ECC play looks at marital relationships
Daily Herald report
Three different bedrooms and four couples in various stages of their relationships combine to create a night’s worth of comedic conflict during “Bedroom Farce,” the spring play performed by the Elgin Community College Theatre Friday, April 22, through Sunday, May 8.
Performances will be at 8 p.m. Fridays, April 22 and 29, and May 6; Saturdays, April 23 to May 7; and 3 p.m. Sundays, May 1 and 8, in the ECC Visual and Performing Arts Center, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.
Written by Alan Ayckbourn, “Bedroom Farce” explores how couples maintain their feelings and connections to each other in the face of temptation, says Robert Hines III, the play’s director and a theater adjunct faculty instructor.
The cast portrays characters who are newlyweds, have a few years of marriage under their belts, and those who have grown old together.
“Bedroom Farce” opens with the oldest couple, Delia and Ernest, preparing to go to an ill-fated anniversary dinner; and two couples, Jan and Nikki, and Susannah and Trevor, preparing to attend a housewarming party hosted by young newlyweds Malcolm and Kate.
Things get complicated when Nikki is unable to attend and Trevor, who is having marital trouble, makes an advance on Jan, his ex-girlfriend.
A series of location swaps by the characters — heartbroken Susannah visits her in-laws after seeing her husband kiss his ex-girlfriend, and Trevor visits Nikki and Jan to make amends — will determine the future of each couple’s marriage.
“Audiences will see real people being in a relationship,” says Hines. “By the end of the play, I hope they will understand the importance of opening up to their partners in order to make them happy and continue to stay committed to each other.”
“Bedroom Farce” marks Hines’ directing debut for ECC Theatre. An experienced educator, teaching artist, arts administrator, actor and director, Hines teaches improv for actors and the improv performance ensemble courses at ECC.
He also is an adjunct faculty member at the Second City Training Center and works as a Senior Teaching Artist with Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. He earned his master’s in fine arts in acting from the Theatre School at DePaul University and is a graduate of the Second City Training Center Conservatory.
Tickets to “Bedroom Farce” are $11 for adults and $9 for students and seniors. Tickets are available online at tickets.elgin.edu or at the ECC box office in the arts center. Box office hours are noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. To purchase tickets by phone, call (847) 622-0300. All major credit cards are accepted.
For more information about the ECC Arts Center, visit elgin.edu/arts. Video clips of upcoming artists and events can be found at youtube.com/ECCArtsCenter. Connect with the arts center via Standing Room Only, a blog at eccartscenter.com. Follow the arts center on Twitter at twitter.com/ECCArtsCenter. Become a fan of the arts center on Facebook at facebook.com/ECCArtsCenter.