PITTSBURG, Kan. — Audiences looking for a laugh should look no further than Pitt State Theatre’s production of “Black Comedy,” which opens this weekend.
“Black Comedy” runs at 7:30 p.m. April 23, 24 and 25, and performances at 2 p.m. on April 25 and 26 at the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts, 1711 S. Homer St. Tickets are free with valid PSU ID, $18 for the general public or $13 for ages 17 and under and 65 and older. Tickets can be purchased at the PSU Ticket Office, 137 Weede Physical Education Building, or by calling 620.235.4796. Tickets are also available online at pittstate.edu/tickets, or at the door 30 minutes prior to showtime.
This slapstick-style comedy set in the 1960s is a one-act play that follows a sculptor trying to impress a wealthy art dealer and his fiancé's father by stealing upscale furniture from his neighbor’s apartment. But when the power goes out, and the neighbor returns from his trip early, hilarity and mishaps ensue.
Director Megan Westhoff said she wanted to present a light, funny production set in a different time period. When Costume Designer/ Wardrobe Supervisor Lisa Quinteros suggested a 1960s play, Westhoff dug into the era and found “Black Comedy.”
“When life gets heavy, we need lightness, and when we feel sad or depressed about whatever is happening in our lives or the world then we need to be able to laugh,” Westhoff said. “To do it with other people is the best thing. It’s like medicine for the soul.”
The play presented several challenges with how to portray the two-story apartment and also getting the timing right on movements. Ensuring that actors didn’t miss a line was another key element as certain lines would trigger other effects or gestures.
A unique aspect of the production is that during the first four minutes of the play, the actors are playing scenes in simulated pitch black conditions. When the power goes out, the lights come on and the actors must portray that they are in complete darkness.
Senior Easton King, who plays Brinley Miller, the sculptor, said he prepared for this acting challenge by turning his lights out at home, moving around in the space and commiting how he moved to memory to bring it to the stage.
“It’s fun to just completely commit to something that’s not real and the performance of it,” King said about acting. “And stepping out of how you are as a normal person and adapting yourself.”
King said he loved starting with just words on a piece of paper and bringing the story to life.
The everchanging status of the lights presented a challenge not only for the actors, but for those behind the scenes.
“It pushes everyone because of the lights going off and on,” Stage Manager Hailey Goodrich said. “And that’s been so different from anything I’ve ever been a part of, and I think that’s been interesting and cool to see.”
Goodrich, who is a graduate student, is accustomed to working backstage for plays as “Black Comedy” is her 11th show with Pitt State Theatre. She has dabbled in a little bit of everything including sewing costumes, working lighting, painting sets, tearing down sets and much more. Goodrich said she loves contributing to the overall progression of the play.
“You notice so many new things each night,” she said. “And you just fall in love with it over and over again. It’s just a lot of fun meeting new people and watching the new kids come in and work on their craft. It’s special to watch.”
This reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/Localnews.
