The Roaring Fork Repertory Theatre presents “One-Acts in the Stacks” at the Carbondale Library on Saturday, March 2 at 7pm. The performance is directed by local seasoned thespian William “Willie” Moseley and premiered in August at Explore Booksellers in Aspen.
The cast is composed of locals (Hattison Rensberry, Scott Elmore, Joshua Adamson and Bostyn Elswick) who play various parts in three shows: “Suppressed Desires” by Susan Glaspell and George Cram Cook, “Collect Call” by Kristin Hopkins and “The Bear” by Anton Chekhov.
Since these shows deal with adult themes, Moseley has given the series a PG-13 rating. Each play is set in a different time period: “Collect Call” is set in the modern day, “Suppressed Desires” unfolds in the early 1900s, and Chekhov’s classic takes place in the late 1800s. Each script covers themes of death, grief and dreams (and their meaning), but has a humorous element as well.
Moseley has worked with each actor in some capacity over the last couple of years, and relayed that he had these actors in mind before even selecting the plays.
“One interesting aspect, and I kind of went backwards with this process, is I had the cast before I had the shows in mind,” Moseley admitted. “Normally, you choose your plays and then look for your actors, and as I was looking for plays with small casts, I said to myself, ‘Well, I know these four actors.’”
After speaking with Rensberry, Elswick and Elmore, it was apparent they all shared in the excitement of providing a form of free theater to the Valley, moreover, in a setting that is quite accessible.
“The most rewarding part is getting to bring a new kind of theater to venues that don’t usually see it,” said Elswick. “The fact that it’s a free showcase makes it so accessible to everyone.”
Her comments were echoed by Renseberry who pointed out that there can be certain barriers that prevent some from seeing more theater.
“It’s so cool, because there’s a barrier for people to see live theater in many cases. Whether it has to do with travel … or the cost, accessibility is such a great aspect,” stated Rensberry. “I’m enjoying being able to bring these shows back up and perform them in various places. Doing these shows feels so ‘guerilla,’ because we just show up and do it. If we show up and the people want to enjoy it, then they will and that’s great. If not, we’re going to do it anyway.”
When asked what the most challenging aspect of performing in this setting is, the cast members agreed that the proximity to the audience was an adjustment, plus having to switch between themes and characters in a short period of time.
For more information on The Roaring Fork Repertory Theatre’s endeavors, reach out to Willie Moesley at williamrogersmoesely@gmail.com For more information on the March 2 performance, visit www.gcpld.org