Dems Entertainment Presents “The North Plan.” Written by Jason Wells. Directed by Cary Norman Haze.
Running from April 5th through April 27th, Friday & Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday at 7 pm
The Sherry Theatre, 11052 Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601
What’s so extraordinary about theatre, especially small theatre, is how in a space of a few meters square, with some lights, a skillfully designed set and an earnest group of actors, an audience can be transported to another place and time and given something as perfect as truth.
The Sherry Theatre is an intimate place and I have seen quite a number of interesting plays there, but “The North Plan” is something rather special.
The story is set in a small town’s Sheriff’s station in the middle of what we quickly discover is a rapidly unfolding and potentially illegal declaration of national disaster, in order to declare martial law and curtail a revolution.
The play opens with a local woman, Tanya, being locked in a holding cell for a minor infraction and some outstanding warrants while her paperwork is processed. She is loud, rude and not happy to be there. She is watched over by Shonda who works for the sheriff, she’s not law enforcement, she holds some kind of administrative position instead, and she is as unhappy to be there as Tanya. The Sheriff, Swenson, brings in another prisoner, Carlton, who is being held while he waits to be picked up by the Feds. Carlton works for the government, or at least he used to, and he has vital information he is trying to get on the web as proof of the government’s illegitimate claim for the national disaster and of their subsequent and increasingly violent take over of the country.
And so the story unfolds and a group of very unlikely heroes are thrown together. It’s a very clever concept and a scenario that seems not such an impossible reach right now. The actors are utterly captivating and believable and bring tension, pathos and a good deal of humor to their situation.
By the time the Feds turn up Carlton has convinced a skittish Tanya to help him get his information to a friend in Texas, for which she will be handsomely paid. Shonda is getting more and more nervous and the Feds, a couple of classic scumbags, hardly make the case for her to have confidence in the police.
The Sheriff is a more shadowy character and it’s hard to tell which way he will go, although he clearly has as healthy an amount of suspicion as the rest of us. It’s a comical look at a scary situation, but the humor makes it more real. And as the stakes rise, so do all our hackles and our universal human urge to overthrow tyranny and reject totalitarianism. You can feel the electricity in the air and the clenching of fists in the audience. It’s so wonderful to see this kind of theatre in NoHo. Truly excellent actors making brilliant material compelling and transformative.
I highly recommend “The North Plan.” This is intense, highly evolved, character-driven drama at its best, with big ideas and no intention of staying small in the confined space of a black box theatre.
The run is short, so no dawdling…
April 5th through April 27th, Friday & Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday at 7 pm
Cast
Tanya Shepke……………………… EMILY DE MARGHERITI
Shonda Cox……………………………………….. AMY ARGYLE
Chief Swenson…………………………………… SCOTT HAZE
Carlton Berg…………………………………….. DYLAN KENIN
Dale Pittman………………………………….. JIM FRIEVOGAL
Bob Lee……………………………………. SHANE VITKOVICH
Production Crew
LIGHTING DESIGN BY TREVOR ANDERS
STAGE MANAGER: TIFFANY VAN GOEY
SET DESIGN BY DYLAN KENIN & CARY NORMAN HAZE
ARTWORK BY CHRISTINA DIENST
PRODUCED BY SCOTT HAZE & BLAKE DEW
EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY DEMS ENTERTAINMENT & JOHN DE MARGHERITI
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: JOSH KESSELMAM