Theater: A Reproduction Production

Story & photo by Lindsey Chester

Cary, NC – Oh Baby! A Collection of Fertility Plays, is the latest production by FATE, and weaves together eight vignettes about the hopes, dreams, and fears involved with becoming a parent. For many Cary citizens, this reproduction production should hit home. The show opens April 29, 2011.

For Deborah Barrett, this is her first experience writing a full length play and she is thrilled to watch the production take shape. She says the first seeds of the story began about 2-1/2 years ago when she wrote something titled “Inside Stories” for Ten by Ten, a playwright competition.

Without giving any of the plot away, the play questions what happens if you can’t have kids, or what if you don’t particularly want any children? The vignettes involve couples who have trouble conceiving, other folks who find themselves pregnant unintentionally, and still another character who wonders what his parental role is if he is a “donor” rather than a spouse. The play truly encompasses the comedic as well as the tragic.

The staging will be unconventional. The set is under construction in the old Blockbuster space in Harrison Point and will be told in a cycle. The various stories are interwoven with some characters knowing each other and appearing in different story vignettes. Much like life and the famous 7 degrees of separation – the belief that we are all connected.

Artistic Director Julya M. Mirro explained that “the show is deceptively simple” because Deborah has written the play exactly “as you would hear real people speaking”.  In fact the play has been evolving for over a year with considerable feedback from the actors as they find their characters’ unique voices. The trick has been to make each character’s motivation  understood in their short 5-8 minute  appearances. Julya states, “Because the play takes place over the course of 2 years, it was imperative that the actors are able to convey the change in their lives, and their feelings about parenthood, in the short scenes.”

These first time theatrical opportunities are what make FATE unique in the community. New actors, directors, playwrights, and stage managers, are all given a chance to hone their skills in a less formalized environment that fosters growth. Of Deborah’s own experience she states:

“I wouldn’t have imagined being able to approach a full-length play, but I already had a relationship with the characters, so writing was different. My job … was mainly to introduce them (the written characters) to the other characters and see what happened…. When I put the existing characters in different scenes with each other, I found they had a lot to share with each other. In that way, the rest of the play sort of wrote itself.”

The show opens Friday, April 29 and runs for two consecutive weekends. Seating is limited, so reserve your ticket in advance to guarantee a spot.

Show Info:

• DATES: Opening April 29th, this show also runs April 30th, and May 5-7.
• TIME: All shows are at 8pm.  This show will run without an intermission.
• LOCATION: FATE’s current space, at 267 Grande Heights Dr, in Cary.
• **This space is located in the Harrison Pointe Shopping Center, on the corner of Maynard Dr and Harrison Avenue, in the former Blockbuster space, across from Firehouse Subs & Pet Supermarket.
• TICKETS: $10-$15.  Tickets can be reserved by calling the FATE reservation line at 919-228-8184, or by emailing FATEreservations@gmail.com.