ACC theater lights up

Smoking Lesson, a play directed by Austin Community College Professor of Drama, Marcus McQuirter, made its debut on Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. at the Rio Grande Campus Gallery Theater and has five subsequent presentations. The play, written by dramatist Julia Jordan, was chosen by McQuirter because it is "a really good play for young actors."

"It has a small cast with roles that are appropriated to college level students, so there is not too much stretching," said McQuirter.

The play tells the story of three very different girls bound together by a dark secret. When they were eight years old, they were the ones to find the body of a 15 years old dead girl floating on the Mississippi river. Every year after that, they perform a ritual on the place where they found the dead girl, giving her their best experiences for each year.

The play begins with three characters, Theresa Louise McCauley played by Tess Haynie, Mary Kate Riley played by Miranda Guillory and Lisa Ann Manley played by Pais Raynor, performing their seventh and last ritual. The then 15-year-old girls play games and light matches, sharing to their dead friend, Pearl, their best experiences for that year.

In the midst of their ritual, 27-year-old Tom Delany, a local misfit played by Nathanial Dunaway, enters the scene with cans of beer and teaches the three girls how to smoke.

His relationship with Theresa soon develops as his past with Pearl is slowly revealed. He is accused of her murder, but whether he is guilty or innocent of that crime is unclear.

As director McQuirter put it "the play is a little dark, but we have an angst filled generation that can relate with the story."

"We were lucky in the casting. We got a lot of people coming in for the audition, so we had the luxury to really pick and choose not only actors that I thought are really good,  but actors that fit the roles pretty well and actors that had good chemistry," said McQuirter. He auditioned over 25 actors for the four roles.

According to the director "The final decision came down to chemistry," and the chemistry between the four actors is tangible on stage. Dunaway interprets a naturally unlovable character, but he manages to show a very human side of his character that instigates the audience to see the story from Tom's perspective.

With an estimated duration of 90 minutes divided in two acts, McQuirter's play incorporates a new aspect to the play. Five short videos with a total duration of six minutes filmed and edited by assistant director Diego Martinez, will be projected between scenes. The short videos represent the dreams of lead character Theresa Louise McCauley.

"Smoking Lesson" will be performed at the Rio Grande campus Gallery Theater March 5 - 7 at 8 p.m. Fri-Sat and 2 p.m. Sun.