On Friday, August 30, 2019, I saw The Glitter Girls by Mark Dunn at the Community Theatre League. This play was a comedy written by a playwright who appears to have some special relationship with the Community Theatre League. As far as I can tell, he simply kept in contact when the theater after they did one of his plays years ago.
I have not seen a main stage production at the Community Theatre League in a long time because they are now doing the more serious, literary plays in the upstairs Moyer Studio.
The Glitter Girls is a play about a southern social club for women. The glitter refers to the tieras the girls wear. The comedy is based on the wealthy founder’s scheme to test the character of the members. There were a few modern references which indicate the play was recently written but the only contemporary touch was a part for a transvestite. However he was only in disguise as a woman to avoid trouble with the law. As usual, I found myself asking what was the point of writing this play? Why was this subject important to the writer and what did he expect to accomplish? I ask these questions because I feel that all writing should serve a purpose. I don’t think anything should be written just for the sake of doing some writing. But as far as I can tell this play was just intended to be light entertainment. It makes a vague statement about not judging people too harshly since everyone has their struggles, but the play cannot be justified by that common observation.
The set design was simple but effective since it had to combine a porch with a herb garden. I thought the porch was an interior set until the dialogue made the setting more clear. The costumes were very contemporary and did not draw much attention to themselves. The local actors gave the production a mundane realism. A more professional and glamorous cast couldn’t be mistaken for common folk. Only the former stripper was too overweight to be believable as a slut. Most of the humor in the play came from shocking revelations of sexual indiscretions and witty put downs of various characters as they vied for a fortune.
I don’t know if the Community Theatre League will ever do one of my plays. They don’t hold any playwriting competitions, playwriting classes, playwriting festivals, or do anything to encourage new play production. But I’m currently getting ready to write what should be my most important play. The subject matter alone will make this a significant play since I will be writing about the social responsibilities of creative visionaries. Once I have finished writing that play I will create a web site for my playwriting endeavors. Then I will write a screen play and a science fiction novel to see if I have any better luck at that.
