Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 9 · column 3 of 5 · from the scan, no model involved
By MARKSCOLFORO
Rappahannock Newt Staff Writer
Chris White, the Washington, Va. playwright, record producer, wife and mother, has “never met a weak character” in her life, “either male or female.”
Her new play “Rhythms,” which is being performed in Washington, Va. at the Ki Theatre Building (the old town hall) at the end of May, features seven female characters, and none of them are weak.
Ms. White started on the full-length, one-act play shortly after she moved with her family to Rappahannock County last year. It’s the first “straight play” (as opposed to a musical) she’s written in five years of marriage, and the topics reflect where she is in her life, she said.
Set in Rappahannock County in 1991, the play explores themes of birthing, music, food, sex, nature—those elements of life that have rhythmic features.
The setting, said Ms. White, "is the first time I’ve ever felt like I was in love with a place. It’s something I felt on a lot of different levels. [Rappahannock] feels for me very female in its energy. It’s one of the reasons this is an all-female cast.”
On a basic level, “Rhythms” is concerned with the lives of the seven women, and how they live them.
One of the characters, a 30-year-old writer named Gretchen, remarks early in the play, “I have my little pattern, you know; I plug in the coffee pot, take a shower, listen to the news, get a cup of coffee, feed the birds, feed the fish, get dressed, face, hair, all that, lock the locks, always in the same order.” Those patterns are the rhythms of life for Ms. White’s characters. Their speech patterns and the use of quasi-musical props add to the cyclical effect.
The play isn’t all seriousness, however. It deals with many of life’s everyday aspects, so the audience is expected to see some humor and irony in the women’s lives.
“I think what makes it so interesting to watch is the intimacy of it,” said Ms. White. “It’s very intimate and very real, I think. And the acting is very high caliber. We have some very exceptional women in the cast.”
“Because it’s real, it’s funny,” she said. “There are definitely some funny moments. I don’t want people to think that it’s a big, heavy thing. It’s got that side, but it’s got some humor, too.”
83.8%