By Genesis Eve Garcia
Dreamers is a fantastic new play written by local actor and writer, Ariana Broumas Farber. The two person play takes place at The Box in Downtown Salt Lake City. When I walked in, I was greeted with enthusiasm by the writer herself. I was led to a small room. I couldn’t believe this was going to be the space. It was incredible. There were only a few chairs, set around a splendid set. The space is called The Box, but the ceiling was round. I was seated next to a coat rack, and a small entertainment center. They had rugs overlapping, a silk shawl covering the coffee table, and you could see Ukrainian nick knacks throughout the created apartment space. Russian hip hop played in the background.
From the moment actors Tyler Kline (Donnie) and Sophia Van Nederveen (Sventlana) step into the room, we were all riveted. Love is at the core of this play. As an audience, we are utterly lost as to who these people are, and whether they are good or bad, young, old, lost, or found. We soon learn that they know as little about one another as we do. They slowly begin to open up to one another. Strike that. Donnie begins to word vomit in the sweetest possible way all over our poor friend Svetlana. She holds the sweetest look of adoration on her face as he spills story after story. Donnie can’t tell, (and neither can we), whether this sweet woman who speaks English as a second language, being a Ukrainian immigrant, can understand half of what he is saying. She just smiles so sweetly, so focused on his face. She understands the heart of his words, even if she can’t always understand every word. When she does react, we realize just how much she really does comprehend. As they hang on to one another’s every word, so do we.
While there is action and plot in this 60-minute production, the real action happens in the listening and reacting between Donnie and Svetlana. They talk about the war in Ukraine, their families, and their work, but we are mostly moved as they seek for peace, acceptance, and strength from one another. Because of Donnie’s open-hearted nature, we are all propelled into a much richer relationship, faster than any of us could have imagined. He apologizes for his words, but it is his words that bring the heart of the matter to the forefront of this experience. It is incredibly validating for me, a fellow word vomiter, to see.
Director Stephanie Stroud, never lets up on the fantastic connection between the actors. They are so entirely focused on one another in a way that is absolutely magical. There is always mystery, but nothing that either of them say is ever thrown away. We are riveted because they are both riveted.
The costumes, designed by Ariana Broumas Farber, are beautiful and capture the essence of the characters: feminine and flowy, clean and crisp. Stroud and David Knoell collaborated on lights and sound. About the set, Farber said, “We all did the set as an ensemble. We just brought in items we had that would work. Honestly, we developed everything ourselves.” Stage Manager Emily Kitterer brings the technical elements together beautifully. There are a lot of hilarious musical cues as Donnie shares his love of hip hop and dances around the stage, trying to convince Svetlana to love his music as much as he does.
It is always a joy to watch a newly written play for the first time. The audience is so excited to see what will be revealed. While the characters are fictional, the experiences and the heart of their exchanges are often based on real life experiences. I asked the playwright what inspired this piece. While I expected her to share her connection with Svetlana, she shared a lot of connections with Donnie. She talked about the significance of his open hearted nature, and how writing about his openness brought her a sense of healing.
Going to the movies can be enchanting, but there is nothing so riveting as seeing two living, breathing human beings fall in love right in front of your eyes. If you haven’t heard yet, The Box theater space is closing at the end of this year, because their neighbor, the Planetarium, is extending their walls. This is a special space where new artists create powerful, challenging works. Take this opportunity to see a new play. It is absolutely worth it.
Dreamers is presented by Immigrants Daughter at The Box, located at 130 S 400 West, Salt Lake City. Parking is most easily accessible by entering the Gateway Parking garage from 200 South, taking the escalators up to the Gateway, and walking past the beautiful murals, on to 400 West, and up to 130 South. Seating is very limited, so buy your tickets online at theboxgateway.org The show only runs 60 minutes. I will caution you to be aware that the play contains adult language. Dreamers plays Friday, Dec 2 and Saturday Dec 3 at 7:30pm, Sunday, Dec 4th at 2pm, Thursday, Dec 8 at 7:30pm, Friday, Dec 9 at 7:30pm, and it closes Saturday, Dec 10 at 7:30pm.
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