The ensemble cast of Tim Crouch’s BEGINNERS at Hedgerow Theatre Company. Photo by James Kern
By Ellen Wilson Dilks
Tim Crouch’s allegorical play BEGINNERS is receiving its American Premiere at Rose Valley’s venerated Hedgerow Theatre Company. Under the direction of Executive Artistic Director Marcie Bramucci, the production runs through May 5th.
Written in 2018, BEGINNERS premiered at the UK’s Unicorn Theatre. An actor, as well as a playwright, Crouch has a deep understanding of stagecraft, which he brings to this piece. Crouch’s story dives into that time in adolescence when we’re on the cusp of something. And we don’t know what. It delves into the “wafer-thin divide between childhood and adulthood.”
Tim Crouch loves to surprise audiences, to challenge them. Of BEGINNERS, he has said “I wrote Beginners because my children have grown up. I love the adults they’ve become but I miss the children they were. I sometimes think I see the children that they were in the adults they’ve become and that makes me inordinately happy and also inconsolably sad.” The playwright also feels that the audience is an important part of his storytelling—his style honors the unique alchemy that occurs between audience and performers. This play encourages all ages to let go and invest emotionally in the story—as well as to laugh.
“ BEGINNERS is about a group of people who are just beginning to learn who they are, what they are, how they are—and where they are going..” ~Tim Crouch
L to R = Jordan Sheppard, Mike Thurstlic, Phillip Brown, Nicole Lawrie and Joanna Liao in BEGINNERS by Tim Crouch. Til May 5th at Hedgerow Theatre Company. Photo by James Kern
Every summer a group of friends rent a summer cottage in Boothbay, Maine with their families. It is anything but palatial. Each year there is some issue. This year things are quite waterlogged as the weather has been horrible. On the surface, we see four adults dealing with the situation and four children. But there is much more bubbling under that surface. I am not going to give away any more of the plot, because it would spoil it for you. Suffice it to say the word “play” has great import.
Director Marcie Bramucci has assembled a talented group of artisans both on and off stage. Paul Kuhn has created a terrific set for the actors to do their playing—with completely recycled materials too! When the audience enter, they are greeted by a curtain hanging at the front of the stage. It has the look of a weathered barn—a perfect foil to the wonderful stone walls of Hedgerow’s 1740s grist mill. In addition to the regular seating there are also a couple of built-in benches and rocking chairs right on the stage. Shannon Zura’s soundscape and Lily Fossner’s lighting are amazing additions to the whole mood of the piece. And the costuming by Nicole Lawrie lends just the right feel to each character. Hedgerow company stalwarts Susan Wefel, Elizabeth Hanson and Karl McClellan are joined by Aetna Gallagher, Kate Fossner, Mark Del Guzzo and Evelynn Deus to aid with props and stage management. Stephen Patrick Smith handles the movement and fight choreography. All turn in top-notch work.
The adults in the cast are Emma Gibson, Phillip Brown, Joanna Liao, Mike Thurstlic and Nicole Lawrie. Each brings terrific energy and verve to their portrayals. Joining them are young student actors Olivia Seale, Theo Bramucci, Alice Webber and Jordan Sheppard. All of them have appeared in Hedgerow’s student productions, as well as performing at their schools. Other than some intermittent volume issues (their voices haven’t found the lower registers yet), they were all strong. They held their own with the seasoned adults. Ms. Bramucci clearly brought her vitality to directing this production—it was so playful.
Crouch’s script is a unique piece of theatre that will challenge the viewer’s preconceived notions of both what theatre can be and what life can be.
When You Go: BEGINNERS plays through May 5th at Hedgerow Theatre – located in a 1740s converted grist mill at 64 Rose Valley Road, in Rose Valley, PA—just outside of Media. The performances have a runtime of 90 minutes—with NO intermission. Best enjoyed by ages 9 to 109. Performances run Thursdays thru Sundays, with evening curtains at 7pm and matinees at 2pm. Open-Captioned performances will be available April 27 at 2p + 7p, April 28 at 2p, May 2 at 7p, May 3 at 7p, and May 4 at 2p. The Relaxed performance is scheduled for April 27 at 2p with a pre-show sensory tour at 1:15p; an Audio described performance* is also on April 27 at 2p with a pre-show sensory tour at 1:15p
*To reserve an audio-description headset please email boxoffice@hedgerowtheatre.org or call 610-565-4211. For info on times and special events, visit the theatre’s website at www.hedgerowtheatre.org
There is ample free off-street parking, and the theatre is within walking distance of the Media-Elwyn train line—you would get off at the Moylan Station. Nearby Media Borough has a number of wonderful dining options along State Street for a pre-show meal. Or a post-show knosh. Hedgerow is fully handicapped accessible, information regarding this as well as directions, can be found on the Company’s website [see link above]. For tickets, call (610) 565-4211, or purchase them online.
NOTE: COVID Protocols: Masks are currently not required, but this may change if the number of cases rises in the area again. Please visit the website for details on these new policies.