The play “Infinite Black Suitcase,” written by E.M. Lewis, is a compilation of 14 different vignettes that cross over three varying storylines in order to create an atmosphere of dark humor, all while exploring the subjects of death and dying. It’s only been performed on the West Coast, and never by a high school before.
However, members of Staples Players seem prepared to take on the minor mountain that they’ve found for themselves.
“As a director, I really like the way the scenes, storylines, and characters overlap and relate to each other,” director David Roth said. “I think it will be a directing challenge to tell all five of these occasionally intersecting stories fully and simultaneously.”
Players was given the opportunity to premier “Infinite Black Suitcase” by Samuel French Publishing, one of the largest theatrical publishing houses in the country. To better prepare themselves for the upcoming challenge, Players is getting the opportunity to meet with the woman who brought the story to life.
“Actually, the cast is going to get to meet the writer and discuss the script with her, which is really cool,” said Julia Greene ’15, who recently auditioned for the show.
The story centers around a family in Oregon handling matters that are quite literally life and death. Because of this, Players plans to focus most of its work around mastering the personas portrayed in the play.
“The biggest challenge will probably be the intense characters,” Isabel Perry ’15 a student director of the show said. “A majority of the rehearsals will probably be character work.”
Roth agreed with Perry. “We will have many discussions about the topics that are handled in the script and make sure that the students are comfortable so that they can really make these characters their own,” he said.
In the past, top-notch collegiate drama programs, like the University of Southern California’s School of Dramatic Arts, have performed the play – and it received rave reviews.
However, Roth doesn’t seem worried about following any other act.
“I have no idea what USC did with it, but I am sure that ours will be very different,” Roth said. “That’s one of the exciting things about premiering a new work. You get to create from the ground up and anything is possible.”
