Displaying items by tag: Tim Crouch

Couch Penny Ensemble, in association with Theatre Arcana, presents the ambitious and experimental An Oak Tree, a raw, unconventional approach to theater that is sure to spark conversations on the nature of grief and the experience itself.

In writing An Oak Tree, playwright Tim Crouch wanted to replicate the disorienting nature of grief. The play features two actors - one who has rehearsed the script (the Hypnotist) and another who has neither seen nor read it (the Father). The Hypnotist acts as a dual guide both for the actor playing the Father and the audience, as this one-of-a-kind experience comes to life.

For each performance, a new, different actor takes on the role of the Father, and it’s their job to live in the moment, breathing life into this character through the use of real-time instructions (given via headphones) and script lines given to them on the spot. The result is an unpolished, raw theater experience. The format is intriguing and innovative - a reflection on grief itself. When tragedy happens, you aren’t prepared for it, and you suddenly find yourself wrestling with a script that is unrehearsed.

Under Bryce Lederer’s direction, the production leans into the play’s shifting dynamics, shaping its unpredictability into something sharply focused and theatrically alive.

Riles August Holiday anchors the evening as the Hypnotist, delivering a technically demanding and well-acted performance. Holiday does a fantastic job of drawing a sharp line between his moments in character - playing a defensive, fragile man - and his moments acting as an administrative guide, calmly steering both his co-star and the audience through the mechanics of the script.

On this evening, Suzy Krueckeberg played the Father, and one can only imagine the excitement and the nerves of taking on such a role. As the Father, she was required to relive the trauma of losing a daughter and process the deterioration of her family without rehearsing - no small task. Krueckeberg did a good job finding the part and taking the audience on the journey with her.

For all its ingenuity, An Oak Tree serves a very specific appetite. This is avant-garde, experimental theater through and through. If you are an audience member searching for that specific brand of rule-breaking performance art, there is plenty to analyze here. Personally, I felt the script left something to be desired. In an examination of grief, I felt at times it was too simplistic or trod ground others had covered more effectively.

That said, it was a unique and interesting experience to see an actor walk a tightrope, constructing a character in front of the audience’s eyes. Holiday’s emotional depth on stage was a treat as well.

An Oak Tree runs at Greenhouse Theater Center until July 5^th.

Two actors.
One has rehearsed the play.
The other has neither seen nor read it.

A different performer joins the show each night. The play is as new to them as it is to you. The result is unpredictable and ephemeral. An Oak Tree is a meditation on identity, loss, and a reminder that theatre exists only in the moment it’s shared.

We're especially excited about this production and the spontaneity it offers - no two performances will unfold the same. We've ensured that each guest performer knows absolutely nothing about the play's narrative or characters before their performance. They discover the play in real time, at the same moment that the audience does.

For this production, we've partnered up with a new theatre company, Theatre Arcana, to produce the show. The show features Theatre Arcana's artistic director, Riles August Holiday, as our main actor, and many members of their ensemble will appear as guest performers throughout the run.

Here is a breakdown of our performance schedule, including which guest actors will be performing in each show:

Fri, June 19, 7:30PM: RENZO VICENTE
Sat, June 20, 2:30PM: AUDREY ROMERO
Sat, June 20, 7:30PM: SUZY KRUECKEBERG
Sun, June 21, 2:30PM: CAITLIN FRAZIER

Thurs, June 25, 7:30PM: HANNAH LOESSBERG
Fri, June 26, 7:30PM: CAMERON BROWN
Sat, June 27, 2:30PM: ALEX ALBRECHT
Sat, June 27, 7:30PM: ZIARE PAUL-EMILE
Sun, June 28, 2:30PM: BRADY MAGRUDER

Thurs, July 2, 7:30PM: FABIAN GUERRERO
Friday, July 3, 7:30PM: GRACE TAYLOR
Sun, July 5, 2:30PM: JIM IORIO

The show runs 70 minutes with no intermission.

You can find out more about the production at our website.