TEATRO PARAGUAS NEWS
On Friday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m., Teatro Paraguas will present a live enhanced encore Zoom performance of Hunker Down, a whimsical tale of seniors coping with the COVID-19 crisis by Los Alamos playwright Robert F. Benjamin.
Duchess Dale stars in this 40-minute romantic comedy as Bari, a widowed senior craving solace and friendship after weeks of self-isolation. Her cabin fever impels her to socialize, but her curmudgeonly neighbor (Don Converse) enthusiastically shelters-in-place, rejecting her attempted visit. He revels in self-isolation. She urges him to expand his bubble, but later discovers the value of his reclusive ways. And what does “social distancing” really mean? Can friendship emerge from self-isolation?
The performance features a turn of events (not in the original Teatro Paraguas performance on August 8th) in Bari’s and Kevin’s awkward, roller-coaster friendship while sheltering-in-place.
Hunker Down is an evocative, upbeat tale of single seniors struggling with the Great COVID Crisis of 2020. A talk-back session with Robert F. Benjamin follows immediately after the play.
The performance is free, but donations are very much appreciated. In order to make a register for the performance, please visit www.teatroparaguas.org
A reply with the link will be sent to you. You may also request the link at <teatroparaguas@gmail.com>.
Prior to stepping into becoming a “BabyZoomer” director for Almost Adults (Santa Fe) and The Adobe Theatre (Albuquerque), Duchess Dale helmed the Santa Fe Playhouse productions of The Normal Heart and Marjorie Prime. Her extensive Southern California résumé credits run the gamut from her award-winning role as Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker to the beloved Truvy in Steel Magnolias. Last year, she shared a golden opportunity to return to acting so she could share the stage with actor, Don Converse (who also doubles as her handsome husband in real-life) onstage for Benchwarmers 2019 at the Playhouse.
Converse has played theater roles, including musicals, in productions in Michigan and California, and now New Mexico, including: Sid in The Pajama Game, George in Big, the Musical, and Amos in Big Fish, the Musical. He played Nevis in the 2016 Santa Fe Playhouse reading, Music Between Us. Converse played the role as the voice of Big Brother in 1984, the part of Bernard in Flight Plan and leading roles in Benchwarmers 2018 & 2019, both at the Playhouse. Most recently he was in the courtroom drama False Witness – The Trial of Humanity’s Conscience at the Swan Theater as Henry Ford. Converse has also performed as a singer for audiences in many venues.
Teatro Paraguas has presented several plays by Robert F. Benjamin, including Parted Waters, Salt and Pepper, Not Quite Right, and Still In The Game. Benjamin is a late-blooming New Mexico playwright following a distinguished career as a research physicist and science educator. His plays are mostly about aging with grace, courage and humor. His full-length plays produced in Santa Fe and elsewhere are: Salt and Pepper, Not Quite Right (co-authored by Elaine Jarvik), Time Enough, plus readings of Galileo’s Footsteps as well as productions of 20 shorts plays, a short film and an operetta. He is a proud member of the Albuquerque Theatre Guild. Benjamin was recently honored as a Living Treasure in Los Alamos County.
For further information, please visit www.teatroparaguas.org or call 505-424-1601.