“What energy will you carry into the future?”
Parley Productions brings to the West of Linen Theatre a one weekend production that deepens the understanding of the determining factors of continuing on your legacy with children. Writer and director Rebecca Tourino Collinsworth tackles the trials and tribulations of marriage and parenthood in the dystopian-style production, Stamina. We follow along as Paloma (played by Katherine Jett) and Merrit (played by Brandon Tourino Collinsworth) face their ultimate decision and inevitable fate.
In a society where to procreate, you could use the assistance of Stamina, a new family planning tool. In the process, you must face a series of screening stages to determine your vitality, Paloma and Merrit enters the second stage of their fertility process. Meeting with their specialist, Mallory (played by Kelly Johnson) and her assistant (by played Julian Garcia), Paloma and Merrit face a rollercoaster of emotions, memories and unsettling truths.
The production of Stamina overall pulled at the heartstrings of the realities of life which everyone faces. The script of the show projected excellently the variety of emotions, including happiness, disappointment, fear, and awkwardness. The script was raw and mimics much of the real conversations people have in this particular situation. However, inthe transition of some scenes I found it confusing to identify if it was a dream, flashback, or an alternative timeline.
Overall performance from all of the actors/actresses was pleasant, with a great natural dialogue that flows from one character to the next. Each character added their own individual humor to heighten the production. Even though there was some stumbling over lines, each character moved through the show gracefully and articulately. The set was simple but often did not fit well with the setting of the current scene. The lighting of the performance served well, but I felt it made the set changes feel a little too clear and unsubtle. There was occurrences of the soundboard squeaking which was a bit unpleasant to hear while watching the show.
I found myself enjoying this performance quite a bit, the storyline touches upon an organic part of life while deepening the mental aspect that is behind starting a family. I would only recommend this to mature audiences, as this performance has a fair amount of explicit language and mentions of sex and suicide.
Stamina by Rebecca Tourino Collinsworth. West of Linen Theatre, 203 N 36th St #204, Seattle, WA 98103. Sun Feb 26 – Tues Feb 28. Tickets: https://www.parleyproductions.com/. Info: www:https://westoflenin.com/ Limited street parking. Paid Parking lots within the block. Take bus #31/32 or bus #45 and transfer to bus #40,