What is the show about?
The short answer is that Kimberly ages four and a half times faster than normal, so although she just turned 16, she looks much older. The kicker is that the average life expectancy for her disease is 16. So besides all the other trials and tribulations she has to go through, including a new home, a hypocondriac mother in denial, an alcoholic father who means well, a homeless aunt who is also a scam-artist, a first crush, she has to face her own mortality. Plus there's some sort of family secret that has caused them to suddenly move to a new town that Kimberly is unaware of but eventually finds out to hilarious and heartbreaking results.
What is it about Kimberly Akimbo that made this a show you wanted to direct?
Well despite all that's going on in the show, or maybe as a result of it, this is a really wicked dark comedy, even a satire if you will. These characters certainly have their flaws but that just makes them more human. The comedy comes as a result of the situations and how the characters react to them. I think that makes the humor more meaningful, when you can invest into the characters and understand them, and then you get a much deeper reaction. There's also a balance of tender moments too; she has those awkard moments of a teenager discovering love, and a final confrontation with her parents.
What has been the biggest challenge so far in rehearsing this show?One of the big challenges is not having a home of our own, since we have to find rehearsal space to practice in. So far this year, we've been fairly lucky in that we've had some very generous people who have let us set up camp in their homes for several of our shows this year. Still, it doesn't beat being in the space itself and knowing exactly where the entrances/exits are, and how everything will be set up. So some time is spent when we can actually move into the performance space during tech week and recalibrate the blocking and other aspects of the show. Plus, there's just the time spent moving everything from one location to another and the constant set up and tear down before and after each rehearsal and performance. We were fortunate to have our own space for a while and would love to have another one.
What can you tell me about the various actors who are in the show?
We've got a great mix of new and experienced talent in this show. Chris Hunt plays the lead and she is doing a fantastic job. She's got a great energy that you really don't think about her being 16, she just is. Chuck Dufano brings a nice sensitivity to a dad who means well and wants the best for his family. Vicki Krajewski is great as a mother in denial with some tough emotional transitions. Lane Hanon is the teenage boy who she realizes she is becoming interested in. This is Lane's eighth show this year and he's doing great playing this awkward kid who also takes a liking to Kimberly. Elisa Elizalde is relatively new to theatre and this is her second Dreamwell show. She's brings a sharp edginess to the character of this free-sprited aunt.
What makes this show a "dreamwell show"?
We like to keep things fresh and this is a fairly recent play by David Lindsay-Abaire, who has subsequently won the Pulitzer for the drama, Rabbit Hole. Kimberly Akimbo is an adult comedy, edgy and full of mature language. They even have a jar they put nickels in everytime they swear. By the end of the show, there's a couple jars of nickels there. The whole show is filled with funny stuff and the comedy builds to hilarious proportions, even as the characters are going through some of their most trying times. But beyond that, there are deeper themes to this show as well. I think one of them is trying to find out who you are and discovering yourself. The title is in part based on an anagram of Kimberly's name. I think anagrams can make a good metaphor for the theme of discovery. You take what's been given in life and rearrange it into something new, live life to the fullest. Dreamwell is a theatre of exploration, not just of new theatrical territory, but something that makes you discover something within yourself.
(Photo one is Chris Hunt, Lane Hannon, and Chuck Dufano. Photo two is Chris Hunt, Elisa Elizalde and Lane Hannon.)
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