Theatre Memphis play teaches life lessons

Handout photo

As characters in the Theatre Memphis Next Stage production of "Circle Mirror Transformation," Gregory Boller (far left) participates in a group acting exercise as (clockwise) Greg Szatkowski, Christina Wellford Scott, Tracie Hansom and Leah Beth Bolton ponder the discussion.

Anyone who has taken an introductory acting class knows that the exercises or “games” used to coax people out of their protective layers of ego could appear to onlookers like a mash-up of “Romper Room” and a 12-step program.

In one game, actors exchange childish noises and gestures; in the next they write their deepest secrets anonymously on slips of paper and permit others to reveal them (which has my vote for the worst “game” ever.)

Annie Baker’s 2009 play “Circle Mirror Transformation,” now running on Theatre Memphis’ Next Stage, examines the progress of five people as they participate in a 6-week “creative drama” class at a community center in Vermont.

Set designer Daniel A. Kopera transforms the interior of the black box theater into a bland multipurpose room, complete with a few rambling yoga balls, a checkered linoleum floor and a wonky mirror on the wall.

Only in increments — during breaks in the theater games themselves — does Baker dole out insights into the lives of the participants.

Marty, a new-agey theater teacher played by Christina Wellford Scott, maintains a warm and sympathetic tone as she encourages the students to really connect with each other.

One of the students, however, is Marty’s husband, James (played by Gregory Boller), whose mid-life issues inevitably rear up during an improvisation exercise. Theresa (Tracie Hansom) has a background in theater, but a bad relationship has brought her in search of something that feels familiar. Shultz, a furniture maker played by Gregory Szatkowski, is making a fresh start in his own life. Taking the class is his idea of attempting something new. Finally, Lauren (a delightfully natural Leah Beth Bolton), is a shy teenager hoping to prepare herself for a high school musical.

Irene Crist’s direction has a calm, documentary rhythm to it. The exercises take place in real time. Uncomfortable silences and nervous laughter pervade the class sessions. Crist, a professional actress herself, respects Marty’s earnest intent. While the play is full of self-conscious humor, there’s never a mocking note. The cast observes a terrific level of restraint and integrity.

Those who have never seen an Acting 101 class might wonder if the exercises don’t amount to a lot of pointless navel-gazing. Heck, even actors don’t always understand their purpose. Lauren sounds not the slightest bit naive when she asks if they are ever going to learn any real acting skills, such as those which might help her in “West Side Story.”

Marty tells her no, which, of course, gets a laugh because what other reason is there to take an acting class?

Baker’s play answers that very question by revealing the dual purpose of these strangely intimate and uncomfortable “games.” The techniques that help actors prepare for the stage are equally useful in the theater of life.

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