Occasionally during the Sunday afternoon performance of Rochelle Owens' "Futz" in Sophia Gordon Hall, it was difficult to discern what exactly was going on. But it soon becomes clear that the actors, within the confines of the one soft-edged spotlight, are certainly not just futzing around in this 3Ps/Torn Ticket II Joint Fall Workshop.
"Futz" chronicles the story of a small redneck town and the local pariah, Cy Futz, in one quick act. The play covers all its bases - redneck love, spiritual revelation, bestiality - in a brisk 50 minutes. Cy Futz (played by junior Mark Villanueva) lives on his farm with none but his beloved sow keeping him company. When a local loses his mind and kills his girlfriend after having allegedly seen evil things going on in Futz's barn, Cy comes under investigation. He is thrown in jail and eventually meets a grisly end, with a dagger in the heart on the floor of his jail cell.
The cast and crew utilize clever tactics to indicate the passage of time and occurrence of events. At one point, a character resolves to kill a pig (deftly played by a small stuffed animal). The lights go out, and the character returns on stage, her face covered in thinly sliced deli-style ham. And the disembodied god-like voice that floats down from atop the staircase serves as a "deus ex machina," clearing up any details that may have been confusing. (He reveals things like, "We are now in a house. It is very dirty," or, "Nothing has changed.")
Though occasionally shrouded in long-lasting fits of maniacal laughter from the entire cast or an overabundance of overalls on stage, there is actually a sophisticated technique at work in "Futz." The piece utilizes a new acting method called "Viewpoints," which emphasizes spatial awareness. Senior Stacy Davidowitz, an energetic member of the cast, explained how director Brendan Shea, a senior, "gave us a set of instructions like to pay particular attention to the lighting here, or to have 20 seconds of fast-talking" for each scene. The cast would improvise physical movements, and then layer the script over the physically blocked out scenes, and "Futz" was born.
- by Lauren Herstik
