Stop Kiss
By Diana Son
Directed by Dan Kavannaugh
With Shanon Benil, Kyle Bray, Thomas Byrne, Chris Haley, Mary MacLeod, Niji Ramunas
October 3-12, 2008

After Callie and Sara meet, their friendship leads to an unexpected attraction. Their first kiss provokes a violent attack that transforms their lives in a way they could never imagine. "A poignant and funny play about the way, both sudden and slow that lives can change irrevocably," says Variety.

Director's Notes

On October 12th, it will be 10 years since Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student, was beaten, tied to a fence, and left to die. This event lead playwright Moises Kaufman to interview people of the town in Wyoming where this occurred, and from those interviews was born his play The Laramie Project. The Laramie Project was one of the first plays performed by Dignity Players.

In Stop Kiss, two young women slowly discover that they may be falling in love. That love is tested when their first kiss provokes an act of violence and transforms both of their lives in ways that neither could have predicted. Although Diana Son’s Stop Kiss is not based upon a specific historical event, it is in a similar vein as The Laramie Project for it details a gay-bashing incident which is the catalyst for the story. Although this act of violence may be at the heart of the story, the story does not end there. Diana Son presents us with a piece that challenges us to look at our current situations, our vulnerabilities, and the risks (and possible rewards) inherent when we encounter and go after that “something . . . worth . . . winning” in life.

The parents of Matthew Shepard established a foundation in their son’s name with the stated goal of “replacing hate with understanding, compassion, and acceptance.” Stop Kiss is a celebration of the power of love and the human spirit to overcome the hate that often creeps into our society.

Thank you for your patronage of this play and your continued support of Dignity Players, which is committed to producing theatre to inspire as well as entertain you.

REVIEWS

A Serious "Kiss" from Dignity Players
By Mary Johnson / The Baltimore Sun
October 9, 2008

Stop Kiss, Dignity Players current production traces the evolving relationship of two young, single women pursuing careers in New York City.  Relatively early in this one-act play, the audience is forced to consider the violence that results from a stranger witnessing the first tentative kiss between the two women.

Diana Son's 1998 play allows us to trace the progress of both women toward independence and self-discovery.  They set out to make life commitments that become more pressing after their frightening confrontation with unprovoked violence.

In this demanding production, which requires instant scene changes and seamless moves back and forth in time, Dan Kavanaugh makes his impressive Dignity Players directing debut.  Kavanaugh has chooses an excellent cast, and gets high marks for his selection of the two female leads who are not the sylphlike creatures we’re accustomed to seeing on stage.

Callie has lived for several years in a rent-controlled apartment and works as a radio traffic reporter.  She has agreed to help Sara, recently arrived from St. Louis and living in an apartment where her cat is unwelcome.  Callie and Sara get acquainted by discussing their living arrangements, boyfriends and favorite television shows – areas providing an urban humor reminiscent of Seinfeld.  We learn that Sara has won an award that will enable her to teach a third-grade public school class in the Bronx.

Sara hardly realizes the late-night dangers lurking in her Bronx neighborhood.  Far removed from the 1963 city depicted in Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park, this is a New York where parks are less charming and more fearsome.

The story is told in flashbacks, where the audience learns of Sara’s increasing satisfaction from teaching, and her enthusiastic desire to explore the city and expand her social network through Callie’s exciting business colleagues.

Callie’s job requires her to monitor traffic from helicopter.  She is easily distracted and unable to concentrate on anything except restaurants and clothing.  Her continuing relationship with former college chum and casual sex partner George underscores her reluctance to make commitments.

As Callie, Niji Ramunas conveys her character’s detachment and her easy relationship with George, well-played by Chris Haley.  Ramunas’ Callie evolves after the vicious attack to assume a full commitment to Sara.

Shannon Benil inhabits Sara, conveying her strength and sharp focus, along with vulnerability and a touching disbelief at her fate after a stranger’s hatred endangers her life.  Benil’s Sara also reveals unwavering dedication to her teaching career, despite her parents’ wishes or those expressed by her former boyfriend, Peter.

Convincingly played by Thomas Byrne, Peter expresses conflicting emotions about this relationship with Sara and hers with Callie.  He doesn’t seem to understand Sara’s fierce independence in directing her own life.

Strong in supporting roles are Kyle Bray as Detective Cole, who manages to bring warmth and interject some humor as he pieces the clues together, and Mary MacLeod, who plays both the witness who tries to stop the violent crime from her window and summons police and the nurse.