SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Springfield Community Players presents “Marjorie Prime” at their playhouse at 165 South Street in Springfield, Aug. 13, 14, and 20 at 7:30 p.m. with matinee shows Aug. 15 and 21 at 2 p.m.
“Marjorie Prime” is a futuristic story that addresses heavy emotional topics, artificial intelligence, and dementia. Springfield Community Players’ production is based on the Pulitzer Prize-nominated play by Jordan Harrison. The show is directed by John MacDonald, whose previous works include “The Boys Next Door” in 2018 and the comedic production of “Vania & Sonia & Masha & Spike” in 2019.
“It’s different,” says MacDonald. “I always want to challenge myself, but I also want to challenge the audience because sometimes with theater you get stuck in a rut where you always do the same type of thing over and over. And I want to bring something different… so ‘Marjorie Prime’ was a good fit.”
The 86-year-old Marjorie, played by Maggie McGlone-Jennings, has become a jumble of disparate, fading memories. During this deterioration of her memory, she has a handsome new companion, played by Tuck Wunderle, who looks like her deceased husband and is programmed to feed the story of her life back to her. Marjorie is supported in her end of life by her daughter Tess, played by Anna Kendall, and son-in-law John, played by Todd Hutchinson.
This will be McGlone-Jennings first show with the Springfield Community Players, but certainly not her first time on the stage. McGlone-Jennings says, “There’s layers and layers and layers and layers in this play, and I’m through maybe the first two layers… What it’s saying about life and about families and about memory, and about dementia, I don’t think it’s science fiction as much as it is all the things that make us all human.”
In addition to the cast for this show, the Springfield Community Players have a relatively new addition to guide the show, Dorothy Chansky. An author, actor, and current professor of the theater and director of the humanities at Texas Tech University, Chansky is serving as the “dramaturg” for “Marjorie Prime.” As part of research for her next book, which will focus on “representations of dementia on the American stage of the past hundred years,” Chansky is using “Marjorie Prime” as a case study.
At this time, Covid-19 regulations have been lifted at the playhouse, and the Springfield Community Players will be able to seat attendees to 100% capacity. While it is not required, the community players are asking unvaccinated individuals to adhere to masking guidelines.
On Aug. 13, 14, and 20, doors will open at 7 p.m. For the matinee shows, the doors open at 1:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Ticket Box Office at 802-885-4098 or by visiting www.springfieldcommunityplayers.org/tickets.