Review: DON’T BE A HERO, THANK YOU and GO BEFORE I DO at Greenfinch Theater and Dive Bar

This past weekend St. Louis’ Prison Performing Arts (PPA) Alumni Theatre Company presented two short plays at Greenfinch Theater and Dive Bar. The program titled “As Told By Us” featured plays written by PPA Alumnus Katie Leemon and Hazel McIntire.

PPA is an educational program that serves as a creative outlet for incarcerated adults. The Alumni Theatre Company helps rehabilitated adults develop skills for successful re-entry into society. According to Artistic Director Rachel Tibbets, the alumni theatre company is the only theatre company in the country that continues to work with those who have now returned to society follow incarceration. Tibbets directed Katie Leemon’s new play, DON'T BE A HERO, THANK YOU.

DON'T BE A HERO, THANK YOU. is a one-act play that takes a humorous look at the challenges faced by the fictional Kate following her release from prison for a felony conviction after robbing a bank. The narrative is comprised mostly as a single-person monologue that is interrupted by phone calls from friends. Leemon’s smartly written script builds empathy through laughter.

LaWanda Jackson (Kate) handled the lengthy monologue delightfully with an immense amount of charm. Jackson immediately connected with her audience through her warmly confident oration and a keen sense of comedic timing. Actor Kristen Strom filled the roles of about a half-dozen friends interrupting via text message or telephone calls.

Leemon’s amusing script examines Kate’s internal guilt, the defeminization experienced when a woman is incarcerated, the socialization aspect of life in prison, the struggle re-entering society, and the gratitude for a second chance to again “feel the grass under your feet.” Leemon’s satirical approach, Jackson’s winning portrayal, and Tibbets’ strong direction combined to share Kate’s complex emotions while engendering human compassion.

Hazel McIntire’s GO BEFORE I DO also deals with complex emotions but by using dramatic storytelling instead of satire. Like Leemon’s script, McIntire uses monologue, combined with dialogue between characters, to manage generational grief stemming from the loss of a spouse and parents.

Directed by Eric Satterfield, GO BEFORE I DO featured Joceyln Padilla (Daughter), David Nonemaker (Father), and Katie Leemon (Bartender.) In the short play, the bartender is a third-party observer to the realtionship between a grieving father and his daughter. McIntire’s script is an all too rushed attempt to unpack the bevy of emotions faced during a lifelong loving and flawed relationship.

The humorous DON'T BE A HERO, THANK YOU. and the somber GO BEFORE I DO played their final performances on Sunday, November 18, 2024.

PHOTO CREDIT: RayBay Creates

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