“Talking With”

“The best among us have had so many imprints left upon them…and these people pass their time interpreting their signs and those moments of sharing are the best of life” Alternatively, funny, sad, bizarre, uplifting and frightening, the play “Talking With” is just like life. For 3 performances only, “Talking With” by Jane Martin will be performed in the banquet room of 156 East (156 E Main St, Galesburg) on Friday and Saturday, February 22, 23 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, February 24 at 2:00 pm. Tickets may be purchased by calling 309-532-7840 or by contacting Sugar High Theatricals at sugarhightheatricals@gmail.com. Proceeds from the production will be donated to the David F Ferguson Excellence in Arts Scholarship and the Safe Harbor Family Crisis Center.

“Talking With” holds a mirror up to the lives of 12 very different women and features a cast of 11 actresses, ranging in age from 18 to 60+. Local theatre veterans Chris Curtis and Melissa Agar play Lila, a woman who has reacted to aging by becoming obsessed with light and Laurie, who is dealing with her mother’s recent death, respectively. Company members Erin Darling, Samantha Carr, Julie Agar, Rowan Williamson and Grace Robbins portray roles as varied as a former rodeo worker, a homeless woman, a baton twirler, a successful scientist, and a Southern snake handler. Newcomers Lori Johnson and Kaylyn Schafer play an actress tired of “lacerating self-exposure” and a housewife spending too much time in her fantasy life. Kelsi Ford joins the Sugar High company for the first time portraying 2 roles: a woman in her 23rd hour of labor and an actress willing to do anything to get a part.

“I knew for our February slot, I wanted to do a fundraiser for the women’s shelter and our scholarship program. I looked at several plays but chose “Talking With” because it gave many actresses a chance to do some real work.” says director Melanie Delbridge-Heskett. “So often, we as actresses, get stuck playing a stereotype rather than a person. You are the mother or the vamp or the girl-next-door but not a person. I love this play because these are women you may know, that you can love or hate. Not all of them are good people. I think maybe that is the most feminist statement I can make: that this play has 12 women’s roles and that it isn’t about women. It just happens to have 12 women’s roles but it actually is a play about belief. Each one of these women is telling her story about what she believes in; for example, in one of the funniest monologues, Samantha Carr plays a homeless woman who believes in McDonalds. Her story of a man being healed by a Big Mac is hilarious and touching all at once. I think Grace’s baton twirler and my tattooed lady are not someone you would want to be friends with but they believe so strongly, that they are fascinating to watch.”

“I think the best thing about this play is the range of emotions the audience will experience” continues Delbridge-Heskett. “One minute you will be tearing up at a touching story and the next you will be laughing hysterically. This play is definitely not something that is done in this area often and I hope everyone takes the opportunity to come see these actresses create such amazing and believable characters. I am proud to be a part of the work these women are doing and even prouder that it is for a good cause like Safe Harbor.”

Tickets are available with a reservation or at the door for the performances at the banquet room of 156 East (156 E Main St, Galesburg). Show-only seats are $15.00 per person or are just $5.00 for students. Show only tickets can be reserved up to three hours prior to showtime; however, reservations are recommended as seating is very limited. Alcoholic beverages and concessions are available for an additional charge. Senior discount and active military discount available upon request. Tickets may be purchased by calling 309-532-7840 or by contacting Sugar High Theatricals at sugarhightheatricals@gmail.com. The show is rated PG due to language.