After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, a popular performance art theater is back in the spotlight.
“I am very excited for the theater to come back alive with laughter, creativity and people connecting with each other,” said Sonja Persey, director of Spotlight Community Theatre’s A Bench in the Sun and video and photography creator with Pixie Forest Films & Photography.
Having premiered on April 29, the production will be performed at SCT, 383 N. Third Ave. on May 1 and May 6-8. A Bench in the Sun was written by Ron Clark and is produced by special permission from Samuel French, Inc.
The play is a charming comedy about two longtime friends residing at Valley View Gardens, “a retirement community with no valley, no view and not much in the way of a garden,” Persey said.
“The play at its core is about relationships and that often enough, attitude is what determines happiness and fulfilment,” she said. “This is a play filled with funny one-liners, quick-witted humor and laughter, but it also touches on the loneliness and disconnect that can happen as we age.”
The three-person cast includes Burt (Matt Spenner) and Harold (Mike Engberg) who are longtime friends, spending their days at Valley View Gardens, sharing their favorite bench, and bickering over the small things in life. But when Adrienne (Stephanie Husk), a once famous actress moves into the retirement community, they have something new to argue about.
Persey wants people to take away that everyone has a choice on how to respond to circumstances in life.
“That friendships and connections to others are a huge part in our emotional well-being, especially as we get older and can become more isolated and feelings of loneliness can set in,” she said. “And most importantly, I want people to be entertained and to laugh during this play. It’s been a hard two years, and we are all in need of some laughter.”
Persey believes audience members – those aging themselves or those having an aging parent or grandparent – will easily identify with the characters.
“Most likely you’ll take sides with one character over another, but I believe in the end you’ll fall in love with all three,” she said. “Speaking of love, this play shows us that we are never too old to experience love.”
Persey expects some of the dates to be sold out and encourages people to get tickets early. Performances are at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students, and $8 for youth. For more information, call 503-302-0936, go to the SCT website or Facebook. To purchase tickets, go to www.spotlightcommunitytheatre.com.
“Last but not least, I think this play would be a wonderful outing to take that special mom to for Mother’s Day,” she said.
