The Empty Space
Annie Stripped at Rollins College
By Siena Marilyn Ledger
Directed by Missy Barnes
Starring Mind Nicole Ponce, Time Juan Cabrera
If you’re not hiding behind the 4th wall, where are you, exactly? Another weekday night, another Zoom style presentation of by artists trapped in cyber prism, all acting their best without violating distancing rules. It’s a tough way to fall in love. Mind (Ponce) looks wide eyed and amazed, and she’s astonished to discover what the rules of her universe might be. The closest thing she has to a spirit guide is Time (Caberea)who offers sometimes cryptic instructions. He explains but does not prove, she accepts and does not question his reality, and perhaps the best way to be a couple in this disjoint universe. Visitors arrive as if by magic, the Moon (Laura Powalisz) glows and enlightens but at a very low level. Insanity (Jay Kirkley) and Dream (Lily Morse) arrive as a pair, they seem more a warning about relations than advisors. Reality (Franky Saavedra) only appears for a cameo at the end of the story, and clearly reality is not going to solve this young woman’s conundrum. And what is that conundrum? It’s the one we all fight: Who am I? Why am I here? Where are am I going? And will I find someone along the way? Who am I to say? I am neither the writer nor successful passenger. The passage is a best as we can arrive at today, and while I hate to say it, this play is much more effective as an internet meme than it might be live. Electronics make scene changes effortless, even if you don’t always notice them.
https://www.rollins.edu/annie-russell-theatre/current-season/
