From TBD PRODUCTIONS
How do we have a conversation about not being able to have a conversation? TBD, a new theatre company, will be offering the play Gidion’s Knot by Johnna Adams November 5, 6, and 7 at 7:30 p.m.; and, November 8 at 2:30 p.m. The venue is 2600 Copland Boulevard at the former Zion United Methodist Church in Toledo. Seating will be limited to approximately 25 for each performance to allow for physical distancing.
Over the course of a parent/teacher conference, a grieving mother and an emotionally overwhelmed school teacher have a fraught conversation about the tragic suicide of the mother’s son, the teacher’s student, Gidion. The boy may have been bullied severely– or he may have been an abuser. As his story is slowly uncovered, his mother and teacher try to reconstruct a satisfying explanation for Gidion’s act and come to terms with excruciating feelings of culpability.
Gidion’s heavy subject matter is carried by two veteran actors who are becoming well-known in local community theatre. Matt Zwyer has acted in, directed, and produced over 100 shows for local community theatre companies, including Waterville Playshop, Black Swamp, Archbold, Staged Right, Orphan, Cutting Edge and Broadway Confidential. Some of his favorite roles include Laurie in Little Women, Jinx in Forever Plaid and Man 1 in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. Annelise Clifton is a recent transplant to NW Ohio, hailing from Louisiana. Since arriving in the Toledo area in the summer of 2019, Annelise has quickly found a home in Toledo’s welcoming world of community theatre. Annelise was Woman in Chair (Narrator) in Black Swamp Players’ production of The Drowsy Chaperone. Annelise has played Morticia in Waterville Playshop’s production of The Addams Family and most recently was featured in Broadway Inspirations: Lessons for Living in a Covid-19 World, a virtual cabaret. Other selected theatre credits include To Kill A Mockingbird (Miss Maudie), A Christmas Carol (Mrs. Crachit) and Sister Act (Ensemble). On stage, the two engage in a battle of wills and personalities. The play is directed by Dr. Heath Diehl, a professor at Bowling Green State University and President of the Board for The Black Swamp Players (BSP). Dr. Diehl’s previous director roles include Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple and The Drowsy Chaperone, both for BSP.
The theme of Adams’ play is disturbing and the content will put knots in the stomach of some audience members, but the story creates the space to have a much-needed conversation about suicide, parenthood, school, bullying, the mental health of children and perhaps most importantly, how we can have a conversation when we disagree and the stakes are high. When the play is over, a conversation begins. After each performance TBD will offer a “talkback,” an opportunity for the actors to engage with the audience. The cast gets to find out directly what the audience thought of the show, what material resonated. But more importantly, TBD hopes the talkbacks will give audience members an opportunity to consider the context of what they have just seen on stage. Annelise Clifton says, ““If you’re doing a play about parenting, bullying and suicide, you’re engaging people’s emotions on the most basic level. A talkback is an opportunity for people to process those emotions.” During these theme-based talkbacks, TBD will bring in mental health experts to talk about the larger issues addressed in the play. Clifton says, “We not only want to engage the audience with the work, but for theatergoers to engage with each other. A talkback is an opportunity where people can hear someone else and maybe say, ‘That person had an experience that resonates with me, so maybe I can have a conversation with them.’ Or perhaps they will meet a mental health professional in a non-clinical setting and be more inclined to schedule an appointment.”
Gidion’s Knot is produced by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc.
