Friday, January 16, 2009

School of Jesus Fish, reopening!


Our original flyer, designed by the fabulous Rob Dario.
Dr. Simon being a jerk to Anne (hey that's me!) He always wanted to just shut me up.

Anne's "Last Supper" if you will, if pills and water can be a supper.

Irma (Gabby), Debra/Shea (Jen), Dr. Ben (Matt), and Anne (me) goofing off backstage.

So this past fall I was in the amazing play School of Jesus Fish. This was the best show I've ever been a part of. I played Anne, sorta the lead role (score one for me!) and the show was awesome. Not only did every cast member click so well together, but the show was great. The writer even came out to see us perform, and we got quite the media buzz in the Bay Area.

Quick synopsis of the show:
Dr. Benjamin Hamilton's first patient as a therapist at St. Lucy's psychiatric ward is Anne Fencik, a woman who claims she is a prophet -- God's daughter on earth -- perhaps the "second coming." As Dr. Hamilton seeks to cure her, Ann's presence begins to have startling effects on the other psychiatric patients. Is their sudden recovery a result of a psychiatric breakthrough, or of Anne's healing?

Characters:
  • Dr. Benjamin Hamilton: Mid-20s. New, uncertain.
  • Franny: bi-polar, rapid and impatient
  • Dr. Simon Piletti: Upside of forty. A gentle man when things are going his way, but no question he is in charge.
  • Anne Fencik: delusional (?) but quite lucid.
  • Irma: obsessive-compulsive with schizophrenic tendencies
  • Karen Fishback: ex-musician, suffers from periodic visual hallucinations
  • Debra: diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder
  • Sam: 20 years old and tormented by auditory hallucinations
  • Shea Fishback: sister of Karen. Professional musician
The show was extremely difficult for us doing it, hitting some strong subjects. Religion and mental disorders. And allowed the audience to make it's own decisions on if I was crazy, or really some sort of profit from god. Many of us in the show have had our lives touched by someone (if not ourselves) with some sort of mental illness, and that can make a very rough and emotional time during rehearsals and performances. We were all so very supportive of each other, and I hope most if not all of the original cast can come back for this reopening of our wonderful show.

3 comments:

Angel said...

You guys should bring this down to Orange County >_>

Luna Hikes said...

Omg! So I have a 2nd chance to see you in it! Sweet!

- Jack - said...

You should come C! it's going to be mid June in Fairfield. :)