"I REMEMBER NOW AND THEN: A CATHARTIC COLLAGE OF CONNECTIONS," Thresholds Theatre Arts Project at Theatre Building Chicago
BY LUCIA MAURO
With such a floridly alliterative title like "I Remember Now and Then: A Cathartic Collage of Connections," the Thresholds Theatre Arts Project’s 12th annual summer performance truly expresses an outpouring of stories that link us all. This is my third year covering this unique program, which pairs persons with mental illness and professional actors over a six-month period to create an original story-based dramatic quilt of endless humanity-affirming hues.
Over a relatively short period of time, I have seen the program – based at Thresholds Lincoln Park – expand into more adventurous experimental ground, and I’ve witnessed the entire ensemble take fervent charge of the material and control of the stage.
The Thresholds Theatre Arts Project, under the nurturing and powerhouse direction of Brighid O’Shaughnessy and Marti Szalai-Raymond, is an ensemble theater in the purest sense of the term. An honest, uninhibited aura of support and collaboration engulfs the playing space. And, with its latest "Collage" running at Theatre Building Chicago, the company demonstrates its fearless mastery of multiple disciplines.
For the first time, Thresholds’ Deaf community contributed stories expressing their future dreams. The show features the witty and exhilarating American Sign Language interpretations of Diana Thorpe. This year also pushed Thresholds members and the resident artists into an abstract hemisphere, where choreographed poetry and non-linear pantomime spoke as eloquently as the touching and heartening stories on display.
This 80-minute performance is set during a magical story festival that occurs "every 1,002 years." The CEO of Goddesses – the irrepressible Dorothy Wagner Plaut, who did not let her recent diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease prevent her from basking in the spotlight – is attended by two "cabana boys" as she supervises her three bickering Goddesses of the Past (Cheryl Almgren), Present (Tracey Ellert) and Future (Jessica Salis).
Whimsical conflict arises when most of the stories point to the past – a kaleidoscope of memories that can be both comforting and painful. Almgren’s spirited "Loon Lake" – a recollection of the joy she experienced at her grandfather’s summer home – is sprinkled with bittersweet sentiments. Almgren’s childhood haven of understanding is gone, but its Utopian glory remains in her heart. Her belief that "every child should have a Loon Lake" encapsulates all the experiences that would make a youngster a fulfilled adult.
Lena Bryant’s unsettling account of sexual harassment by a male student at her high school ends on an empowering note – and is tactfully presented via the use of a red scarf to indicate the improper way this boy touched her. Mark Gonciarz’s searing poems about the "phantoms" that haunt him or a shaky reunion with an abusive father are lushly crafted works of raw emotional truth.
Other stories, like Michael James Margoutas’ "The Bag Lady" (about one of his favorite teachers – "When she was there, it just turned a light on"), and Gloria Centano’s "Snow," describing the Puerto Rico-born woman’s first thrill of a Chicago winter, celebrate seemingly small but extraordinary moments. Tom Miner shares a heartwarming memory of his vivacious mother, who appeared on the Morris B. Saks Amateur Hour.
Other lovely touches include Cathy Lewis’ inspiring rendition of Yolanda Adams’ a cappella ballad, "Open My Heart," and Ken Hartfield and Mark Czyzewski’s energized performance of their original song, "Simple Memories."
Thresholds’ multifaceted artists are: Cheryl Almgren, Lena Bryant, Gloria Centano, Mark Czyzewski, Kevin D’Ambrosio, Tracey Ellert, Michael Gloppen, Mark Gonciarz, Cathy Lewis, Michael James Margoutas, Tom Miner, Amy Monfort, Craig Olson, Dorothy Wagner Plaut, Robert Louis Reinberg, Jessica Salis, Jim Wooldridge and David Yabroff. Jennifer Lynne Nelson serves as managing director and stage manager.
The show closes with a collective poem written by the ensemble titled "Looking In to Look Out." It encompasses past, present and future – especially its last line (echoing Dorothy Gale from Kansas): "Searching for that moment, we take a deep breath and arrive…Home. Only to realize that spiritually we never really left."
A post-show discussion included Dorothy Wagner Plaut’s frank comments on her Parkinson’s Disease and how the Thresholds Theatre Arts Project has actually helped her because it encourages her to move and exercise, and stimulates the imagination. One viewer marveled at the show’s fluidity and collaborative spirit – whereupon most ensemble members agreed that it’s achieved through "trust."
And that, I believe, is the most powerful message to come out of this project. A trust in others – no matter what challenges they face – can only make us all more sensitive, empathetic and open-minded individuals.•
The Thresholds Theatre Arts Project’s production of "I Remember Now and Then: A Cathartic Collage of Connections" runs through August 28 at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont. Tickets: $15. Call 773-281-3800, ext. 2481 or TTY: 773-281-9426. Also visit www.thresholds.org (click on theater marquis).
