A Blog By A Fan - Faye Consuela
What can I say about IVP, the International Voices Project? I have been attending IVP productions since its inception of Season 1, and I have attended a lot of the plays in each season.
A well-put production is always appreciated, but being a lover of the arts, as well as a writer of plays, monologues, songs and poetry, you get to see with a different eye. Seeing with this different eye while attending a production, ideas form, and out of productions attended, new creativity is born.
I can remember having good laughs and pondering deep thoughts with some of the plays to what happens in the world, and the plays allow us to see what is different and the same our cultures. You then begin to realize that we are much more alike than we are different.
There are several things I can write about having attended so many of the plays put on by IVP, but I will write about one in particular. That is “Dust” written by Saverio La Ruina, an Italian production. WOW!!! Although Italy is across the ocean from the United States, it hit home in so many ways, not just for me, but for all who attended.
This particular reading, with its two actors, was very well put together. This is the first time that I wanted to get up and join in the action, not to be a part of the reading, but to take part in the reality of it. This reading came alive in the hearts of all who attended. More than my mind thinking, my feelings arose, and then I began to speak. You should have heard the things I was telling the actors, as though it was real. I was giving advice to both characters. “Faye,” I told myself; “it’s just a play.” The reading was so real, I actually shouted aloud several times. This reading grabbed me by my neck and said “DO SOMETHING!!!” The topic if the reading is already a touchy subject around the world, but coupled with good actors, who imitated their roles in an excellent fashion … let’s just say, “job well done.”
The character of the woman, playing oblivious to what was really going on, was key along with her struggles, to being sucked into acceptance of being beat down in her personhood. The character of the man, disguising manipulation and control under the guise of counsel and concern was on point. Both of the actors NAILED IT!
What was written as a real life matter became alive on the stage. I have never been more emotionally passionate about one of IVP’s productions than this one. I could cover more things on this performance and the actors, but for now, I will continue to echo, “JOB WELL DONE!!!”