ANNA MARIA – The Island Players kicked off its 78th season on Thursday, Sept. 17, with the opening of “Always a Bridesmaid.”
Directed by longtime Island Players actor and crew member Mike Lusk and co-produced by the Off Stage Ladies, “Always a Bridesmaid” continues through Sunday, Sept. 27.
The play tells the story of four high school friends who on the night of their senior prom promised to be in each other’s weddings no matter what life brought their way.
The cast features Jennifer Kwiatkowski as Libby Ruth, Kristin Mazzitelli as Charlie, Morgan Powis as Monette, Deirdre Dean as Deedra, Laura Morales as Sedalia, Angela Radford as Kari and Stormy Land as Stormy.
After two performances, Lusk and four of the actors separately discussed the play.
JENNIFER KWIATKOWSKI
“The play is about four best friends who couldn’t get dates to the high school prom, so they all pledged to be each other’s bridesmaids, no matter what. My character, Libby Ruth, had always been the nurturing friend. She is the mother of the bride. She doesn’t necessarily hold everything together, but she tries to calm things down. She’s a little flighty, and then she’s got wild hair that comes out every now and then. It’s really a funny character. It’s a play about friendship. It’s about old friends and how they pick up where they left off whenever they see each other,” Kwiatkowski said.
“The cast is fantastic. I have had a blast working with these girls. Angela – the girl playing my daughter, Angela, the bride – this is her first play here,” Kwiatkowski said.
KRISTIN MAZZITELLI
“My character, Charlie, is kind of the tree-hugging, eco-friendly friend. And she’s unsure about getting married. She’s the one that isn’t,” Mazzitelli said. “It’s just a fun character to play. I like to play quirky characters, the quirkier the better, and Charlie definitely fits that bill.
“It’s been great working with these women. Some of them I’ve known and others are newcomers. We created the characters during rehearsals and we tried different things. It’s a lot of give and take – and trust in your fellow actors. These women have just been wonderful. It’s been a blast.”
Mazzitelli’s worked with Lusk before, but this is her first time working with him as the director.
“Mike is great to work with. He’s a great collaborator. He was very open to letting us explore what the character would do, because the character on the page is very two-dimensional. The freedom really comes in your mannerisms, movements and expressions,” she said. “It’s a fun show that the audiences will enjoy and leave with a smile on their face. Maybe they’ll come see it with a friend and enjoy their friendship.”
MORGAN POWIS
“Monette is feisty, sassy, fun loving. She’s fiercely loyal to her friends. She’s been married three times and just kind of boy crazy. She’s so much fun. I think my favorite part of playing her is all of the outlandish costumes I get to wear. The cast chemistry is so good and it’s been an absolute blast doing this show with them,” Powis said.
“It’s a really well written play and it’s funny. Mike lets us really play around with our characters and build them from the ground up. I hope the audience laughs a lot, and I hope that they feel the sense of love and camaraderie that these friends have,” Powis said.
DEIRDRE DEAN
“Deedra is the voice of reason of the quartet,” Dean said. “She’s a judge. She may not always know what she’s thinking or where she’s coming from, but she loves her best friends and would do anything for them.”
When playing Eleanor in last year’s production of “The Second Time Around,” Dean returned to acting after a long absence from the stage.
“The theater is my happy place. I’ve been away for it for a long time and I’ve given myself the opportunity to explore that again. I’m grateful for opportunity to work with such wonderful and amazing women, and Mike’s an excellent director. He’s very perceptive and he’s got a nice, gentle way of correcting course when we’re going off the rails.”
Dean also appreciates working inside the Island Players theater.
“The history of the building is incredible. Every space has got its own vibe and the Island Players just has the best feel,” she said.
MIKE LUSK
“It’s a hilarious play and the actors are having a blast,” Lusk said. “It’s been really fun to put together. We got some great ideas as we were going through rehearsal. We added some good comedic moments and I think the audience has been having a good time. The story is about friendship. It’s about being there for your friends through thick and thin.”
When asked about the cast, Lusk said, “They’re wonderful.”
Lusk created a role that’s not in the script.
“We had a teenager, Stormy, who auditioned and there are no teenager parts for the show, but I saw an opportunity to give her experience on stage and created a role for her. Although there are no lines, she uses placards to set the scenes over seven years. She’s been involved in props for a year now, working backstage, and she just wants to get more into acting. And Angela Radford, as the bride, introduces each scene by talking about it in the context of her wedding reception speech,” Lusk said.
When asked about his directorial style, Lusk said, “I’m easy going. I read the play and understand where I think it’s going – and as we go through read-throughs, there’s always some give and take. I developed the blocking based upon the set design by Jan Van Wart and started tweaking the movements of the characters.”
As for the hoped-for audience takeaway, he said, “I just hope they take away happiness – that they feel like they’ve had an escape, had fun and they laughed.”
TICKETS
Tickets are $28 for adults and $18 for students. Purchase tickets online at theislandplayers.org, call 941-778-5755 or email boxoffice@theislandplayers.org. The Island Players theater is located at 10009 Gulf Drive in Anna Maria.
