Individuality comes out in 'This is Not What I Ordered'

The Geneva Park District's Playhouse 38 will present "This is Not What I Ordered," a comedy by Stephen Fife, Thursday to Sunday, March 16-19, at 321 Stevens St., Suite P, Geneva.

"The play is about relationships and love," said Playhouse 38's Cultural Arts Coordinator and director Lisa Pivaronas of Bartlett. "I chose it because it's a unique format. It's individual themes that are 10 to 20 minutes in time. They stand alone as scenes, but they all have the theme of love, relationships and connection and they all take place in restaurants."

"I think people will be able to recognize relationships they've had in the past or they might see some things and think, that's so and so," said Peggy Condon of Geneva who plays a nameless waitress.

"The actors are having a great time doing it because it's all conversations you had," Pivaronas said. "It's kind of fun to reflect because you've probably been in that situation before. And then there's that idea that you're at another table listening. It's a very connective feeling in the audience and the cast."

"I'm impressed by the writing," said Condon who describes her character as a cranky old woman, which she said she tends to play in many productions. "If there's one in the play, that's the one I get," she said with a laugh.

Although the surface of her characters trend toward the same sort of person, Condon says it's her job to find the nuances inside of them.

"Every part is different on what you need to learn or work on so, it keeps it interesting," she said. "The challenge is to develop the character."

She credits cast mates and Pivaronas with helping her to find the individual inside of the character.

"Every time we have rehearsal, a little bit more of who that person is comes to me," said Condon. "Lisa and the other cast members were helpful in terms of defining the direction of where this person s coming from, what's going on in their life and helping me to portray it."

Fellow actor, Brooke McGehee of Geneva is working on much the same aspect of portrayal, but with two separate characters: Kathy and Melanie.

"With Melanie, it's trying to create her story telling. I enjoy her thought process," McGehee said. "In one scene she's in love with someone without really knowing them, waiting for the next step to happen and she's going through a range of emotions, just trying to make this happen and then it falls apart.

"Kathy is enjoyable because it's enjoyable to play someone who's a little bit nasty," McGehee said, "She hides her intentions."

On top of character development, McGehee is tackling two to three pages of monologue. Like Condon, she credits Pivaronas with guiding her through the presentation of dialogue. "In order to keep people engaged in what I am talking about, we're adding dimension to what she's saying; having quiet moments and high intensity moments," she said.

McGehee is making progress and expects the audience will enjoy the show when it all comes together this weekend. "It's going to be an enjoyable show with heartwarming moments and comedy," she said.

"It's funny," added Condon. "I don't like slapstick, goofy theater, but this has humor but it's poignant. In some cases there's sadness, but it's still funny."

"You will have a great time coming to see the show," Pivaronas said. "It's a great date night."

If you go

What: "This is Not What I Ordered"

When: 7 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, and 5 p.m. Sunday

Where: Playhouse 38, 321 Stevens St., Suite P, Geneva.

Cost: Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door

Details/tickets: <a href="http://www.genevaparks.org">genevaparks.org</a>