A Walk in the Woods

Presented by Actors Bridge Ensemble

Through Oct. 15 at Vanderbilt’s St. Augustine Chapel

Call 341-0300 for ticket information

Actors Bridge opened the first production of its six-show 2000-2001 season last weekend. A Walk in the Woods is written by Lee Blessing, author of Independence, the quite interesting, emotionally volatile family drama staged by Actors Bridge last season. But except for the name on the play, you’d never know it was the same writer. A Walk in the Woods is a more restrained affair, appealing to the viewer’s quieter intellectual side. It is a play more of concepts and ideas, and as such never really grabs our hearts, though the small but enthusiastic opening-night crowd was more than appreciative of the sturdy work by the two-person cast featuring Actors Bridge artistic director Bill Feehely and company regular Vali Forrister.

The time is 1987, the penultimate year in the Reagan presidency. Andrey Botvinnik (Feehely) and Joan Honeyman (Forrister) are, respectively, Russian and American arms negotiators. In a clearing in the woods near Geneva, they begin the first of many walks in which they get to know each other as persons. Botvinnik is a veteran of such negotiating sessions, while Honeyman is a rookie. He is well-informed, jaded, cynical, and quite glib; she is prim, cautious, a little stiff, businesslike.

We observe their personal dynamics as each takes stock of his/her adversary. As their conversations develop, there are references to the “new openness” of Russia and to the distinctive roles of the U.S. and the Soviet Union as superpowers. Honeyman, holding firmly to the idealistic notion that the two of them might actually accomplish something in the name of world peace, asks Botvinnik for his endorsement of her proposals. He counters that the harsh political realities of powerful governments make it impossible to believe that the two sides can ever really agree on anything. For Botvinnik, diplomacy is all about posturing; for Honeyman, there is always the glimmer of hope that real progress—i.e., arms reductions—can be achieved.

After we witness the two professionals coming to respect, and quite definitely enjoy, one another, Botvinnik agrees to support Honeyman’s ideas about peace. In a later meeting, he explains that he presented her proposals to his superiors, but that, just as he knew all along, they were rejected pro forma. Hence we are able to take little from this piece in the way of enlightenment about politics. What instead becomes of utmost importance is the interplay between two persons, and the idea that their ability to interact civilly, and perhaps even to grow to like and respect each other, is the foundation of all decent relationships.

This theme is put forth thoughtfully—if unexcitingly—and with humor. As to the performances, well, they’re perfectly competent. Feehely’s faux Russian accent is acceptable enough. He plays the Soviet diffidence well too, balancing his hard-won cynical attitude with a full helping of easy comedy. Forrister walks stolidly through her role, looking every bit the quintessential professional female, until later, when she is able to see her negotiating counterpart as simply a person whose human qualities mean more in the end than his diplomatic stature.

There is one serious quirk relative to this production: Forrister’s role was written to be played by a man. Armed with this knowledge, the viewer might spend the whole of the evening wondering how the play would be performed in its original incarnation. Small touches have been added to distinguish the male/female dynamics, yet one can’t help but wonder if, by adding this element to the mix, something else has been subtracted from Blessing’s main intent. For example, there are times when Forrister seems to be playing straight man to Feehely’s comedy act, which gets a little tired. Other times, their portrayals seem too much like that of a bickering husband and wife—a situation that one assumes wouldn’t be as viable if two men were in the roles. There should be no overt problem with the gender-neutral casting, yet there’s a lingering whiff of inauthenticity in the air.

Otherwise, the direction by Christopher Browne is capable, though there’s little to be done in the way of blocking, with the two players mostly sitting on a bench or standing and declaiming. On the technical side, Don Griffiths’ simple set design effectively emits a subtle shimmering of the Swiss seasons. All in all, this production has merit, yet its rather quiet impact marks it as an unusual choice for a season opener. Actors Bridge’s next production, Vampire Monologues, written by local actor Jeremy Childs, promises, if nothing else, to have a bit more teeth.

Live and learn

Two educational opportunities to note:

♦ The Nashville Music Institute, which presently encompasses the Nashville Percussion Institute and the Nashville Jazz Institute, is expanding its horizons with the addition of the Nashville Comedy Institute. Beginning Oct. 18, the school will offer a six-week workshop in improvisational acting and comedy, suitable for students at all levels. The workshop will be led by George Yanok, who has an extensive background as a standup comedian, musician, actor, writer, director, and television producer.

The program will feature the revolutionary “theater games” techniques invented by Viola Spolin and her son, Paul Sills, most notably used as the foundation of the famed Second City comedy theater’s training method for more than 40 years. At the conclusion of the six weeks, students will participate in a “recital” performance consisting of classic sketches from groups like Second City and San Francisco’s Committee, along with improvisational scenes based upon audience suggestions. The workshop will meet each Wednesday from 8 to 10 p.m. at the Mitchell Barnett Theater, located at 202 McMillin St. Cost is $150, and space is limited. Interested budding comic artists may call the Nashville Music Institute at 340-0085 or Yanok at 872-8605, or they can e-mail Writir@aol.com.

♦ Bicoastal acting coach Gary Austin—whose students have included such show-business luminaries as Helen Hunt, Helen Slater, Lisa Kudrow, Pat Morita, Lolita Davidovitch, and many others—will be in Nashville to teach an intensive class the weekend of Oct. 20-22. Formerly a performer with the Committee in San Francisco and a cofounder of L.A.’s Groundlings (the improvisational theater company whose graduates include Pee Wee Herman and the late Phil Hartman), Austin offers training sessions in which workshop members develop characters (including “playing oneself”) and material. Onstage relationships are explored, and the player learns how he or she is simultaneously actor, writer, and director. Austin’s wife, vocal coach Wendy Mackenzie, will also be on hand for consultation.

The schedule and cost per session is: 6-10 p.m. Oct. 20 ($55); noon-6 p.m. Oct. 21 ($80); noon-6 p.m. Oct. 22 ($80). Participants may attend each and any workshop, with a discount of $25 offered to those attending all three. Austin will also be available for private sessions that focus on preparing for auditions, creating one’s own material for performance, etc. To enroll in the classes or for more information, contact Sher Bach at 264-6605, or e-mail sbach@rocketdsl.com. Class size is limited.