It never gets boring in Boquete with entertainment in many venues here, one of which is out own community players group.
Boquete Community Players (BCP) presents Bench Warmers, a series of new one-act plays from May 22-26, 2013
Boquete Community Players (BCP) Artistic Director Jim Hatch is on stage, slouched down into a park bench, bifocals propped on his nose, surreptitiously glancing at his script while he tries out his German accent. The roles have been reversed. This time Jim is taking direction in a play: Schrödinger Takes His Cat to the Vet, part of Bench Warmers, a series of new one-act plays which opens in Boquete on May 22. Beside him is Australian native Mark Perren-Jones, who starred in BCP’s first play of the 2013 season, Cosi.
The BCP Bench Warmers Playwriting Challenge received 78 submissions from around the world which were pared down to 10 pieces. 21 actors are participating. The plays are fast-paced, exciting and inventive, showcasing talent from Boquete and abroad.
Between the two of them, the men have about 60-plus years acting experience, with roles in movies, stage and television in the US and Australia. Directing them is 18-year-old Julian Bonfiglio, who has participated in BCP productions and plans to move to Los Angeles to try his hand at acting. So directing two experienced actors must be a breeze, right?
“Um. It’s challenging,” Julian starts hesitantly and finishes diplomatically. “I love these guys. Fabulous actors. This is the first time I’ve really directed. It’s teaching me a lot.”
Jim jumps in, “It’s a blessing and a curse. The Blessing? He doesn’t have to teach us to act. The curse? We question everything.”
“Bench Warmers gives people in the community a chance to get their feet wet,” said Jim. “Each play is 10 minutes at most. It’s a great opportunity to try your hand at directing and acting. The audience loves it because the actors and directors are challenging themselves and having fun—and it shows.”
Not as many people tried out as anticipated, so the actors and directors are taking on multiple roles. Julian is also acting in two of the plays. “It’s totally different,” said Julian. “With acting you are focused on your role. As a director you are figuring out the whole scene at once. Directing is a more profound, deep and juicy experience.”
Mark Perren-Jones is excited to be back on stage. In Australia, he was accepted into acting college in 1991 and became a professional actor after graduation. “I loved acting and performing, but I couldn’t stand all the self-obsessed people in the industry,” said Mark. “It stopped being fun. I’d go out with actors and all they’d talk about was acting. It’d be like a bunch of dentists going out and talking about teeth.”
One day, he went for a massage and thought to himself “What a great thing to do.” That was the first step on an entirely different life path: Mark is now a highly regarded massage therapist, acupuncturist and pain specialist. Cosi was the first time Mark was on stage in a number of years. “Jim gave me the script and I decided to go for it. With BCP it’s the best of everything I loved about acting. All I have to do is fun stuff, creative stuff, it’s not how I earn my living. I can just do the lovely bits of acting here.”
Bench Warmers runs from May 22-26 at the BCP Theatre in Boquete. All shows start at 8:00 p.m., except the Wednesday and Sunday shows which start at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $15. For more information, visit the BCP website