New plays, 'Savage Love,' 'Tongues,' feature student direction, production

Kara Hodge Entertainment Beat

Two student-directed and -produced plays, "Savage Love" and "Tongues," will be performed this Saturday and Sunday, April 28-29, in Greer Arena Theatre. The two plays are by Sam Shepard and Joseph Chaikin. "It's a really interesting story how the plays were written," said Jason Adams, director, producer and actor in the performance.

"They actually wrote the plays by writing back and forth to each other." "Jason wanted to do these plays because he had done a different version of it," said Ross Bryant, actor and co-director of "Tongues."

"It was a more grandiose event than the one that will be presented this weekend." "It was performed with 30 people," added Adams.

The performance this weekend will only involve one actress, senior Meg Mulhearn. "This is really my last chance to do something before I graduate in December," said Mulhearn. "And I really enjoy it." Adams held auditions for the production back in September hoping for another huge production of "Savage Love."

"Only a few people auditioned though, " said Adams. "So I cast two actresses, Meg and another girl, in 'Savage Love,' but the other girl quit." "Tongues," the sister play to "Savage Love," stars Bryant and Adams as the two voices, or tongues.

The performance was originally scheduled to open April 8, but the producers forgot to buy the rights to the plays. After talking to the playwrights and buying the rights, Adams and Bryant got permission to use Greer Arena Theatre. Adams, a sophomore, got his start in drama in high school.

He attended North Carolina School of the Arts (NCSA) in Winston-Salem his senior year for drama. "I actually went there because a friend of mine was planning on auditioning, and I had a crush on her," Adams said. "But she chickened out, and I got in." Bryant and Adams met at NCSA. "I really like to do drama, but the school forces you to get serious about it," said Bryant. "So I'm serious about it now, I guess."

Mulhearn performed in "Much Ado about Nothing" her freshman year at Appalachian State University and has been involved in the department of theater and dance ever since.

"I think it's really cool that students are running this totally by themselves," said Mulhearn. "Savage Love" is a play featuring different voices that embody different parts of a relationship. "Like a collection of poems," added Bryant.

"It's what your body feels about someone put into words." "Tongues" features two voices or tongues: one is a speaker, the other is an echo or response.

The play is reflective of a man's inner thoughts and outer behavior.

The other cast members include David Lynch and Paul Anderson as the musicians in "Savage Love." Matt Phillips is the lighting designer and sound engineer. Josh Price and Josh Kovarik are technical directors.

Tickets are $2 for the general public and can be purchased at the door. Performances start at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call Jason Adams at 268-0313.