otherwise by Amazon’s Alexa. The play includes cursing.
This is Not Your Tragedy, by Miranda Jonté is about taking people’s tragedies and turning them into a game show.
Hot Honey Rag, by John Kander and Fred Ebb, is taken from the musical Chicago. Two girls perform in skimpy clothing.
Palooka, by Claudia Bernett, depicts a break up between a girlfriend and boyfriend on a hike.
Road to Ruin; Paved with Kittens by Gabriel Davis is about another break up. The boyfriend bemoans his girlfriend’s attention and belly rubs on the kitten and not on himself.
Chocolate, by Judd Lear Silverman, is about a man who woos a woman with chocolate. The characters compare it to the snake enticing Eve with an apple.
Pilloried, by Jillian Blevins, is about two perspectives on shame and how to live with it.
Grayum flaunts the grey line and sometimes crosses it, but he does so because he can. To overlook the content and applaud this production as another great performance is to ignore a persistent problem, one that has been plaguing LBHS Drama Company, under Grayum’s direction, for years. This time it’s under new superintendent Grant Storey’s watch. He was aware of the previous controversies. LBHS Principal Elyse Darwood also knew about the controversies.
The choice of title for the production, Pilloried, may be Grayum’s nod to objection regarding his choice of content and themes for young participants. He would probably brush it off as censorship. He has referred all questions to Darwood, to whom MVE also reached out. LBHS’ spring production, The Hello Girls, appears tamer, but in the 13 acts comprising Pilloried, he got another controversial production through.
