A stewardess walks through the audience and passes out barf bags. As she steps into the play's set - a cross section of a plane's interior between silver wings - a recorded message, like a pre-flight announcement, begins to play. The stewardess acts out the announcement with robotic peppiness. She also lip-syncs.
This is no ordinary trip.
"The Thing About Air Travel," written by Max Posner '11 and directed by Sophie Shackleton '09, opens tonight at Production Workshop.
In an era in which the term "air travel" evokes discussion of the environment or shoe-bombs, the play was surprisingly personal. It recounts a family's reaction to personal loss, through the hilarious, ridiculous and oddly delicate psyche of Marie, a wild child returning from time abroad in Africa. The cast of characters - a self-proclaimed "kinda Jewish family," a repressed and bursting-at-the-seams missionary, Marie's undead dog-brother and a maniacally happy stewardess - are played to perfection by Lily Spottiswoode '09, Lizzie Feidelson '11, Sam Alper '11, Colette Garrigues '11, Dan Sterba '08.5 and Jenna Horton '09.
This production is dripping with everything Brunonian. It's creative, political and, at times, completely unhinged - a reflection of the students who made it and an audience who will undoubtedly love it.
"Every aspect of this was made by Brown students," Posner said in an interview.
After the run-through, director and writer, seemingly attached at the hip, sat side by side on what had been the back seat of an SUV. Describing the creative process, which began last winter, they made it clear that, although they have specific titles, their roles were very connected.
Although rehearsals for this production started Nov. 5, Posner and Shackleton started planning early. "We were on the phone twice a week over the summer," Shackleton said.
Because this is the premiere of "The Thing About Air Travel," the production will set a precedent for future performances of the play. Posner stressed the major contributions of cast and crew in developing the play, saying, "everyone owns different moments."
On Thursday evening, 48 hours before opening night, Production Workshop was reminiscent of LaGuardia Airport, with a hustle and bustle of people, one wearing an incongruous police officer's cap, lugging unidentifiable objects and shouting directions across the room.
Cast and crew seemed hurried but delighted to be part of "The Thing About Air Travel."
"This is an awesome play," said Alper after the run-through, while lounging on one of the airline seats. "And being a dog is really fun."
