Short plays welcomed by NW dramatists
by Beth Beach, Reporter

   Whimsy and magic fill Welcome to the Moon, the upcoming drama production at Theatre Northwest.
   The play is actually a series of six plays, written by Academy Award winning writer, John Patrick Shanley. Shanley’s other works include the screenplays for Moonstruck, The January Man and Joe Versus the Volcano.
   Welcome to the Moon has everything from a hilarious (though not smiling) bartender to monsters and a mermaid.
   Set at a party, The Red Coat, the first play, shows love in a moment found by two teenagers. Next, Down and Out tells of a poor poet and his wife who lose everything but their souls and love.
   Let Us Go Out into the Starry Night follows with a woman looking for conversation in a café and has an encounter with a man plagued by ghosts and monsters. In Out West, Sally learns from a real cowboy how to be free.
   A Lonely Impulse of Delight highlights a man (despite doubts of her existence) looking with his friend for his unusual love interest.
   Welcome to the Moon is a reunion in the Bronx, where secret loves sprout from the woodwork.
   The play has a light-hearted current and addresses universal themes such as courage and denial.
   Beth Bontley, director, chose this play because of events since the terrorist attacks in 2001.
   “It is an anecdote to chaos,” she said. “It should appeal to anyone looking for fulfillment.”
   The challenging aspect of the play is the diversity required of cast members, Bontley said.
   “I gave each cast member one role that would be like the actor and another that would be a stretch,” she said.
   For instance, Justin McBride, TCC alumni, plays the evil, vengeful brother of a cowboy in one play, but a secretive, depressed man in another.
   “Despite challenges and confusion at first, it’s all starting to come together,” he said.
   The nine-member cast includes two professionals, Pam Bisgrove and Grayson Harper.
   Bisgrove plays the heart warmer in one play, but the heart breaker later. She is a former president of Women in Film and has done film work and commercials.
   Harper plays the bartender in the final segment, a poet and simply a man in other segments. A playwright, he has worked for Circle Theatre, Stage West, Fort Worth Theatre and in commercials.
   Robert Brawner, cast member and theater major, said, “This play is easy for an audience to get into.”
   In his ninth production at Theatre Northwest, he speaks from experience.
   Annie Anderson plays the girls in both The Red Coat and Out West. Anderson was nominated for the Irene Ryan Award at the Kennedy Center American College Festival for her part in Be Aggressive at NW, advancing to regional competitions in the spring.
   Other members of the cast include Trey Brown, Alan Cooke, Barbie Billingsley and Sarah Cox.
   Welcome to the Moon opens Thursday, Nov. 20, in the Theatre/Lecture/Library Building on NW Campus and runs through Sunday, Nov. 23. Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday with matinees at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
   Tickets are $5 for general admission, $3 for students and seniors and free for TCC students, faculty and staff with I.D.
   Reservations, recommended, are available through the Theatre Northwest box office at 817-515-7724.