Actors' Mission presents 'And So We Come Forth'

Although the COVID-19 pandemic isn't over yet, its early days are already becoming a matter of both history and art, as can be seen in the Actors' Mission's latest production, "And So We Come Forth."

The play is two acts which are taken from a trilogy by Richard Nelson. The original trilogy was written in 2020 when most theaters were still shut down, so it was designed to be performed over Zoom and was originally presented on YouTube. Actors' Mission, always up for doing something new, will be the first to perform this play in person on stage.

"I've researched it all over and I can't find where there's been another live stage adaptation," Director Nina Tyler explained. "As far as I'm concerned we're the first. And even if we're not, I know ours is the best," she added with a laugh.

In doing something that hasn't been done before, Tyler and the cast had to get creative. The original play is just "four faces on a screen," but for a stage show Tyler knew they couldn't have the audience just come and watch people sit.

"So we had to invent a lot of movement, a lot of interaction, within each character's space," she explained.

This addition added another dimension to the play, story and characters, showing how "sometimes what you see on screen is not always the way things are," according to Tyler, because "characters might behave differently when they're away from the screen temporarily than they would in front of everybody."

To simulate a Zoom call while adding more background and movement, the stage is divided into four different locations, and characters stay in their own spaces without crossing over into each other's. Small pieces of plexiglass simulate the computer screens the characters communicate through, but for the actors, the people they're talking to are just voices across the stage.

"So one of the challenges is you have to interact with a cast that you cannot really see that well," Tyler explained. " You don't know what their faces are doing, what little movements they're making."

While staging a unique play has created unique difficulties, like not being able to see each other, the five cast members have risen to the challenge.

"I couldn't be prouder of everybody," Tyler said. "They are phenomenal to work with."

The cast has five members - Jeff Varley, Kathy McCormick, Deb Jensen, Ann Maria Mattila and Rick Cozad. All of the cast members have worked with Actors' Mission previously except for Kathy McCormick, but she used to be involved with community theater and decided to "throw her hat in the ring" for this production, according to Tyler.

"One of the things that I like to hit hard as a director is characterization," Tyler said, explaining how she's worked with the cast on embodying their characters. "I want audience members that know them and love them to be surprised and to see somebody different, not the individual but the actual character. So it's been wonderful trying to develop those physical or mental ticks and attributes and personalities."

As the cast and Tyler have worked on bringing their characters to life, they've also stepped back into the world of 2020.

"Our two-act play takes place in April of 2020 and then July of 2020, so that's right after shutdown and then shortly after the social justice protests began," Tyler explained. "And it seems like yesterday, but it's history. So I know that, especially in the future, this could very well be a work that we see in the canon of theater to kind of mark a specific time and event in history."

While the play may one day be used to portray a past historical event, Tyler admitted producing it right now is a unique experience, since the COVID-19 pandemic still isn't over.

"When we had chosen the play, we thought we would be past the pandemic," Tyler said, adding the fact we aren't actually past it yet is interesting since the audience hasn't moved too far away from where the characters are even though it's retrospective. She said some lines, like a reference to hoarding toilet paper, bring back the all-too-real memories of 2020, while other topics in the play remain new and fresh.

"But what is interesting is that, the neat thing about things like theater, movies, arts, things like that, is they often give voice to things that we as everyday people do not or cannot express and process," Tyler said.

Watching the characters begin processing and coping with the pandemic can bring fresh perspective to the audience - without telling them how to think or what to feel.

"The play, the language in the play and the characters, they have their own opinions but they don't dictate how the audience should process any part of the play," Tyler explained. "It's not a morality play, it's just a human drama about these characters that are trying to make their way through it."

The neat thing about Actors' Mission productions, according to Tyler, is the way the plays leave things up to the audience. While living up to the mission to "feed the body, nourish the mind," the Actors' Mission chooses plays that can be "mind food."

And although this particular play is about the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be a polarizing subject, Tyler said it simply presents a thought-provoking story.

"The play is not controversial in any way," she said. "It's a lovely family drama with very touching moments and some good humor."

Tyler hopes everyone who comes to the play will be able to appreciate the performance and the hard work of the cast and crew and will walk away with perspective.

"I hope that they just walk away with something to think about," Tyler said. "That's all you can really ask for. Draw your own conclusions, but think about it and consider one way or the other."

"And So We Come Forth" will run Jan. 20 - 25 at the Broadway Theater in Rock Springs with performances at 7 p.m. each night and a matinee Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. Following Actors' Mission tradition, a free meal will be served one hour before each performance. Admission is free, as is food, but the group welcomes donations to offset the cost of the production and to raise money for the renovation of their new building.