The Red and Black

Issue date: 7/10/09 Section: Variety

Media Credit: JIM DIFFLY Microbiology major John Otwell, top, joins the Town & Gown Players as Leon Tolchinsky in Neil Simon's "Fools," which is the first performance at the Athens Community Theatre since the triple homicide on April 25. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: JIM DIFFLY [Click to enlarge]

At the third-to-last rehearsal for the upcoming show "Fools," members of the cast gathered to the stage, preparing themselves for the group warm up that ritualistically precedes every show.

Soon after the cast congregated, someone announced that due to a family emergency, one integral member of the crew was unable to attend rehearsals.

Someone piped in, noting the Town & Gown Players are no stranger to tragedy. There was no need for this crew member to explain his emergency, the person said, if anyone will understand, it's the Town & Gown Players.

The past few months have been imaginably difficult for the tight-knit theater ensemble, given the sudden and tragic loss of three beloved friends and company members just two and a half months ago.

But for the members of the Town & Gown Players and the cast and crew of their latest play, the show must invariably go on.

According to the show's director, Drew Doss, moving forward with this production was particularly difficult, because the show had been fully cast before the tragic events of the spring.

After a group meeting, however, members of both the cast and crew decided to continue with the production.

"The general consensus was to go on with the show, we just needed a little bit more time," said Doss, a long-time Town & Gown member. "It was tough to begin with, but it's one of those things that the more you get here and the more you do things, you can continue on."

After eight weeks of rehearsals, both the cast and crew are ready to present what they are sure will be a statement piece. "Fools," written by Neil Simon, is a rollicking, off-the-wall comedy, complete with ridiculous characters, mysterious curses and, of course, romance.

"It's not going to be a long, drawn-out show," said Andy Garrison, a cast member and Town & Gown veteran. "It's a show that's going to be full of surprises and keep you on the edge of your seat."

Jordan Watkins, another cast member and regular Town & Gown performer, said, "[The show is] completely light-hearted, there is not a dramatic scene in it, and it's absolutely hilarious."

"Given the tragedy, it just seemed like such a good idea to continue on," he said.

Despite the farcical nature of the show, however, Watkins said acting in the play was a creative learning experience.

"In a different way, it was actually kind of challenging because you have this character that has no character background at all, he's just an absolute idiot," he said.

Cast member and Town & Gown newcomer John Nettles reiterated the comedy's sheer ridiculousness.

"This is just a very, very silly show. It's hard for me to keep a straight face around these people," he said.

And, although the cast members are often returning company members, Nettles emphasized that the warm and welcoming nature of the company is instrumental in fostering a sense of community among the members.

"They have all been universally so incredibly cool," Nettles said of the cast and crew. "I haven't known any of these people that long, but I have friends."

And it is this sense of community, Garrison said, that continues to keep people coming back for more.

"This one theater is the one thing that's the hub of so many people's lives," he said. "You have lawyers, you have police officers, you have merchants, you have students, you have teachers and the one thing we have in common is this theater. We are really a theater family."

"[These people] continue to put on great shows," Doss said. "It's been a lot of fun to get my hands dirty with this show."

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