SE playing barefoot comedy
by Amanda Leduc
se news editor

   New faces take the stage in the SE production of Barefoot in the Park by Neil Simon.
   Barefoot in the Park is a 1960s comedy about a young newlywed couple who move into a modest apartment and start their lives together.
   The husband, Paul, played by Brett Atler, is a realistic and practical young lawyer. The wife, Corie, played by Kelly Kennedy, is more idealistic.
   “My character attempts to bring practicality to his and Corie’s lives,” Atler said.
   Corie is more concerned with love. She tries to coax her mother, Mrs. Banks, into dating their eccentric neighbor, Victor Velasco.
   The SE theater department is known for its outside-the-box productions, and this show is a contrast to last semester’s shows.
   Barefoot in the Park is a contemporary show in modern English. According to Kennedy, it is something people can understand and relate to.
   "The show is really fun. It won’t change your life, but it is entertaining and witty,” she said.
   A veteran of the SE theater department, Genevieve Croft plays Corie’s mother.
   “It’s the season of eclectic time periods. Last semester, we had a show in the 1880s and then the 1930s. This show is in the 1960s,” she said.
   “This cast has a really good chemistry, and I’m glad to see new faces on the stage,” she said.
   Alter and Kennedy are new to leading roles at SE. Alter has never taken the stage at TCC, but Kennedy had a supporting role in last semester’s Macbeth.
   “I think it’s exciting and interesting to see what this cast has done with a lot of first-time actors,” Atler said.
   The whole cast expressed how they enjoyed working with John Dement, SE director of theater.
   “John really brings out the best in his actors,” Kevin Wallace, who plays Velasco, said.
   Barefoot in the Park will be performed in the Roberson Theatre Tuesday-Friday, March 2-5, at 8 p.m. with a matinee Friday, March 5, at 2 p.m.
   Tickets are $5 general admission, $3 for non-TCC students and senior citizens and free for TCC students, faculty and staff. For reservations call 817-515-3599.