Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Despite going virtual, Theatre for One’s HERE WE ARE retains its disarming immediacy and immersive spirit

• By drediman
• October 2, 2020
• No Comments

Mahira Kakkar in Jaclyn Backhaus’s “Thank you Letter”, one of the micro-play offerings of Theatre for One: Here We Are.

Yesterday, after weeks of attempting to claim a coveted free Thursday night slot, I finally got around to experiencing one of Theatre for One’s “Here We Are” micro-plays. Commissioned by Arts Brookfield and the brainchild (since Theatre for One’s inception in 2010) of ingenious set designer Christine Jones, the hit current lineup – which, as branded from the beginning, features the enticing premise of one actor performing for just one audience member – has gone virtual out of necessity. I’m happy to report that this switch to a digital format loses none of the intended immediacy and intimacy of the performance. In fact, I don’t think I’ve felt the magic of “live” performance quite as intensely as I did yesterday evening since last attending a play in person in mid-March.

My randomly-selected play last night was Jaclyn Backhaus’s Thank You Letter, which boasts a compact running time of just 10 minutes, more or less. Ms. Backhaus’s previous works include the deliriously entertaining Men on Boats and the somewhat less successful India Pale Ale. Given the mandate to minimize these plays’ length, the playwright’s micro-play dodges the risk of over-zealousness (which plagued India Pale Ale) and gets right to the point. In short, the aptly-named play is a dual tribute to the late Senator John Lewis and the playwright’s grandparents, who made the courageous and difficult decision to uproot their lives in India and immigrate to the United States. As a politician, Senator Lewis was a staunch supporter of immigration rights, which allowed Ms. Backhaus’s trailblazing grandparents to establish strong, lasting roots in this country.

Thankfully, what could have been a logistical nightmare turned out to be an unexpectedly smooth experience. Upon signing in, I was sent to a stylishly designed virtual waiting room, in which I was able to commingle and chat with other audience members before being plucked into the performance. This segue elegantly set the intimate, immersive tone for the rest of the experience. My one-on-one performance of Thank You Letter was truthfully rendered by Mahira Kakkar, a fierce and intelligent South Asian actress whom I’ve long admired onstage during happier times in the past. To have her perform this deeply personal play just for me was a disarming experience, giving me the “high” I was hoping for. I may just have to attempt to score another fix (you can do that here) at some point before Theatre for One’s “Here We Are” ends its extended run on October 29th.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

HERE WE ARE: THANK YOU LETTER
Virtual Theater
Theatre for One
10-30 minutes, depending on the play
Through October 29