- April 24, 2024
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What if you read a script that called for three tons of lettuce?
“You have to respond, you can’t ignore it,” says Artistic Director Brendan Ragan. “She’s shoving you down the road of creativity.”
Urbanite Theatre’s latest production, “Women Laughing Alone with Salad,” asks a lot of its cast, crew and audience — including what Ragan calls impossible stage directions. But the reward is a clever play that could leave everyone laughing and seeing the world a little differently.
Playwright Sheila Callaghan wrote a play based on a meme. A food porn meme, to be exact (you can always count on the internet to properly ridicule preposterous stock images). The result is a piece of theater that uses completely absurd, yet underlyingly authentic, humor to raise big questions about gender roles.
Director Ria Cooper says the piece has a bizarre storyline, but it’s accessible and engaging because of its use of humor and good, old-fashioned theater magic.
“When something onstage happens that we don’t expect or we don’t know how it worked, that’s really exciting,” she says. “I’m interested in theater that creates a situation that the audience leaves wanting to ask questions and have conversations.”
Ragan agrees, adding that perhaps one of the most surprising elements is how the dissection of gender stereotypes is hidden in the comedic moments.
“All of these attacks are sneaking in the back door, and before you know it, you’re in the middle of it,” he says. “They’re cheeky and clever, and they hit you because you let your guard down.”
Annabelle Mayock, who plays Tori, says performing a piece so rooted in absurd comedy is different than what she’s used to. Unlike many more stereotypically funny plays, it’s not sitcom-style humor. It’s more of an art, she says. It’s not going to be the same every time.
But that’s what makes it fun to Mayock. She thrives off that lack of structure and the explorative, explosive effect it has on her performance.
Ben Williamson, who plays Guy (the only man in the play), adds that at its core, the play is a beautiful story about both gender roles and the stigma we put on relationships and power. But getting that across is not easy.
“It takes a lot of falling on your face trying to figure out what will inevitably be the collective experience,” Williamson says with a laugh.
All of the cast admitted to laughing hysterically upon their first read of the play, but Ragan also calls its comedic style cringe-inducing. Expect to feel uncomfortable — that’s how you know their work is paying off.
“The play doesn’t just say this is one issue and we’re going to tell you how bad it is and get on our soapbox,” he says. “It’s much messier, and for the better. If we do our jobs right, I think your mind will be swimming when you leave.”
The play is progressive, like many Urbanite productions, but Ragan says it doesn’t risk being overly heavy like the company’s last feminist play, “Echoes,” could have been.
“This could not be coming at a better time because I think we’re all ready for a good laugh — but not in a way that lets any of the air out of the situation,” he says. “This continues to push the conversation forward, but it’s a much different perspective than ‘Echoes.’”
Not only is the timing of this production ideal for Urbanite regulars who have watched many serious plays this season, it’s extremely relevant by touching on topics related to events like the #MeToo movement currently dominating headlines.
“The playwright is taking all of that chatter and putting it out there for you to examine,” says Summer Wallace, who plays Meredith. “I hope particularly after Act II, audiences re-examine some of their own behaviors or comments, or when they see an ad, they might think a little differently about it.”
This is a period of change and empowerment for women, the team agrees, which also makes a feminist play that much more topical.
Ragan read a review of another company’s production of the piece that said it’s an example of what feminist plays should be. He couldn’t help but agree, and so does Mayock.
It brutally attacks the media, gender roles, etc., she says, and it forces audiences to confront gender-specific issues that are extremely prevalent, yet often shied away from.
Mayock feels the need to shed light on women’s issues through this play, and she loves that it does so in a completely unapologetic way. It’s vulgar, rough and rowdy, she adds, but the playwright manages to maintain a poetic and rhythmic writing style throughout the script.
“It’s aggressive and puts it in your face,” Mayock says. “I think feminist theater needs to be more aggressive, and comedy is a great way to do that.”
Williamson believes it’s their responsibility as actors to be unabashedly honest and not water down the story, regardless of how outrageous it gets.
“To shy away from that is a disservice,” he says.
“Women Laughing Alone with Salad” has encouraged the Urbanite team to push more boundaries in how it tells stories through not just acting, but set design.
In the company’s last play, “Northside Hollow,” they built a coal mine — quite a departure from the stripped-down wooden stage sans backdrop in “Echoes.” This time, they needed a way to tell a modern message that takes place in nine locations, and the solution was multipurpose furniture and 13 TV screens.
They decided to utilize media and technology more than they ever have because of the relevance of technology in our everyday lives.
“We’re on our screens all the time,” Cooper says. “It’s just become a part of our every minute experience. The use of media has a lot to do with the issues she’s addressing in the play — that seemed like a pretty natural fit.”
Wallace says it’s been a challenge to introduce so many technological elements, but it’s exciting trying something new and seeing what the Urbanite crew is capable of.
This play uses humor to deal with a series of serious topics, Cooper says. But audiences shouldn’t let the importance of these subjects keep them from being entertained.
“It’s fun — it’s gleeful,” she says. “It touches on stuff that is heavier, but I don’t think people are going to leave feeling like they’ve been indoctrinated into a particular way of thinking.”
“Women Laughing Alone with Salad” will mean different things to different people, and some people won’t like it, Ragan says. Williamson encourages that.
“If people are having a blast or completely disgusted, both are valid — I think that’s what makes exciting theater,” he says.
Any advice for audiences then?
“Get ready and buckle up, because we’re not just going to be polite for the rest of the night,” Ragan warns.
