PVCC Puma Press: December 2006

A new comedy written and directed by Alan Tongret, head of PVCC's theater program, will premier at the Herberger Theater on Dec. 11.

“The Boughs of Folly” is part of a series of plays that Tongret has created for the Herberger in the recent years.

Tongret started working on the series in 2001. All plays in the sequence feature two characters, Jewell and Belinda Burge, in various situations. Tongret says that after writing the first play about them, he “fell so much in love with the two characters” that he had to go on writing about them.

Another thing that never changes in the series is the setting. It is a very small town that Tongret based on a personal memory of Devil’s Backbone, Indiana, a place where his grandparents used to live and farm.

In the new comedy, the main character Jewell Burge decides to produce a fundraiser play in order to save her church from financial disaster and get more people involved in church. Tongret describes Jewell’s character as someone who “continually takes up a lot of tasks to help other people.”

She agrees to play Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol” because her acting talents far exceed those of any man in the community. But in order for the play to go on, Jewell has to convince her sister Belinda to paint the scenery at no charge. The comedy evolves as Jewell will go to any length to convince her sister.

The cast consists of two people. Andrea Robertson, PVCC adjunct faculty, will play the role of Jewell Burge. The role of Belinda will be played by Laurie Love Owsley, who is a full-time student at PVCC.

Although the cast is very small, and the settings on the stage will be minimal, consisting mostly of a black painted stage, Tongret has no doubt that the audience will enjoy the performance.

“They will have more time to explore the two characters.... The rest depends on the imagination of the audience, which is why theater exists,” says Tongret.

Indeed, Tongret says that he prefers Shakespearian plays that, although they are full of complex characters, don’t have a lot of distractions such as excess amounts of props and scenery.

Tongret’s play shows that by working together you can achieve great things. But Tongret also says that the audience should not expect a perfect ending.

“I am not interested in writing plays where things turn out neatly, because that is not real life,” says Tongret.

Tongret plans to write at least 13 plays all together. He says he draws his inspiration from his life and everything around him.

This new comedy will be featured at Herberger Theater until Dec. 21. Tickets are available at the Herberger Theater box office. For more information call (602) 254-7399.