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CAMILLE GAVIN: 'Boy Gets Girl' is no love story

The Bakersfield Californian | Wednesday, Jan 11 2012 02:32 PM

Last Updated Monday, Jan 16 2012 12:54 PM

The title of the play by Rebecca Gilman opening Friday at The Empty Space, is deceiving. It's called "Boy Gets Girl" and on the surface it sounds like a cutesy romantic story about a couple who fall in love and live happily ever after.

Instead it's an intense drama about a single woman who is stalked by a man she meets -- and rejects -- on a blind date. Her "admirer" cannot accept the rejection, and things quickly get ugly.

Michael Pawloski, the director, said when he first read the script last year in advance of a "Pitch Day" at The Empty Space, he became so engrossed in the story he couldn't put it down.

"For some odd reason, I love directing the dark dreary stuff that makes people think and become aware of certain topics, such as this play," he said in an email. "It makes people aware that stalkers, killers and molesters are out there and to be careful when you go on blind dates or what information you give to people because you never know what can happen."

Jenni Saldana stars as Theresa, a magazine reporter who is so relentlessly stalked by an unwanted suitor, played by Eric Tolley, that she is forced to change her name and move to another city in an effort to escape his attention.

In preparing for her role, Saldana researched the subject of stalking by reading real-life stories and watching first-hand accounts on true crime television shows.

"I looked for anything that could help me understand the kind of fear someone must feel in that situation, to never feel safe, or feel hunted by another person," she said. "I also relied on my experiences as a therapist to portray Theresa's feelings of helplessness and hopelessness as a result of her trauma."

Pawloski, a professional social worker, added that such behavior is a significant problem right here in Bakersfield. He volunteers at the local Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault and has "come across numerous clients" who have related their experiences about being stalked.

The director also noted that January is National Stalking Awareness month and suggests that anyone who wants more information and insight about the subject visit the organization's website, stalkingawarenessmonth.org.

Although I've not seen the show -- I did read a synopsis, however -- I've been told that it does have its comic moments. Some of these scenes involve Norman Colwell, who's playing the part of Les Kennekat, a 72-year-old producer of 1960s-era sexploitation films.

Colwell is an active participant in our community's theaters. By his count, he was in seven shows at four different playhouses in 2011 and has done a total of 22 roles in the past three years. Others in the "Boy Gets Girl" cast are also familiar to local audiences. They are Jared Cantrell, Matthew Borton, Emily Tisler and Michelle Guerrero Tolley.

Mexican folk ballet classes

With an eye toward upcoming competitions and performances, SoLuna Ballet is seeking new members for its winter classes.

In the seven years since it began, the local dance company has performed frequently at the Kern County Fair and other local events as well as out-of-town venues. In 2011 it was awarded second place in the Sabor Latino Dance Competition in Redondo Beach.

Manuel Fonseca, co-founder of SoLuna, said the company will again participate in Danzantes Unidos Festival, or Festival of United Dancers, a statewide Mexican folk dance conference. It is held annually on the weekend of Palm Sunday, a week before Easter.

"This year (the festival) will be on March 30-April 1 at Clovis West High School," Fonseca said. "During this weekend, over a 1,000 dancers will come together for a three-day celebration of Mexican folk dance with workshops and evening concerts."

It's not necessary to have previous dance experience to enroll in the classes. Fonseca explained that the name SoLuna is a combination of the Spanish words for sun and moon. And in a similar way, the instruction is a fusion of classical ballet concepts and dance training with traditional Mexican folk dance.

Classes are divided into two age groups. One is for ages 16 or older; the other, called SoLunita, is for children 7 to 15. Fee is $35 per person on a monthly basis.

BCT postpones 'Piazza

You could call it the domino effect. One local theater's shift in its schedule has toppled another theater's planned production. Well, postponed it, anyway.

As I reported in last week's column, Spotlight Theatre's decision to revamp its season entails moving "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" from January to March. In addition, the downtown theater has taken its previously produced musical "Zanna, Don't" on the road -- to Theatre Theater in Los Angeles for a three-weekend run.

The shuffling put a crimp in Bakersfield Community Theatre's plan for "The Light in the Piazza," which, according to the season it announced last August, was supposed to open Friday. Now, according to Sheila McClure, BCT's artistic director, it's been pushed back to August.

BCT board president Ed French explained that a conflict occurred when Spotlight decided to do "Zanna" in L.A. Apparently BCT had expected some, or several, of the "Zanna" cast members to be available for "Piazza." Thus, the postponement. A second round of auditions will be held sometime in April.

Meanwhile, Thomas G. Robinson said rehearsals are well under way for the next show, "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf." The Tony award-winning play by Ntozake Shange is BCT's annual salute to Black History Month and opens on Feb. 10. Robinson, who is directing the show, has enlisted LaQuette Milner to do the choreography.