"Beneath the Tall Tree" at TheatreFIRST

I'm really intrigued by a lot of things about TheatreFIRST. This was the first mainstage production I've been able to get to following their provocative reading of "The Island" last year. There are a lot of things appealing about TheatreFIRST, particularly their commitment to diversity at all levels (staff, board, actors, designers, etc.) and their commitment to new, local work.

The Company

There are several things that are different about going to TheatreFIRST. Although they're still in the old Live Oak Theater, they've spiffed it up a bit, and simplified the lobby. The box office and concession table is staffed by friendly people. And I was lucky enough when I stepped into the house to be greeted by both Artistic Directory Jon Tracy (who is a friend) and the production's directory, Joy Carlin, whose work I know, but we hadn't met previously.

And when Tracy welcomes the crowd before the show starts, it's not just the legally-required direction to the exits or the customary directive to turn off phones. He also talks a bit about TheatreFIRST and then picks a few people in the audience to ask why they have come, and share a little bit. It's unconventional, but it works, and it feeds into the ethic that this is not a unidirectional-message medium: we are all part of the show, and we will all get something different out of it, particularly as we all bring something different to it.

And at that point, the Live Oak Theater feels less like the old community theater in a local park, and more like a community center where people gather to share stories and experiences. That's a good vibe.

The Play

As with all plays in this new incarnation of TheatreFIRST, this play is new work, created through a collaborative residency with the artists. The goal is to help the community tell their stories and provide a venue where people can hear and share that. "Beneath the Tall Tree" is the third play of the first season of this new regime. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get to the first two, and word through the grapevine was that they had some rather rough patches. So I tried to keep an open mind.

The good news is, for a brand new play, this is pretty strong. I had a few issues with the writing, particularly some awkward dialogue, but on the whole, it's a good effort for a new play. The basic material is both interesting and timely. It springs from the personal and community displacement caused by the internment of Japanese American citizens during World War II. So many aspects of that incident (the use of an executive order, the targeting of a specific ethnic group, and so on). And here we get a multigenerational story about family, ethnicity, assimilation, discrimination, and a whole lot more.

Briefly, a young woman of mixed ancestry from Palo Alto (Cass, played by Adrienne Walters, who also wrote the play along with Jeffrey Lo) goes off to join an archaeological dig in Pompeii. While there, she learns that her beloved grandfather (Tets, played by Sam Stark) has died, touching off a string of events that lead to her uncover lots of information about herself, the grandfather, and her family and community. In Pompeii she meets Tom (Lucas Brandt), another student on the dig, and  develops her relationship with Professor Fowler (Bonnie Akimoto, who also plays Cass' mother back home). Although the overall story is compelling, none of the characters besides Cass really gets much development, although we at least learn a fair amount of Tets's story and see snippets of different parts of his life.

Unfortunately, Tom is pretty much just a plot device, and Professor Fowler is rather unbelievable. The mother is more sympathetic, but also pretty much of a cypher most of the time. I'd like to see more development of those characters and their stories.

But all that said, there is a lot of power in the story of Tetsuo's journey from his idealistic, baseball-loving youth, through internment and enlistment, to returning home to a very different Palo Alto than the one he left. The changes in him and the subsequent impacts on his family deserve more development, but the message is clear enough.

The Production

A simple set design manages to serve as home in Palo Alto, San Francisco International Airport, an archaeological site in Pompeii, a baseball field, and an internment camp. The fact that all the elements are always there on stage is pretty powerful, though rather subtle. There are probably some more nuances that could be brought out of that with lighting and such, but overall it works.

The acting is pretty good. Walters as Cass is pretty strong, and I suspect that's both because she wrote a lot of the script and because it is somewhat autobiographical (though I don't know to what degree). Stark's Tets is quite good in his younger incarnation, but less convincing as the older grandfather. Brandt is good as Tom, though some of his affectations early on seem to vanish later, inexplicably. I'm unclear what I'm supposed to make of Professor Fowler, who everyone seems to be afraid of except Cass. She seems to have an unexplained soft spot for the rather aggressive, even abrasive, Cass, even before she displays her preternatural skill at finding archaeological artifacts. I think that's more a problem with the text than the performance, though I imagine a clearer picture of the character could be constructed even from what's already there.

The character of the mother quite mystifies me. I'm not sure whether she's just repressing a lot of stuff, or whether she should be expressing more subtle nuances of her feelings. The common thread through Cass, her mother, and her grandfather seems to be an inability or unwillingness to express feelings (or even communicate much at all) until some threshold is passed and they explode. For all I know, that might be historically accurate, but it doesn't feel right on the stage, especially for all three characters. I'd like to see some gradations in the expressions there.

Bottom Line

Growing up in the bay area, I had a lot of friends whose families were directly affected by Executive Order 9066, and though my family wasn't one of those, they were aware of the neighbors and acquaintances who went away, some later returning. The internment and its aftermath are very real to many of my friends, family, and neighbors, so I'm pleased to see TheatreFIRST addressing it. And obviously the issues of racism, prejudice, interculturalism, and the injustices perpetrated when a group feels threatened are all very timely.

The production continues for another three weeks, through March 25th. I think it's well worth seeing, not only because it's interesting and pretty well done, but also because it's worth supporting TheatreFIRST and this effort to produce local stories for local audiences with diverse local talent.

I look forward to seeing more from TheatreFIRST.