Firebox Theatre Company continues to enhance the cultural landscape of Wake Forest's Historic Downtown, making the unique environment it offers even more vibrant and rich. The strong artistic talents brought by Firebox have been warmly welcomed by the local community, drawing in audiences from all around the area. “It's so encouraging to see this cultural amenity bringing together people of all ages and backgrounds in support of the performing arts. The shows are always top-notch and leave a lasting impression on their patrons,” says Jason Cannon, President of the Wake Forest Business & Industry Partnership (WFBIP).
Nearly every seat at “The Graham” – officially the Graham Johnson Cultural Arts Center and formally “The Event Gallery” – was filled for the final performance of Firebox Theatre Company’s one-act plays "Poof!" and "The Dumb Waiter" on Sunday, June 25. Despite concerns about losing power and the promise from Firebox co-founder Cora Hemphill that “the show must go on,” the oddly well-timed power surges and seamless reactions from the talented actors actually enhanced the already powerful performances they delivered.
There is no poorly located seat in the house, each offering different perspectives of the intimate scenes portrayed. And while the subject matter of each play differed dramatically, they both seemed to deal with existential circumstances beyond the characters' control – set in motion by people or forces more powerful than them – and seemingly playing two halves of a single character, like in Tom Stoppard's "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" and Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot."
“Poof!”
The 20-minute-long "Poof!" written by Lynn Nottage, who won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2009 and 2017, revolves around Loureen, well-played by actor Lauren Ragsdale. Loureen begins the scene as a spurned wife who verbally damns her abusive husband Samuel to hell during an excruciating argument in the unlit opening sequence -- inadvertently invoking a forceful flash of light that, through spontaneous combustion, turns Samuel into a pile of ash. Only Samuel’s glasses survive the justifiable curse Loureen launches in his direction.
"I don't know if I should have a shot of scotch or a glass of champagne," Loureen says to her neighbor Florence, perfectly portrayed by actor J. Ra'Chel Flower, as they banter back and forth in Loureen's kitchen, frantically talking and thinking out loud through this most baffling situation. Their camaraderie is clear as they share stories of suffering from the manifestations of toxic masculinity.
"Samuel always said if I raised my voice, something horrible would happen," Loureen says. "I couldn't take being hit one more time...Everybody always told me to keep your place, Loureen. I've never been myself," she says pensively, silently seeming to realize and take that in for the first time, before abruptly screaming at Florence not to touch Samuel's jacket, before deciding to throw it in the wastebasket herself.
"There were some good things," Loureen said while going through Samuel's wallet, continuing to work through the five stages of death and dying – denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance – in under 20 minutes. "I can't just throw him away and pretend it didn't happen, can I?"
Going on to list the things she hated about him, and reminded of the night she spent in Florence's bed, afraid to go home after a violent incident, Loureen at last accepts the past and present circumstances, saying goodbye and quite literally – yet highly symbolically – sweeping Samuel's ashes under the rug.
“The Dumb Waiter”
Although a bit difficult to discern at first, "The Dumb Waiter" by the late English playwright Harold Pinter, depicts two hitmen waiting for instructions regarding their next target in a restaurant basement in Birmingham, England, circa 1960s.
Firebox co-founder Tim Artz expertly plays Gus in a unique character fusion, reminiscent of Lennie from "Of Mice and Men" and Vincent Vega of "Pulp Fiction" fame. Actor Michael Foley convincingly plays the older hitman, Ben.
While waiting for something to happen, the characters engage in all manner of banter about the proper way to express the act of boiling water for tea, hobbies, and lack thereof, and futbol, as the level of tension, anxiety, and confusion continues to grow around the nature of the situation.
Unusual food orders start coming in written on paper through the pully-controlled dumbwaiter as Gus and Ben struggle to fill them with the meager supplies they have on hand. Operated by Spencer Matthews with sound effects by Mary Ann Hall, the dumbwaiter itself is almost another actor in this 50-minute play.
Once again, the power surges seemed to come at perfect times, providing opportunities for the actors to deliver what sounded like funny, ad-libbed lines. But beneath the banter, confusion, and the eventual surprising elimination of Gus, “The Dumb Waiter” explores what it means to follow orders, whether filling food orders or carrying out an assassination of an unknowing partner for an unknown reason. Who is giving these orders, and what is the cost of following them?
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These and other essential questions revolving around life and death situations and the quality and purpose of life were put forth by these powerful plays, raising the bar on the level of talent and production value possible in a small theater supported by the community and managed by industry professionals.
"We're absolutely thrilled to have Firebox Theatre in Downtown Wake Forest," says Cannon. "I was there for the final performance myself and found both plays exceptional. Tremendous thanks to Cora Hemphill, Tim Artz, as well as Bob and Elizabeth Johnson for all they continue to do in creating this amazing space and generating new high-quality performing arts in Wake Forest."
