"Departure" features Katie Frazer, Christine Bennett, and the company's two co-founders and producers, Michael Joel and Kaitlin Overton.
High Bridge native, Kaitlin Overton, to stage original theatre piece 'Departure' as co-founder, producer, and actor of new theatre company on Nov. 7, 8, 14,15 at Solitude House in High Bridge. (courtesy photo)High Bridge native to stage original theatre piece as co-founder, producer, and actor of new theatre company
No Dominion Theatre Co. returns to the historic Solitude House in High Bridge, with "Departure," an original production created by High Bridge native and local theatre producer, Kaitlin Overton, on Nov. 7, 8, 14, 15.
"Departure" features Katie Frazer, Christine Bennett, and the company's two co-founders and producers, Michael Joel and Kaitlin Overton.
"Departure" is No Dominion Theatre Co.'s second full-length play, as well as their second to premiere at Solitude House. Their inaugural production, "One. Four. (Zero).," was written and directed by Michael Joel, and was performed this past May and was well received by those in attendance. "'One. Four. (Zero).' was, in its nature, perfectly suited for [the] Solitude House," said actor Mia Zanette, who played Nurse in "One. Four. (Zero)."
"It's a testament to the play itself that we were able to revive a bit of magic in that old house once more and truly make it our own. No Dominion came to bat with a greatly entertaining and thought-provoking piece," said Zanette.
The production was also welcomed to Solitude House by High Bridge's Cultural and Heritage Committee, of which No Dominion's co-founder and producer, Kaitlin Overton, is also a member. "We were delighted to be able to host such a wonderful project in [the] Solitude House," said Eric Erb, chairman of the Cultural and Heritage Committee.
"The idea for this second show came to me after realizing I had never actually been to Solitude House, despite being born and raised in High Bridge. I went to one of their open houses, and immediately fell in love with the space," said Kaitlin Overton, creator, producer, and actor in No Dominion's upcoming production at Solitude House, "Departure."
"I was like, 'I need to do a theatre piece here!' While Solitude House is not a traditional theatre space," she said, "It holds so much history and has a lot of stories to tell, and so do we, as actors. So I decided to bring the two together: theatre and this mysterious place, that a lot of High Bridge residents don't even know exists, including myself before visiting for the first time last October. I'm so glad to be bringing new life into Solitude House." Eric Erb said of the show, "The non-traditional venue will really give the production a unique feel, and it's fantastic to open to old house to new ideas and new audiences."
"'Departure' began simply as 'The Solitude House Theatre Project', because that's exactly what it was: a theatre project to take place at Solitude House... and I didn't really know much else at that point," said Overton, who has been working on this production since October 2014. "I needed to learn more about Solitude House without sitting in front of the computer doing research all day, so I decided to interview a few close family friends and residents of High Bridge and use their words to compose the script for this piece. Everyone was really receptive and excited about the idea, and their words add a lot of remarkable stories to this piece. I'm glad this piece can be a vessel for these voices of High Bridge."
"Departure" is about three individuals who gather together to help another move, but doubts arise as to whether any of them even know where they are going at all. The piece is not only based off the aforementioned interviews, but various existing texts, as well. The piece addresses several themes that the actors are experiencing in their own lives, too, such as transitioning into adulthood after college, doubts, overcoming fears and obstacles, and how living in the homes they grew up in affect how they dream of the future.
"Each of these different texts really play to the mood and tone of Solitude House," said Michael Joel, No Dominion's co-founder as well as actor in "Departure." "The Chekhov plays have that antiquity and sense of longing to discover the world outside a small town, and of course Walden was written while Thoreau was in the woods living in solitude, if you will, so it's really the perfect fit for our show," Joel said. "I'm excited about the incorporation of the found text and how that text breathes new life into Solitude House," said actor Katie Frazer. As well, "this piece evokes a perfect feeling for the current season of autumn," said actor Christine Bennett, who was also in One. Four. (Zero). in May.
"This piece is, in a sense, an homage to my hometown," said Overton, "and I am so pleased to see what it has transformed into after adding the found texts and composing the script with two of my dear friends, Gillian Holmes and Carrie O'Dell. Carrie is also the dramaturg, and the research she has done is amazing. We got to learn a little more about the history of Solitude House and how, for example, lines from One Hundred Years of Solitude fits in perfectly to our script. Creating a show from the bottom up is often a very daunting endeavor, especially as both producer and actor, but I've got a great team working with me and it has really become our piece and that is something of which I am very proud."
"Departure" runs Saturday, Nov. 7, at 2 and 5:30 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 8, at 2 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 14, at 2 and 5:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m., at Solitude House, which is located at 7 River Road in High Bridge. All are welcome to a Q & A session with the cast after each performance.
To reserve tickets, visit http://www.departure.bpt.me.
You can 'Like' No Dominion Theatre Co. on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @NoDomTheatreCo. For further questions, contact Kaitlin Overton at 908-581-9312 or via email at kaitlinoverton@gmail.com.
For further information on No Dominion Theatre Co., visit www.nodominiontheatre.org.