Ensemble drama can gain a profound amount of depth without costuming and scenery. Sunset Playhouse explored the possibilities of a bare production in its staging of the acclaimed contemporary family drama August: Osage County. Passions and interpersonal politics swiftly glided about onstage in the murkiness of family secrets.
A large ensemble finds strong emotional gravity in the three sisters who have returned home at the sudden disappearance of their father. As the oldest Weston daughter, Barbara (Jillian Smith) had a profoundly deft grasp on the humor that resonates through the soul-crushing grind of any long-term emotional family stress. Jacqueline Gosz brought silent strength to her role as the middle sister, Ivy. Shannon Nettesheim Klein rendered a clever veneer of sweetness as Karen, the youngest Weston daughter.
Director Becky Spice built quite an atmosphere with a few chairs and assorted props. A large family dinner was impressively atmospheric with the entire ensemble gathered around a realistic meal that simply wasn’t there. The organic interactions of that family gathering were captivating, brought to the stage in a powerfully realistic interaction that allowed the dynamics between characters to resonate in a tiny, little studio theater space.
