SE Campus drama illustrates grief’s turmoil with an eerie twist ending in their rendition of “The Thin Place,” running Nov. 13-15.
The play follows the complicated friendship between Hilda, the lead character who portrays the natural curiosity about the afterlife following a family loss, and Linda, a clairvoyant whose strong demeanor sets up the shock value of the final scenes.
Director and associate professor of drama Drew Hampton said since introducing the story to the troupe, his goal was to create a show that was more than the play’s traditional monolithic dialogue.
“My key to this play is ‘How can we visibly move the audience? How can we allow them to be interested visually?’” he said. “Audiences want to see more. Rather than simply be told a story that elicits images, I think live theater audiences, especially audiences in 2024, want to see that actually come to life rather than it just be in their minds.”
Stage manager Lily Clouse said this approach, along with enhanced lighting and sound effects not used in previous shows, was a performance characteristic that would stick with the viewer. “
The selling point I would give this show is its immersiveness, and not just in the typical actor-interacting-with-audience way,” she said. “I think visually, this is going to be one of my favorites.”
From the opening act, Clouse said that communication with the audience brings them into the story. She said Hilda’s engagement builds a personal depiction of the psychological confusion commonly felt with loss and encourages the viewer to be emotionally invested in her future and well-being.
Another strategy, Kristen Wirkler , TCC graduate and actor playing Hilda, uses to up the emotional ante is connecting Hilda’s circumstances to those similar to her own.
“To me, this definitely speaks on family connection. My character, Hilda, was really close with her grandmother, and her life changed when her grandmother died,” she said.
“I am very close to my family. I can’t imagine going through what Hilda went through.”
Hampton commended the actors for their performances during the heavier scenes.
“With the girls that are playing Hilda and Linda, their characters are asked to go through a bit more of a rollercoaster in terms of emotions,” he said. “I was emotionally affected just watching [Hilda], it felt like that moment of reaching out and trying to find connection to someone who may or may not be there.”
Despite playing people with different behaviors and beliefs, each cast member implemented a small part of their personality into their character.
Noah Flores explained how he shaped his character, Jerry, a businessman and source of comedic relief, around his humoristic traits. He described his favorite scene to act out, a scenario many viewers could relate to.
“I’m, for the lack of a better term, attempting to shoot my shot, and it’s just not going well,” he said. “It’s one of those times where I get to really ham it up, try to be as funny as I can. I love making people laugh. Finding the awkwardness, more or less the angst of it, is my favorite part.”
Ensemble member Timmy Huynh said the rising action and climax are monologueoriented, making it more difficult to keep the audience engaged. Complex discussions between characters introduce background information crucial to understanding the concluding scenes.
However, their banter’s natural feel is captivating without loud musical numbers or flashy choreography, which Huynh explained is partly linked to the character’s relationships off stage.
“The wonderful thing about theater is that there’s always a sense of community,” he said. “It’s always affecting the performance. A big part of that magic in the sense that ‘Oh, these are people with relationships’ comes from that connection.”
Curtains open at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13-15 with an extra 1:30 p.m. performance Nov. 15.
