3 minute read
ART+CULTURE
Dark desert highway
Fractured Actors returns to Sweet Jay’s with odd tales from the Southwest . . . and beyond
by Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer
In 2018, Fractured Actors brought something new to the local theater landscape: The Speakeasy Project, which married dinner theater and live music with original plays and the occasional variety act. The first one was aptly inspired by scenes and characters from the Prohibition era, while the 2019 followup was set in a roadhouse. The audience sat around small tables with tablecloths and candles, nightclub style. The “Suite J Theater” was almost hidden, located at the back of a church and accessed from a side entrance in an industrial building. All this made for both a fun night on the town and the opportunity to take in some original works from local playwrights.
The 2020 production was cut off at the knees, of course, thanks to a certain pathogen, but the intrepid Fractured Actors didn’t give up hope . . . they just bided their time.
The theater company now returns to Sweet Jay’s with four new one-act plays written and directed by Jeff Ham and Shannon McNally Ham, performed by a cast of 15-18 people and set in the “American Southwest . . . and BEYOND!” as the playbill for Area 22 states.
“You’ll find a mix between Area 51 inspiration and a desert bar set in the Southwest,” explains Jeff Ham, who emphasizes that this is not strictly a production focused on aliens (although extraterrestrials may make an appearance, and questions about our place in the universe might be posed).
The production is divided into three shorter plays, which collectiveFrom left: Amy Brookes, Rita Nobile and Emma Bangs in Window Dressing.
Sandy Sipe, Hudson Ham and Bryan White in Collider. All photos courtesy of Jeff Ham
ly make up Act I and involve stories about a young bride preparing for her wedding day, a most unusual boardroom and an entrepreneur tempted by “the deal of a lifetime.” Act II is devoted to the fourth and longest story in the collection, which Ham describes as “a conversation between two strangers in a car accident in the middle of the night in Mojave.” All offer plenty of comedy and contemplation on the human condition, and live in the liminal space between dream and reality. And while Ham is quick to note that he and McNally Ham have steered clear of politics, “These are brand-new plays written this year . . . definitely inspired by the current time we’re in.”
Before, after and in between are musical interludes by a five-piece band, The Conspiracies, led by Music Director James Dorward.
Another change is the feel of the space, which has been converted into something called “Sweet Jay’s Museum of Oddities.” And what does this museum contain? Desert wanderers, broken hearts and creatures that may not share our planet . . . but perhaps share our hopes, fears and desires.
“Sweet Jay” is of course a homonym for the Speakeasy Project’s Benjamin Wilson and Erica Connell in Hard Bargain.
location at the Suite J Theater on Palma Drive, in a space owned by a church. Previously the Ventura Vineyard, it was renamed the Liminal Church of Ventura in 2021. Ham and wife McNally Ham have been involved with both institutions. During its temporary tenure as Sweet Jay’s, however, the space exists on its own terms: Speakeasy Project organizers emphasize that this is “not a religious play.”
“It’s a place to create art,” confirms Ham of Suite J/Sweet Jay.
And with both Ham and McNally Ham at the helm, a top-notch live band and an enthusiastic cast, Area 22 promises to be an evening of exceptional . . . and unusual . . . entertainment. Potentially even out of this world.
The Speakeasy Project: Area 22 onstage Aug. 12-28 at the Suite J Theater, Liminal Church of Ventura, 1956 Palma Dr., Suite J, Ventura. For tickets and more information, visit fracturedactors.com.
