Florida Gulf Coast University’s TheatreLab is marking the United States’ 250th anniversary with a season dedicated to works by American playwrights. The program will feature four productions: Thornton Wilder’s “The Skin of Our Teeth,” Allison Gregory’s “Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells!,” Neil Simon’s “The Good Doctor,” and Qui Nguyen’s “She Kills Monsters.”
Barry Cavin, theatre professor at FGCU, will direct two of the productions. Speaking about the season’s opening play, he said, “I’ve always believed that one of the primary goals of academic theater on a university campus is to participate in the overall project of developing the life of the mind for all the communities on campus. It’s a natural fit for the theater to be joining the campus in thinking about what the last 250 years has meant for this country and to contemplate what our shared past means as we look toward a shared future.”
Discussing Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy, Cavin added, “Wilder believes, come what may, humanity will persevere and is worth preserving.” He described how the family at the center of “The Skin of Our Teeth” endures major calamities throughout history and learns that while challenges are inevitable, perseverance through love for the common good can help people thrive. Cavin noted that current issues such as artificial intelligence and climate uncertainty make themes of instability relevant: “The advent of AI, the democratization of information and the uncertainty of climate survival all contribute to the feeling of liminality, and topsy-turvy chaos lies at the heart of this play.”
Cavin also highlighted educational opportunities for students involved in this production. He explained it would allow them to develop comedic acting skills and technical abilities within non-realistic genres while encouraging critical thinking about how stories influence reality.
Anne Carncross, theatre professor and technical director at FGCU, will direct “Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells!” She said, “I wanted to bring this story to the children and the community to remind us all that kindness is important.” The holiday show is supported by a Kindfulness Grant from FGCU’s Roots of Compassion & Kindness (ROCK) Center.
Carncross described how students contributed by designing lights, costumes, props, and building scenery as part of a special topics class on children’s theater. She emphasized lessons on conflict resolution: “This play offers my students an opportunity to think critically about the role conflict resolution plays in the world. Sadness, anger and feelings of revenge are all normal. We must think about how to resolve conflict and what that looks like. It doesn’t have to be earth shattering; small gestures are what make the biggest difference.” Carncross added that Junie B., as a character learning about kindness during the holidays, represents an American perspective: “Junie B. is an American girl through and through.”
For Neil Simon’s “The Good Doctor,” Cavin observed that it provides different performance challenges compared with other plays in TheatreLab’s season: “There are moments of broad and physical comedy, so the students will have opportunities to develop many useful skills.” He also noted its value in prompting reflection on changing comedic tastes: “This play offers my cast and crew of FGCU students an opportunity to think critically about the differences between what we laugh at today as opposed to what was considered funny 50 years ago — and why those differences matter.” The original Broadway production dates back to 1973.
Dan Bacalzo, associate professor and theatre program coordinator at FGCU, will direct Qui Nguyen’s “She Kills Monsters.” Bacalzo said: “The play centers on a young woman who comes to terms with her grief by discovering the power of Dungeons & Dragons to forge bonds of community. And while the play is set in Athens, Ohio, in 1995, the issues it deals with still resonate with our current historical moment.” Bacalzo explained that student interest helped bring this title into TheatreLab’s lineup.
He further commented on its relevance for students: “how we learn to navigate a sometimes-hostile social environment by embracing who we are and finding others who understand us.” Bacalzo hopes audiences recognize deeper themes beyond entertainment: “We don’t always know the people closest to us as well as we thought we did, and that is sometimes because we haven’t put in the effort to be the safe space for them to share what they feel is important.”
Cavin summarized his outlook on this year’s program: “The season is a good blend of various disciplines students of theater must master. And this might be the first time we’ve created a full season of shows containing elements of comedy, so I’m excited to see how audiences will respond.”
Tickets for TheatreLab performances are available online at fgcu.edu/theatrelab for $15 general admission or $7 for students.
