By Kayli Miller
In Motion Staff Writer
One weekend in November Mike Curb’s College of Music, Entertainment and Art presented three showings of “The Dining Room,” a stirring comedy/drama depicting messy upperclass American life.
Whether scarfing down a rushed breakfast with family before rushing off to accomplish their daily duties, attending a fancy dinner party, or having an afternoon tea, in this two-hour production everything happens around the table.
“The Dining Room,” written by Pultizer Prize nominee A. R. Gurney, is a compilation of several skits, each revealing new characters and a brief glimpse into their interactions. They all take place in the same lavish dining hall, but at different periods in time. With 18 skits to be performed, the 14 cast members had their hands full, each playing the role of three or four different characters with varying ages, accents, costumes and backgrounds.
Despite the fact that the set remained a long dining room table with six chairs in the center of the stage, there was not a dull moment to be found. Some scenes were poignant, true to life and touching, whereas others were highly dramatized, silly and comical. Overall it was an intriguing juxtaposition.
The skits include one where children desperately try and fail to get their Alzheimer-stricken mother to remember them and another, where a group of squealing youngsters excitedly gathers for a birthday celebration. Perhaps the most dramatic and boisterous skit involved a high-strung father tyrannically lecturing his son over breakfast and many more.
Eva Wilchenski, a Daytona State College student studying Liberal Arts, was costume assistant in addition to playing three roles. Similarly, DSC student Joelle Gossman, took on the role of four characters, as well as acting as “stage manager in class.” Presented in the Gillespy Theater at the News-Journal Center, the play was directed by DSC Theater Professor Samantha Stern.
For information about upcoming performances or to purchase tickets please visit the website https://daytonastate.edu/thearts/drama_performances.html