The DSHS Drama Program production of “Love/Sick” opens this weekend. After putting on full-length story plays the last few years like Macbeth, Sherlock Holmes, and Radium Girls, this vignette-style play is a change of pace. Playwright John Cariani describes the play as a nine-play cycle about love and loss. It features quick dialogue and unexpected—sometimes hilarious—twists and turns, as each mini-play explores the everyday complexities of living your life with another person.
“Love/Sick” is full of verbal gymnastics as the characters sometimes talk over each other, communicate through singing telegram, talk through bathroom doors, or can’t even seem to hear what the other person is saying while standing in the same room. Senior Jonah Brown, who plays Jake in the final scene called “Destiny”, says it has been difficult learning lines where they cut each other off while the other person keeps speaking: “It’s a strange way of doing dialogue, and really hard to memorize,” but it requires them to hone their craft as actors. With each actor only being featured in one scene, it’s a true shared experience, all parts equally important to the whole. “Everyone must work on emotions, lengthy dialogue, and body movement on stage,” says senior Olivia Wang, “because everyone will be spotlighted at one point or another.” Wang plays the character Olivia in the scene entitled “Uh-Oh”. The camaraderie is evident both onstage and off, as the students warm up at each rehearsal with theater games that keep them laughing and working together through their shared love of theater, according to sophomore Ava Wise and freshman Aanya Verma who share the scene “Forgot” in the play.
Each vignette, except the opening and closing, takes place inside a single room of a home: the living room, porch, bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, dining room, or garage. This means the focus stays on the actors, who explore all the emotions felt when a relationship takes an unexpected turn. This unique format also gives the actors a chance to dig into their characters and cultivate their craft in a particular way. Sophomore Kate Baskin, who plays Liz in “Sick of This”, says that working within individual vignettes means actors have “more creative freedom to decide how we want to portray our characters” because they’re only acting with one other person. Senior Rachel Martin, who plays Andie in a scene called “What?” says, “I especially love my scene just because of how well it balances humor and drama, I love that it gives me the chance to express a broad range of emotions.”
“Love/Sick” is a realistically absurd play that at times might just hit uncomfortably close to home for viewers, making the audience laugh and cry as love tips upside down. You won’t want to miss it! Love/Sick opens at DSHS Mudge Auditorium on November 6, 7 and 8 at 7:00pm. Tickets are on sale at dsdrama.ludus.com.
