Quad City Theater Workshop Performed Sam Shepard

Quad City Theater Workshop performed Sam Shepard’s play, “Buried Child,” directed by James Fairchild and artistically directed by Tyson Danner. The play, is about a dysfunctional family in rural Illinois with a big secret. The story was perfect fit for the Halloween season and was perfect for someone looking for a dark story, This performance featured the well respected, husband and wife theatre duo, Pat and Patti Flaherty who stole the show and kept it on track.

Sam Shepard’s script is surely one worth production, it won a Pulitzer Prize, however, “Buried Child” as performed by Quad City Theater Workshop was a complete let down. The play was written with the intent to entertain an audience, however, the production failed. Instead, the production

Only two actors amongst the whole cast were successful in doing more than just reciting their lines. Unfortunately, the distance between the actors’ skill levels led to less believability. The stand-out actors in the show were Pat and Patti Flaherty, who played Dodge and Halie. At the beginning of the play, the Flaherty’s were the only two actors on the stage, this scene was the only believable one of the whole production. Once the other actors came on stage, the show went downhill immediately. The believability was destroyed by the other actors because they were purely just reciting their lines and doing so poorly. Pat Flaherty stole the show, he was by far the most seasoned and successful actor in the show. He showed no nervousness, his lines came out smooth and understandable, and he had an incredible presence on the stage. On the other hand, Josh Pride, who played Vince, and Mike Schultz, who played Tilden, most notably failed to impress. Josh Pride seemed very nervous and inexperienced, which led to his character being very unbelievable. However, Mike Schultz struggled his movements on stage, he moved very rigidly and it did not appear to be natural at all. Unfortunately, Pat Flaherty could have put on a better show on his

The costumes did a great job conveying the status of the characters and the situation. For example, Dodge’s shirt was ripped in the sleeve and all of the male actors were dressed in farmer’s attire: flannels, work pants, or bib overalls. This showed that they were a blue collar family and also not well-off. The only costumes that threw did not fit were those of the characters Vince and Sherry. While it may have been the intention to emphasize that they were coming into a setting that they did not fit in, their costumes were far too modern to fit the time period that was being portrayed in the story.

Lastly, the lighting was also a great addition to the play. The lighting was dark, it conveyed perfectly that this was going to be a creepy play. The mood created by the lighting was eerie. The lighting was also very realistic for the setting being in a home. The only negative aspect of the lighting was that it was difficult to see details, such as the faces and makeup. It may have been beneficial to have the lighting a little brighter in order to see these things, but it did not have a serious impact on the quality of the