Director Paul Potenza gets support from a strong cast as he steps in on short notice to direct a collection of one-act plays for American Stage.
By MARTY CLEAR
Published July 10, 2003
[Times photo: Bill Serne]
From left, Jeff Norton, Colleen McDonnell, Christopher Swan and Ami Sallee Corley rehearse The Mystery of Twicknam Vicarage along with Brian Shea, the victim on the floor.
When Paul Potenza was preparing to direct The Beauty Queen of Leenane at the Shimberg Playhouse, he had about a year to prepare. He studied the script in minute detail. He read everything else playwright Martin McDonagh wrote.
Potenza didn't have that luxury for his new project, Mere Mortals and Other Plays, which opens this weekend at American Stage. The original director dropped out because of a family situation, and Potenza took over the assignment only about a month ago.
Potenza said the rushed pace of his prep work gave him license to lean a little more heavily on his cast, so the direction of the show has become something of a collaborative effort.
The cast includes many of the bay area's best actors (Jeff Norton, Colleen McDonnell, Christopher Swan, Ami Sallee Corley and Brian Shea), some of whom have directorial experience.
"Not all the time do you get to work with people like this," he said. "They're not only all good, but they're all friends. And because of the schedule I'm working on, I'm not afraid to ask Jeff Norton for help. I'm not afraid to tell Colleen I don't understand something."
It also helps that the script is strong.
Mere Mortals, as it's presented by American Stage, is a collection of seven one-acts by David Ives. Ives' engaging and mildly substantial short plays, many of which explore time or language, have been extremely popular with local and regional theater companies in recent years. He's probably best known for All in the Timing, which has been produced several times in this area.
Ives has a group of one-acts lumped together under the umbrella title of Mere Mortals, but that's not exactly what American Stage will be presenting. In fact, several of the pieces (including Words, Words, Words, The Sure Thing and The Universal Language) were originally part of the All in the Timing collection.
Other titles include The Mystery of Twicknam Vicarage, Time Flies, The Green Hill and, of course, Mere Mortals.
Although several explore Ives' favorite themes, the only thing the seven short plays really have in common is that they're among the playwright's best and most popular offerings.
"It's like making a mix tape of your favorite Beatles songs," Potenza said.
PREVIEW: "Mere Mortals and Other Plays runs Friday through Aug. 3 at American Stage, 211 Third St. S, St. Petersburg. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. There will be no matinee performance on Saturday. Tickets are $20-$28. Call (727) 823-7529.
