Stay Or Go

By Tasheena Stewart

Response | Mohammad Abdullah Kawish | (Re)Telling the Tale:

Dramatizing Myth & Fable

Based on personal experiences, Stay Or Go follows Lydia, a young artist who is

aspiring to work for apprenticeship and her family as they navigate through financial

struggles. The stage is set up by dividing the stage into three locations. The center

stage was set up to be the living room whereas the smaller stages on the side were set

up as a park and shop. Though as most of the story unfolded in the living room, the side

stage would change into an art room. I found this staging to be very effective as it

enabled the production to be easily interchangeable while also maintaining a flow for the

story to progress. The designing of this stage was heavily supported by the lighting

design, as lighting was very effectively and gracefully used to command the audience’s

attention; eventually aiding in the transitions in the story.

Apart from this, the actors did a stunning job at embodying their characters. At several

points, the characters ‘Sam’ and ‘Justin’ would interact with the audience which would

usually be for comedic relief. I absolutely enjoyed these specific parts as it would break

the fourth wall and make the audience feel conscious of themselves in the character’s

world. The pacing of the play was also masterly timed, as I feel each character was

given equal time to develop an emotional attachment with the audience and be able to
showcase character development. This was also apparent in scenes when the

characters Lauren and James are fighting; the actors were truly able to utilize their voice

and pacing to bring great energy and soul during a pivotal moment in the play. Another

moment I particularly enjoyed was when Lauren and Angela are having drinks and then

proceed to freeze as the lights on the centerstage shift to the each stage on the sides.

During this scene, a single stage lights up with the pair of characters unfreezing and

continuing their dialogues. I found this technique very aesthetically pleasing and

effective in the way of raising tensions and stakes while also delivering the whole story.

Another moment that I particularly enjoyed was during the second Act, when both Lydia

and Lauren are sitting on the living room floor while looking at the paintings that Lydia

had made. This was due to the emotional dynamic that both the actors were able to

emulate; it had geared the story to begin deflating all the raised tensions so that the play

could end in a satisfactory manner. In the second act, music was also used to help set

the emotions and ambiance for the scene. A particular instance could be when Lauren

puts Lydia’s painting of the family portrait on the fridge, the somber music that plays in

the background aided in setting the mood for this particularly silent scene; But also, the

same songs was also used to foreshadow the following scene which involved Lydia and

Sam reconciling.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed this play. The cast did a stellar job in embodying these

characters and delivering the emotions with the gravitas that the nature of the story

acquired. This is also due to the brillant planning of the production design. The pacing of
the lights, sounds and the overall set up of the tableau-like stages helped enable the

world from this story to become tangible and interactive for the characters. Secondly, I

also enjoyed the music selection for this play, as each song was brilliantly matched with

scenes to help bring more soul, energy and ambiance to it. And lastly, I really enjoyed

the story itself as it was able to build its characters and their objects clearly and was

able to drive their development in a way which kept me invested in the story.