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Tuesday, December 2, 2008
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Non-traditional play has become tradition at CLC
Entertainment Editor "Don't Call Me Stupid!" isn't a traditional play, and most of the actors aren't traditional students. The always-evolving show, which opens Thursday, is the seventh annual Theatre for Diverse Population production at Central Lakes College.
CLC remains the only school in the country to have a theater component in its occupational skills program, something director Dennis Lamberson takes pride in.
"Eighty-five percent of the cast has a learning disability of some type, and some of them have a physical disability along with that," Lamberson said before a recent rehearsal. "But we look at people's abilities rather than their disabilities to do this production. (One performer) is a dancer, so we added a dance to the show just because he could do it."
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The cast of "Don't Call Me Stupid!" posed before a rehearsal Nov. 21 in the Dryden Theatre at Central Lakes College in Brainerd. The Theatre for Diverse Population play opens Thursday at the college. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
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"Don't Call Me Stupid!" features 45 minutes of monologues and short scenes performed by about 30 students; most are in CLC's occupational skills program. This semester, Lamberson wrote new material based on students' true stories and combined it with his favorite skits from previous years.
"We do things in the class like theater games," Lamberson said. "One of them is like a talk show interview, where one person is the host asking questions to a guest. I also have (students) write a reaction paper on certain subjects. And then we just do a lot of group discussion, sitting there asking, 'How did it feel in elementary school when kids started to pick on you?'
"We've got some new, longer monologues we've written about unemployment and homelessness, issues that are relevant today. People all of a sudden losing their jobs, losing their homes, being on the street for the first time - what do they do? So we're covering those social issues as well as ageism, racism (and) living with handicaps."
Charlie Follmer, a 21-year-old OSP student from Isle, has enjoyed his experience on "Don't Call Me Stupid!" He performs a skit called "Monster," about doing the laundry.
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Occupational skills program student Charlie Follmer and theater student Ashley Johnson are among the actors in "Don't Call Me Stupid!," which opens Thursday at Central Lakes College. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
» Purchase reprints of this photo.
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"You have the OSP students blended in with the regular students," said Follmer, a third-year student with a mild form of cerebral palsy. "We get to know them and see how they view college compared to how we view college, so it's kind of interesting."
Ashley Johnson, 18, is one of the show's traditional theater students. After handling lighting duties on "The Laramie Project," the freshman from Princeton will act for the first time in "Don't Call Me Stupid!," performing four monologues.
If you go
What: "Don't Call Me Stupid!"
Staged by: Central Lakes College Theatre for a Diverse Population.
When: 10 a.m. Thursday, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Chalberg Theatre, CLC, Brainerd.
Tickets: $5 (public), free (CLC students).
Phone: 855-8199.
Web site: www.clcmn.edu/theatre.
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"There are three darker pieces and one humorous," she said. "In one of them, my mom and my baby brother die of AIDS. In the second one, I get raped, and in the third one, I end up in foster homes. And in the fourth one, I just ruin weddings and it's funny."
Lamberson directs this cast differently than other shows.
"We take a little more time at the beginning, learning theater skills - projection, diction, social etiquette like not talking backstage," he said. "We sort of cram it all in one semester. ... For the whole cast, this is a good learning experience. We're looking at personal growth as well as the performance."
And "Don't Call Me Stupid!" could be a learning opportunity for audience members, the director suggested.
"This is a great way for families to look at social issues that we sometimes don't bring up," Lamberson said. "And the cast is always available to talk afterwards, about what it's like to live with a disability, and stuff like that."
JOHN HANSEN may be reached at john.hansen@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5863.
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