Lorelai Gango/The Mossy Log
On Oct. 2-4, the Lewis & Clark Theatre Department presented “Love is Blind,” a production of three student-directed one-act plays. These included “Real American Dinner Party,” written by Jen Silverman and directed by Andrew Van Voorhees ’26, “The Gulf,” written by Audrey Cefaly and directed by Lila Kunkel ’28, and “Courting 101,” written by Yuri Baranovsky and directed by Brodie Joseph ’26.
“Real American Dinner Party” follows two upper-class couples at a family dinner party. As tensions rise and the characters reveal how little they understand one another, the character Thom, played by Jamie Kushnick ’26, loses an eye. As the group frantically searches for it, every other member of the dinner party loses their eyes as well. Marcy, played by Davis Berry ’27, loses both of hers while being yelled at by her abusive partner, Grant, played by Jazz Buskin ’28. She gives a monologue about finally being able to see what she really wants now that she cannot see Grant anymore, and she walks offstage.
This one-act was well-staged and I enjoyed watching the actors bounce off each other at the beginning of the play. The first minute or so featured the characters sitting at the table in silence as food was placed in front of them. Even in silence, the personalities of each character were apparent — a testament to the actors’ skills and to Van Voorhees’ directing. The absurdist, almost horrific turn that the play takes in its latter half was interesting, and I enjoyed the chaotic energy of the initial search for the missing eye. However, the pattern of every character losing their eye and the subsequent search for it got repetitive. Additionally, the pacing of the play made the ending feel strangely abrupt. Marcy’s resolution after she lost her eyes was certainly touching and well performed, but it felt unearned due to how little time was spent with the characters. I was expecting more of an exploration of the absurdity surrounding the characters losing their eyes, but there never was one. Regardless, it was an engaging watch.
The second one-act, “The Gulf,” takes place entirely on a dinghy boat. The two main characters, Kendra and Betty, played by Buskin and Marlee Zimmer ’26 respectively, are a lesbian couple on a fishing excursion. They discuss their life plans and come to understand that their goals do not align. After a few arguments and painful realizations, they decide it might be best for the two of them to go their separate ways, despite how much affection they still hold for each other.
I thought that this one-act was well done. Movement and interest filled the stage despite the confined space the actors were restricted to; Zimmer’s performance as Betty particularly stood out. She brought a genuine, intricate depth to a character that could have easily been shallowly portrayed. The work put in by the actors, as well as Kunkel’s directing, generated authentic, realized characters with depth and a deep history. At times, it felt like the play went on a bit long, especially after the climactic event when Betty was thrown off the boat by a fed-up Kendra. The most heightened moment of the play had passed, and some of the dialogue started to feel repetitive. Despite that, it was an enjoyable, if emotional watch.
“Courting 101” was the final one-act in “Love Is Blind.” This show is an absurdist comedy that follows TJ Muhammad ’26 as a professor teaching a class — the audience — on romance. Through the examples of Mark and Melody, played by Kushnick and Angie Bennett ’28 respectively, the professor orchestrates a “perfect” date between a man and a woman, calling on common tropes of romance in popular media, as well as American culture in general, to inform what to do and not do.
Joseph shared some insight about his approach to directing “Courting 101.” He noted that because the LC theater often stages dramatic pieces, he was not used to directing a show that “doesn’t take itself seriously at all.” Joseph explained that the play was written as a silly, comedic critique of the modern dating scene:
“Honestly, when it comes to ‘Courting 101,’ you can’t get a lot out of it. If you hate the dating scene nowadays, it’d be fun to come and make fun of that. At the end of the day … what I want is for people to laugh and to let loose.”
Joseph experienced some learning curves during the rehearsal process of the show. He touched on the fact that there were a lot of differences in directing this show as opposed to a scene he directed from Annie Baker’s “The Flick.” That scene was grounded in realism and had only two people, while this show had four people and leaned heavily into absurdism. On the intimacy coordination of “Courting 101,” Joseph says that there were some adjustments he had to make to ensure everyone was comfortable.
“That was a learning process for me, a little bit because I’d never gone through that before, but it was a very necessary step for me as a person and a director. There are more people in this room and they have different experiences with things. Respecting those experiences and treating them with care and loving them through it is very important,” Joseph said.
“Courting 101” certainly felt like a breath of fresh air after the more dramatic previous shows. Packed with humor, the show was a witty, satiric examination of dating culture. I enjoyed Muhammad’s portrayal of the professor, an antagonistic character who ultimately steers Mark and Melody apart despite seeming to play matchmaker. His improv skills were brilliant in moments where he had to react to the audience answering questions he had posed to them. Additionally, Kushnick’s physical comedy as Mark throughout the play was highly entertaining to watch. “Courting 101” was written in 2005, so some of the humor felt a bit dated. The play also seemed to be longer than necessary. I could have done without the final scenes with the friend-zoned male friend and the crazy ex-girlfriend — both leaned a bit too heavily on dated stereotypes for my liking. As a whole, the play lived up to Joseph’s intentions and I left the one-acts with a smile on my face.
“Love is Blind” was, overall, a well-staged, thematically-cohesive show featuring three vastly different one-acts that all managed to capture the specific feelings of fear and embarrassment that come from romantic communication, or lack thereof. While the pacing had some room for improvement —“Real American Dinner Party” felt too short and “The Gulf” and “Courting 101” felt a bit too long — each one-act was well directed and beautifully acted. I commend the actors, technical workers, and, of course, student-directors at the LC Theatre Department for putting on a wonderful show.
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