Rough Magic closes season with emotional memory play 'Touch'
Rough Magic closes season with emotional memory play
'Touch'
Jack Carpenter knows he has his work cut out for him.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln theater student will open Toni Press-Coffman's memory play "Touch" with a nine-page monologue.
It's during this time the audience will learn about Carpenter's character, a nerdy astronomer named Kyle Kalke.
They'll discover how Kyle met the love of his life, Zoe, when she poked her head into his high school physics class.
They'll learn about how they started dating, got married and lived their life together.
And, finally, about how on the night of their sixth anniversary party, Zoe vanished and Kyle's life began to unravel.
"I had the play a while ago and wanted to do it," said Gregory Peters, Rough Magic Productions artistic director and play director. "But not until I had someone to play Kyle."
He found him in Carpenter, whom he had just worked with on "Summerstock," Rough Magic's collaboration with the Angels Company.
"I thought he was perfect to play Kyle," Peters said. "He was the one to set up the show."
Why?
"Kyle is this kind of brainy science kid that has this dangerous side to him," Peters said. "I was looking for someone that was both of those things."
He believes that someone is Carpenter.
Rough Magic will present eight performances of "Touch," beginning Thursday night in the Studio Theatre on the third floor of the Temple Building. The play closes the company's 2004 season.
Rough Magic is known for staging contemporary, cutting-edge works. "Touch" is one of those, Peters said.
Sort of.
In "Touch," the mystery of Zoe's disappearance, the reactions of those left behind, friendship, John Keats, prostitution and The Big Band are all part of this play that captures the scope of real grief and sudden tragedy.
"What seemed to be a very oddly structured, contemporary play turns out to be an attempt to bring romantic-era ideas about love, loss and friendship into the modern world."
Carpenter, 27, is a UNLjunior working on a theater degree. He came to Nebraska from New York City, where he had studied with former Metropolitan Opera singer Ariel Bybee, who is now an artist-in-residence in UNL's School of Music.
Other cast members are Jordan Warren, Amy Black and Lindsay Seim.
Carpenter said he realizes the success of the play rests squarely on his shoulders because of the monologue.
"It's not just memorization," he said. "I want to present a clear picture of who this woman was and what we were like together.
"I can't see her," he added. "The audience can't, either."
Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@;journalstar.com.
Jack Carpenter knows he has his work cut out for him.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln theater student will open Toni Press-Coffman's memory play "Touch" with a nine-page monologue.
It's during this time the audience will learn about Carpenter's character, a nerdy astronomer named Kyle Kalke.
They'll discover how Kyle met the love of his life, Zoe, when she poked her head into his high school physics class.
They'll learn about how they started dating, got married and lived their life together.
And, finally, about how on the night of their sixth anniversary party, Zoe vanished and Kyle's life began to unravel.
"I had the play a while ago and wanted to do it," said Gregory Peters, Rough Magic Productions artistic director and play director. "But not until I had someone to play Kyle."
He found him in Carpenter, whom he had just worked with on "Summerstock," Rough Magic's collaboration with the Angels Company.
"I thought he was perfect to play Kyle," Peters said. "He was the one to set up the show."
Why?
"Kyle is this kind of brainy science kid that has this dangerous side to him," Peters said. "I was looking for someone that was both of those things."
He believes that someone is Carpenter.
Rough Magic will present eight performances of "Touch," beginning Thursday night in the Studio Theatre on the third floor of the Temple Building. The play closes the company's 2004 season.
Rough Magic is known for staging contemporary, cutting-edge works. "Touch" is one of those, Peters said.
Sort of.
In "Touch," the mystery of Zoe's disappearance, the reactions of those left behind, friendship, John Keats, prostitution and The Big Band are all part of this play that captures the scope of real grief and sudden tragedy.
"What seemed to be a very oddly structured, contemporary play turns out to be an attempt to bring romantic-era ideas about love, loss and friendship into the modern world."
Carpenter, 27, is a UNLjunior working on a theater degree. He came to Nebraska from New York City, where he had studied with former Metropolitan Opera singer Ariel Bybee, who is now an artist-in-residence in UNL's School of Music.
Other cast members are Jordan Warren, Amy Black and Lindsay Seim.
Carpenter said he realizes the success of the play rests squarely on his shoulders because of the monologue.
"It's not just memorization," he said. "I want to present a clear picture of who this woman was and what we were like together.
"I can't see her," he added. "The audience can't, either."
Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@;journalstar.com.
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