Sarah was wrong. The drama, by Philadelphia playwright Alex Dremann, not only wowed the judges who awarded it the festival’s top prize, but also won the hearts and minds of theater-goers who voted it their “Audience Favorite.”
If you weren’t lucky enough to see “The Cure” in July, you’ll get another opportunity when it’s onstage for six performances March 14-23. Playwright Dremann will be in town opening night and will do a talk-back following the Saturday night performance on March 15.
Dayton Playhouse board chair Matthew Lindsay said feedback from past Future Fest finalist playwrights indicated that seeing a full-scale production of their play would be more valuable than prize money. So the decision was made to stage the winning script as part of the regular Playhouse season. Lindsay said that decision helped to entice more playwrights to apply.
“We received about 475 submissions for the 2024 Festival. The five finalists were presented as staged readings in July.
“We’re excited to be staging new theater in our season and gratified that our audience has embraced this” Lindsay said. “And we’re proud to give this great script its premier production.”
Mounting the production
Now directing the play for the second time, Caplan has revised her initial opinion of it. “I was really surprised when the play resonated with the audience and adjudicators as deeply as it did, but I have truly grown to love this story as well,” she said. “Now I find the heart in it that the audience clearly finds. I think the theme is that love is what ties us all together.”
This time around there will be an entirely new cast. Caplan said one of the major challenges of staging “The Cure” is finding and casting one actor who can play the variety of different parts specified in Dremann’s script.
“The actor playing that role has to be able to fully embody so many different characters,” she said. “They are all different ages and genders and backgrounds.”
Caplan knew she didn’t want to swap wigs or do other cosmetic alterations to try to make the actor look different in various scenes.
“I think the beauty of Alex’s choice to have the same actor play all those roles is to show that Matt is a part of everyone,” Caplan said. “We are not trying to fool anyone into thinking that these are different performers. But that poses a huge challenge for the actor.”
She cast veteran actor Jared Mola in the role(s). “I knew from Jared’s work in general, but especially his work as Joseph Merrick in ‘The Elephant Man,’ that he’d be up to the task.”
Others in the cast include Heather Martin, Mikki McKenzie, Chelsea Jenkins, Andrea Wintrow and Audrey Albers.
Fully staging a play presents other challenges as well. “I had to find a set designer, figure out how to block it, we needed costumes and it takes place in both a hospital and Matt’s apartment.”
Meet the playwright
Dremann, who has had 500 short play productions staged around the world, said he loved the Dayton play reading in July but was was thrilled and surprised to win “because there were other great plays that weekend. I definitely benefitted from great directors and cast, they lived the characters and made my play look good,” he said.
Credit: RAY GEIGER
Credit: RAY GEIGER
He was also surprised by the dedicated Dayton theater community.
“So many people came to every show during the weekend, everyone was so invested and there was a festive and fun atmosphere,” he said. “The process was daunting but helpful. It was really helpful to see the staged reading and to have the critique right afterward. I had my own impressions of what worked and what didn’t, but the judges' interpretation was different. When I went back afterwards to tweak the script, the adjudicators' voices were in my head. ”
Dremann said the inspiration for “The Cure” came to him when his car was stolen.
“I had been playing a John Denver tape and when I finally got my car back, I thought it was funny that the thief was still playing John Denver while they were stealing my car. That translated into a question: what if they were trying to figure out something about me by playing that tape?”
That idea led him to another question: Why would a mother not know her own son or have the ability to talk to him? Another integral element of the plot was suggested by a “Gift of Life” facility near his home that matches organ donors with recipients.
As for the title, “The Cure,” Dremann said he chose it because by donating his organs, Matt has cured all of the recipients.
So what does he love about playwriting?
“I’m not a very good oral communicator and when I get other people to talk for me it’s great,” he said. “My plays are a mouthpiece for me. When things really work and the audience is into it, you can feel the audience change and that feeling is addictive. With some plays I’ve done that doesn’t happen. At FutureFest, I could feel the audience lean in a little.”
Casting the show
Caplan said one of the challenges of staging “The Cure” is finding one actor who can play the variety of different parts specified in Dremann’s script.
“The actor playing that role has to be able to fully embody so many different characters,” said Caplan. “They are different ages and genders and backgrounds.”
She knew she didn’t want to swap wigs or do other cosmetic alterations to try to make the actor look different in various scenes.
“I think the beauty of Alex’s choice to have the same actor play all those roles is to show that Matt is a part of everyone,” Caplan said. " We are not trying to fool anyone into thinking that these are different performers. But that poses a huge challenge for the actor."
Seasoned actor Jared Mola got the role(s).
“I knew from Jared’s work in general, but especially his work as Merrick in ‘The Elephant Man,’ that he’d be up to the task.”
Others in the cast include Heather Martin, Mikki McKenzie, Chelsea Jenkins, Andrea Wintrow and Audrey Albers.
Emily Wells, artistic director of The Human Race, was one of four FutureFest adjudicators who awarded “The Cure” the top prize.
“The play is highly theatrical and the craft of the storytelling is something you can do really well in the theater,” said Wells, who is looking forward to seeing the new production of the show. ” It tackles love, loss and heartbreak in a really relatable way. The ending is very surprising; you don’t quite know where you’re headed until things coalesce at the end.”
HOW TO GO
What: “The Cure” by Alex Dremann, the FutureFest winner for 2024
Where: Dayton Playhouse, 1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave., Dayton (in Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark)
When: Friday, March 14 through Sunday, March 23
Other: Talk back with the playwright will take place after the performance on Saturday, March 15.
Tickets: $18-20 Call 937-424-8477 and box.office.dayton.playhouse@gmail.com
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