Company of Fools to present “Cry It Out”
BY DANA DUGAN
Parenthood comes with challenges and joys, many of which we hardly recognize until we’re in the midst of it. Continuing its 24th theatre season with a focus on family, Company of Fools will stage award-winning playwright Molly Smith Metzler’s “Cry It Out.” Metzler, who is from New York, is also the author of the plays “Elemeno Pea,” “The May Queen,” “Carve,” “Close Up Space” and “Training Wisteria.”
The production will be directed by Denise Simone, a founding COF member. It will run Wednesday, Sept. 25, through Saturday, Oct. 12, at the Liberty Theatre in Hailey. Simone, who bowed out of full-time administration and responsibilities of the company she founded 26 years ago, in Richmond, Va., said she loves to return to COF to work.
“It’s a joy now,” she said, while acknowledging how difficult the past two years have been since the death of co-founder and dear friend John Glenn. A new artist director, Scott Palmer, joined COF this past spring.
“This season is primarily Scott’s vision,” Simone said. “He’s getting to know the artists we work with and he really drove the crafting of this season. He’s brought new vision, and he has attractive leadership qualities.”
This play, while hilarious, is also pointed, as it pushes the envelope of subjects once considered taboo: childbirth, nursing, dirty diapers, exhaustion, loss of privacy and lack of adult conversation. Adrift on maternity leave, two new mothers meet with little in common but a shared sideyard, the absurdities of new motherhood, and the dilemma of returning to work versus staying at home. It’s enough to form a tentative friendship, though with the addition of another new mom it becomes fraught with socioeconomic issues.
“One of the reasons I wanted to produce ‘Cry It Out’ was to ensure that the experiences of women, and particularly the stories of new mothers, were central to our examination of family,” Palmer said. “As a man, and a man without children, I knew I wasn’t the person to direct this show, but I was absolutely certain that Denise Simone had the experience, passion and insight to make this play really sing. She brings her own experiences as a mom to the show, her experiences as a director and actor, but also her experience of raising her daughter here in the Valley—a place that can, for some mothers, feel isolated and lonely.”
The cast of “Cry It Out” will feature Michelle Carter (Adrienne), Ariel Puls (Jessie), Paula Rebelo (Lina) and founding COF member Joel Vilinsky, a Wood River Valley resident. The creative team includes Maria Gerhardt (costume design); K.O. Ogilvie (stage management); Joe Lavigne (scenic design); Lynn Coleman (lighting design); Patrick Szczotka (technical direction); and Chris Henderson (production assistant).
The action takes place on Long Island, an area with a diverse socioeconomic population, not unlike the Wood River Valley. The mothers may be from vastly different financial backgrounds but they share something vital and fresh: the love they feel for their newborns.
“Molly lived this story in this place, she nails so much [about the experience of living on Long Island after life in Manhattan],” Simone said. “It’s funny and honest, and very personal.”
Simone said that to help the cast get a feel for new motherhood, COF invited some new mothers in the community to talk with the cast.
There will be two previews before the play officially opens on Saturday, Sept. 28. On Tuesday, Sept. 24, COF will have Pay-What-You-Feel Parent & Baby Night. House lights will remain on, which will make it easier for parents to deal with their offspring. There will also be a baby changing station in the restroom, toys, and space to retreat to should a child need extra attention. The actors will be prepared for certain interruptions.
“Because the play focuses on the isolation that can occur when a woman becomes a new mom, and because Metzler herself talks about the incredible experience of connecting with other moms, we wanted to create an opportunity for parents to meet, connect, and socialize with other parents outside the house,” Palmer said.
The next evening, Wednesday, Sept. 25, will also be a Pay-What-You-Feel preview. Opening night will include a no-host after-party at di Vine Wine Bar in Hailey for patrons and audience members.
For tickets, contact Company of Fools box office at (208) 578-9122, or sunvalleycenter.org/companyoffools/current-season.