A scene from the Sept. 25 performance of ‘Hunker Down’ at Teatro Paraguas performed by Duchess Dale as ‘Bari’ and Don Converse as ‘Kevin’. Courtesy photo
Playwright Robert Benjamin
By BONNIE J. GORDON
Los Alamos Daily Post
bjgordon@ladailypost.com
COVID-19 poses many challenges to live theater, but Los Alamos playwright Robert Benjamin has not only found ways to overcome them, he’s positively embraced them.
“The experience, for a small town playwright trying to have fun, has been quite fulfilling,” he said. “Theaters trying to stay in touch with their audience have turned to Zoom.”
And audiences are responding. More than 200 people were online for Teatro Paraguas’ production of Benjamin’s play, “Hunker Down” recently.
“Zoom expands the audience beyond the local community,” he said. “I’m hoping Zoom theatre continues after the pandemic. Theater audiences love to use their imaginations. They’ve adapted very well to Zoom.”
Actors also have embraced Zoom, Benjamin said.
“Actors are looking for an audience,” he said. “If they can find it on Zoom, they’re good to go. I’m thrilled so many great actors want to
work with me.”
Ed Asner, famous for his television role as Lou Grant, recently played the male role in “Hunker Down” in Scottsdale, Ariz. “Hunker Down” could be called “The Little Play That Grew”.
“I wrote it initially as a 10 minute play, but the characters decided it was a 25 minute play,” Benjamin said.
Then after talkbacks with the audiences after the first Zoom productions, it was clear the audience wanted more of the characters, so scene two was added. Yikes! It still wasn’t enough for the audience. Benjamin is now at work on scene three. That version is planned for Santa Fe’s Teatro Paragua in January.
“Hunker Down” is about two older characters who are next door neighbors and not overly fond of each other. When the pandemic hits, the woman character, Bari’s cabin fever gets so bad that she knocks on neighbor Kevin’s door anyway. He won’t answer the door, but agrees to a Zoom chat. Things go from there. Benjamin’s plays are notable for their use of older characters and especially for the strong, savvy older women he presents.
“I don’t think the audience sees them that much,” he said. “They seem to like them. From a dramatic perspective, they make powerful, dynamic characters.”
“Hunker Down” continues its journey to distant locales. There’s an upcoming performance in Durham, N.C. and another in Corrales.
“It’s been a real joy to see the different casts and direction,” Benjamin said. “Often actors surprise me with how they see the character. I don’t tell them the backstory. They make up their own and that opens up new avenues for me.”
Another of Benjamin’s plays, “Almost Treason,” also is on the virtual stage around the state. This historical drama celebrating the 100th Centennial of Women’s Suffrage was performed twice at the Los Alamos Senior Center and featured local actors Holly Robinson and Ian Foti-Landis.
Local theatres also gave Zoom performances in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Now the play is being performed by a community theatre in Ruidoso.
Want more Robert Benjamin? Several of his short plays with plots involving death are part of the fourth annual “Before I Die Festival” in Santa Fe. This year, it will be a virtual event Oct. 30-Nov. 2 and includes both live Zoom and filmed plays by Benjamin in addition to many other events. Visit beforeidienm.com for the schedule.
On Nov. 1, a favorite Benjamin scene, which has appeared in a couple of renditions before this, will be presented as “Allocating the Jewels”. A film version of Benjamin’s play “Plots” and a Zoom production of “Ultimate Precision” also are being performed. The plays are funny, touching and about dying.
Audiences around the country are discovering what locals already know. Benjamin is a playwright talented enough to shine a light on death and aging from a fresh perspective.