BRATTLEBORO — Vermont Suitcase Company is hitting the road again with a new play that promises “action, intrigue, romance, international affairs and so much more.”
Wyndham Maxwell, director, said “My Lady of Whims” is “very loosely” based on a 1925 silent film by the same name. VSC member Jonny Flood also wrote last year’s production, “The King is Dead.”
Maxwell said the plot of the new show involves an aristocratic daughter who wants to be an artist in a shipyard in a fictional, alpine European city.
“Her father hires a somewhat less than qualified private investigator to bring her home,” Maxwell said.
Maxwell described the investigator and other characters having “their own agendas and quirks, which contribute to everything devolving into a chaotic mess.”
“It’s a funny one to watch,” Maxwell said of the silent film, which he viewed as he was preparing to direct the play. “Silent films have some of the same stock characters we play around with.”
VSC tends to explore themes and issues related to class, said Shannon Ward, producer and actor.
“The working class are always the heroes,” said Doran Hamm, producer and actor.
Maxwell said the show has “some very fun puppets,” including a new one.
“They were cast in roles that I think they’ll excel in,” Maxwell said. “An aristocratic old couple will be played by our finest puppets then we have a jack of all trades kind of con artist guy, who will be played by a puppet.”
Rehearsals take place with intensity during a week before tour and serve as a time to develop transitions between scenes, Ward said. Hamm noted the transitions include “puppet side plots,” music and dancing.
The play premieres at the Hooker-Dunham Theater in Brattleboro on Friday. Ward recommends emailing [email protected] to reserve seats as last year’s show sold out.
Other local tour stops include 7 p.m. on July 9, at Wardsboro Town Hall; 7:30 p.m. on July 10, at Next Stage in Putney; 2 p.m. on July 12 at Main Street Arts in Saxtons River; 8 p.m. on July 12 at Midnight’s in Brattleboro; and 7 p.m. on July 14 at New England Youth Theatre in Brattleboro. For a complete schedule, visit vermontsuitcasecompany.com/theater-tour.
Altogether, VSC will perform 16 shows. Two are private.
Maxwell said the group also is making the first of three short films over the next three years.
“This is coming off our feature film, ‘New Clothes,’ where we learned a lot,” Maxwell said. “We’ve also seen that a lot of our friends, who are independent filmmakers, are making movies in Southern Vermont. There’s a lot of creative energy around this.”
VSC will be “creating an infrastructure and best practices and what have you for what it looks like to make movies in Southern Vermont in our way,” Maxwell said. A grant from patrons in the arts will help with the project. Other fundraising is underway.
To learn about VSC, donate or sign up for the mailing list, visit vermontsuitcasecompany.com.
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