“Babbling, bubbling brooks,” the small, seven-member cast of “Stop Kiss” repeats aloud, following the directions of the stage manager, senior Ryan Chalou.
They diligently repeat the tongue twisters to practice clear diction and stretch to loosen their bodies for movement on stage.
As the rehearsals for the play come to a close, and opening night dawns for the cast and crew, the air is permeated with discussion on last minute details ranging from make-up and clothes to sound and lights.
Run-throughs like this are designed to fix any last-minute problems so that when the lights come up on the Adrian College Theatre Department’s production of “Stop Kiss” tonight, everything will be letter perfect.
The curtain rises at 8 p.m. on the Downs Hall Theatre stage.
The play, originally written by Diana Son, received critical acclaim when it was performed in New York by the New York Shakespeare Festival in December 1998. Among the original cast members for the production was Sandra Oh, currently among the cast members of “Grey’s Anatomy.”
AC’s production of “Stop Kiss” is directed by professor of theatre, Michael Allen. Allen has been working with the theatre department for 24 years, and in that time he estimates he has directed 40-50 of the college’s productions.
The play found its way to campus after Allen witnessed a couple of scenes performed at the Regional American College Theatre Festival.
“It got me interested in the play,” he said. “It seemed to have a lot of good roles for college-age students and the subject matter is interesting.”
Allen also thought the play was well-written. These key factors led him to do a little research and then bring the play to AC. Auditions for the play were held in November of last year and rehersals began as soon as the cast returned from Christmas break.
“[Every time] we do it a little bit differently,” Allen said when asked about the process of auditions for “Stop Kiss.”
Students were asked to prepare a short monologue for their audition. For those that didn’t have one prepared, several were offered. After the initial audition, call-backs were made to individuals to read scenes with other actors, and then call-backs were made again for actors to read scenes from the play. From there, Allen chose the seven actors for the play.
“You come in and audition,” freshman Melissa Perry said. “[And from there] the part the director sees you as, you audition for.”
The cast for “Stop Kiss” includes two lead roles, Perry as Sara and sophomore Gabrielle Piazza as Callie, and five supporting roles: freshman T.J. Behling as George, freshman Ian Hudgins as Peter, junior Dominique Fernandez as Mrs. Winsley, sophomore Brian Crawford as Detective Cole and sophomore Breanne Stokes as the Nurse.
The play follows the story of two girls, Sara and Callie, who meet in New York, and explores the growth of their relationship as it gradually turns from friends into something more.
The set consists of four separate areas on the stage, while lighting helps the audience to recognize in which of the four settings the story is currently taking place: Callie’s bright purple apartment, the hospital, the interrogation room and the park.
“Stop Kiss” does not go in chronological order, but rather the scenes jump back and forth between how they first meet, and the aftermath from an attack in a park.
The scenes from before the attack follow Sara and Callie as they recognize their feelings for each other and move toward acceptance, with supporting characters adding to the drama of the play.
In contrast, the scenes from after the attack show how Sara’s recovery progresses after she falls into a coma as a result of the attack and the difficulties both young women face.
The cast and crew of “Stop Kiss” all have differing “favorite” moments from the play, ranging from the first awkward hug shared between the two women, a well-written quarrel about going out and the first time they share a bed. Everyone agreed that each of their favorite scenes show “a lot of character development” and the progression of the girls’ feelings for one another.
“They can’t really control that they like each other,” Behling said about the scene in which they share a bed. “It’s a really powerful scene.”
Even though it’s been only a month and a half, everyone feels as if the time has been adequate for them to put on a successful performance.
“[The amount helps] get us ready for the real world of performing,” Piazza said. “Professionals put on productions in even shorter amounts of time.”
The group has been running full run-throughs since Monday, and dedicating their time to the performance since they returned to AC.
“Rehersals have been fun,” Piazza said. “It’s a small cast, so we’re getting pretty close.”
Chalou and freshman Sarah Adler have helped get the production closer to opening night, acting as stage managers for the show.
“Stop Kiss” is Chalou’s third production as stage manager, while this is Adler’s first time acting as the assistant stage manger.
“As the assistant stage manager, Ryan tells me what I need to do,” Adler said.
Both Chalou and Adler have worked hard together to set the blocking (the actors’ movements on stage) and all the cues for the production.
“Ryan runs the show and I give the cues to everyone backstage,” Adler said.
With the entire cast and crew working diligently over the last month, the production of “Stop Kiss” promises to deliver an emotionally packed performance.
“As the show develops, it makes you wonder why people do what they do for other people in relationships,” Chalou said.
Panel discussions led by AC faculty and staff will follow each staging of the play. These panels will focus on discussion of the play, the issues raised and the community’s reaction. Allen and the cast will also attend each discussion, along with a member from the Feminist Empowerment Movement (FEM) and SafePlace. Stephanie Jass, assistant professor and department chair of history, will lead the discussion Feb. 18. Susan Nichols, associate professor of sociology, social work and criminal justice will lead the discussion Feb. 19. Monique Savage, director of counseling services, will lead the discussion following the 2 p.m. showing on Feb. 20 and Carissa Massey, assistant professor of art history, will lead the discussion after the 8 p.m. showing on Feb. 20.
“Stop Kiss” runs for an average of two hours and has no intermission, in accordance with Son’s original intention for the play.
“The playwright specifically designed it to be done that way because the tension builds toward the final moments [of the play],” Allen said.
Performances of “Stop Kiss” are tonight, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $7 for the general public and $5 for students, senior citizens and AC staff.