A Feminine Ending, a Kansas City Theater premiere, takes the stage in late May.
There’s almost a sweet tune that could be titled Irony with She & Her’s coming production of A Feminine Ending by Sarah Treem. Director Taylor St. John has been beating the drum for this piece since he moved to the area three years ago.
While acting in the She & Her production of The Reindeer Monologues, he spoke with Artistic Director Tiffany Garrison-Schweigert and Producer Jennifer Coville-Schweigert about the A Feminine Ending and his passion to direct the play. The play will run May 24, 25, 27, 31 and June 1 at Just Off Broadway Theatre.
“I have had this play in my back pocket for years. I love the story. It’s about a twenty-something who is trying to find her way. There’s not a lot written for this age group,” he says. “A lot of young adults have Amanda’s fears. They are moving out of the safe academic world and onto the pressures out of college. It’s almost impossible to go out and be brilliant instantly, but that’s what many want us to do. It can simply be terrifying.” Personally, he teaches theater at Smithville High School while he continues acting. He plans on directing Devoured by Tigers, a new play by Kansas City playwright Michael Ruth, this summer for the Kansas City Fringe Festival. He will also be Charles the Wrestler in Heart of America Shakespeare Festival’s As You Like It.
St. John says the main character, Amanda, has taken a hard fall to earth as she desires to be a composer in a male-dominated art. “There’s really no other person for her to emulate,” St. John says. “There’s no trailblazer for her to follow. On top of it, she has a boyfriend whose star is on the rise and her parents’ relationship is crumbling. Then you toss in an old boyfriend. It’s a simple human story.”
The play’s kismet also includes recruiting a young composer named Stefanie Wienecke. She worked with St. John last year on the play Pride and Prejudice at the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre. “He approached me last year and I saw myself in Amanda. I knew I needed to be part of this show. I relate to the play in so many ways. The play, rather than acts, has movements. I knew I wanted to provide original works for the play. So I set about musically framing the mood of the movement before the movement begins. I then allow the piece to grow. Amanda talks about this piece in her head. This is the story of anyone who writes music. Like Taylor, I want to see that this show has to be done. I guarantee there are people who are in town who feel the same way and they know that opportunities are rare.” Wienecke’s ultimate goal is to write a musical.
Wienecke attended Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville to study songwriting. She took classes such as orchestration, conducting and some recording classes, but she also learned to jump at opportunities when they arise.
“I especially love when something original is needed,” she says. “The ability to intertwine music composition into theater is a thrill. I enjoy being an actress, but I also love music. Taylor wants me to be there for rehearsals, which marks the strength of collaborations. As for the play, Kansas City has not seen this and it will touch hearts. We are such an art-based community and music is so essential.
People will see the value of this play.”
St. John says he is glad to have Wienecke composing. He sees the parallels of his friend in lead character Amanda Blue, whose fall to earth has been made even harder with her hopes to break into a male-dominated world. She takes on writing advertising jingles to help her boyfriend rise in the rock music world. On top of it all, she has to sift through her parents’ own decaying relationship. “It’s a simple human story with five characters,” he says.
As for the Kansas City theater premiere, St. John says the challenge is exciting. The play is only about six years old, a relative toddler in the theater world. “With a new piece, there’s a thrill that you have no roadmap from actors or a director in the vicinity. You don’t have the ability to compare it to others. In that respect, it’s a little empowering. Audiences will also be freed from expectations as they are seeing a unique piece.” Actress Kate O’Neill plays Amanda and Gabe Moyer plays Amanda’s boyfriend Jack. The parents, Kim and David, are Shelley Wyche and Ted Collins. The former boyfriend, Billy, is played by Chris Roady. St. John is getting help from assistant director and designer Melissa Loper.
“I really enjoy the parents. Kim was that sort of bra-burning feminist who sacrificed for her daughter. She often calls Amanda with threats that she is leaving her husband. Somewhere their marriage has flat-lined,” St. John says. “Amanda’s mom wants her daughter to live an extraordinary life and not be beholden to a man. There’s something so fun to explore this self-discovery with Amanda. Sure there are struggles with the family dynamic. Playwright Sarah Treem is clever with her language and she crafts all the characters with such intelligence. They all use language as a weapon; they all love to talk, but forget to listen. There’s a great deal of heart in this play. If the audience will let us, we will take them on a remarkable journey.”
