2008 Woodie Awards
Brown talks "Man Talk"
Excitement brews as rehearsals begin for young playwright's absurdist comedy
Yvonne Freckmann
Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: Trinity Life
"Don't be afraid to be really outrageous," Junior Stephen Brown said. "Keep it moving real fast; it's a fast-paced script."
This week, students began rehearsing Brown's absurdist comedy "Man Talk", to be performed Feb. 21, 22 and 23 in the Café Theater. Monday night, the five-person cast gathered for the first read-through, circling up, getting into character and exploding with laughter at their own lines. His enthusiasm evident, actor Chris Crawford, sophomore, praised the script as cohesive and the characters as distinct.
"This is going to be a lot of fun," Crawford said. "I think it's fantastic. I couldn't ever imagine writing a full-length script. My roommate will love it. That's how I gauge great art."
The one-act play features four guys talking about their misconceptions about women and discussing women as a gender. One has problems with his wife so the others try to help him.
"They come to lots of ridiculous conclusions that don't make any sense," Brown said. "One character gives bad advice. The misconceptions are really exaggerated. [Yet] the dialogue kind of rings true [as] when you talk with your friends."
Senior Michael Elder plays the eccentric character and has worked with Brown and most of the actors before, either on Trinity main stage productions or with TigerTV.
"The auditions were one of the singly most fun events without alcohol," Elder said.
Sophomore Kaitlin Riley does not "talk man" as the sole female character, but still pulls her own weight. Juniors Grayson Hamilton and Ty Mylnar complete the cast.
"I really love the character of Robert," said Mylnar. "He's badass but doesn't have a lot of sex. That's life."
Mylnar said "Man Talk" is accessible to everyone. The script looks official, he added.
A budding playwright, Brown learned his craft in the scriptwriting course with Sheila Rinear, part-time drama professor, in spring 2007. She taught him how the whole system works, how to have a script in a professional format and how to send it to festivals. Within one year, Brown has already had his share of rejection and success.
This week, students began rehearsing Brown's absurdist comedy "Man Talk", to be performed Feb. 21, 22 and 23 in the Café Theater. Monday night, the five-person cast gathered for the first read-through, circling up, getting into character and exploding with laughter at their own lines. His enthusiasm evident, actor Chris Crawford, sophomore, praised the script as cohesive and the characters as distinct.
"This is going to be a lot of fun," Crawford said. "I think it's fantastic. I couldn't ever imagine writing a full-length script. My roommate will love it. That's how I gauge great art."
The one-act play features four guys talking about their misconceptions about women and discussing women as a gender. One has problems with his wife so the others try to help him.
"They come to lots of ridiculous conclusions that don't make any sense," Brown said. "One character gives bad advice. The misconceptions are really exaggerated. [Yet] the dialogue kind of rings true [as] when you talk with your friends."
Senior Michael Elder plays the eccentric character and has worked with Brown and most of the actors before, either on Trinity main stage productions or with TigerTV.
"The auditions were one of the singly most fun events without alcohol," Elder said.
Sophomore Kaitlin Riley does not "talk man" as the sole female character, but still pulls her own weight. Juniors Grayson Hamilton and Ty Mylnar complete the cast.
"I really love the character of Robert," said Mylnar. "He's badass but doesn't have a lot of sex. That's life."
Mylnar said "Man Talk" is accessible to everyone. The script looks official, he added.
A budding playwright, Brown learned his craft in the scriptwriting course with Sheila Rinear, part-time drama professor, in spring 2007. She taught him how the whole system works, how to have a script in a professional format and how to send it to festivals. Within one year, Brown has already had his share of rejection and success.
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