Leonardtown, MD – An emotionally powerful play will be performed in a special production by the Rose Players at Leonardtown High School this weekend. This presentation was developed during the past few months as a small side-project with three graduating seniors who were invited to participate. The idea was to offer these talented thespians the opportunity to push their limits and to grow as performers.
Never Swim Alone will  run Friday, March 4 and Saturday, March 5 at 7 p.m.

Admission is free (donations will be accepted). This production is an event that should not be missed.

Directed by Randy Tusing, with LHS Biology teacher Guy Barbato as Producer and Technical Director, Jake Dodges (Frank), Eric Stoneman (Bill), and Abby Tucker (The Woman/Lisa/Lifeguard/Referee) each deliver confident interpretations that propel this play to a status far above what would be expected at the high-school level. Voices reveal precise diction and can be easily heard throughout the auditorium.

The one-act play, Never Swim Alone, by Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor, is unique in many ways. Written in 1991, it has been called a piece of “post-modern” theatre with a plot that gradually unfolds in an unconventional way. The lightning-paced satire revolves around two arrogant Alpha-males and their endless lifelong competition to be Number 1. The structure of the play mimics a 13-round boxing match between Frank and Bill, refereed by a Woman wearing a one-piece blue bathing suit.

The action takes place on the last day of summer before school begins (the audience is reminded of this fact several times). The 13 “rounds” encompass a discussion of the men’s clothing (dark suits, ties, briefcases), a pistol duel, an arm-wrestling match, a vigorous wrestling match, a  rather ”un-friendly” friendly game of basketball, a power lunch, the pros and cons of valleys and mountains (with a passionate delivery by Jake Dodges), and various other topics as the men engage in their competition. This competition will escalate – with both physical and verbal pyrotechnics – as the show progresses.

This is essentially a story of friendship; being first is the point. The sometimes-simultaneous dialogue is delivered by Frank and Bill with spellbinding effect and is expertly synchronized, as are their humorous cellphone sound effects.

The actors remind us over and over again that they are on the beach of the bay every day all summer long. The Woman, Lisa, tells us that she is on the beach with two boys turning friends, turning back. She tells us that this is the beach, here is the bay; there is the point. She acts as the Lifeguard or Referee, “announcing” and controlling each round and each winner with shrill blasts of her whistle. We eventually learn that Lisa’s particular role resulted from a swimming race between her and the two men as children; a race that began playfully but ended tragically.

At first, the men seem to be strikingly similar, but by the play’s end, their distinct personalities have emerged as they advance through their never-ending game of one-upmanship. And while both men wear dark suits and have ties and briefcases, only one of them has a gun.

The tightly controlled choreographed duel/wrestling/fight scenes are a tribute to Director Tusing and to his student actors; their rapport in working together is evident as the play builds to its dramatic climax.

Abby Tucker has been acting at LHS since the Spring of 2014 (she portrayed Maggie in Lend Me a Tenor), and her bio notes state that Never Swim Alone is the hardest thing she’s ever done; she has tried her best to make Mr. Tusing’s vision come to life. She gives a poignant performance and lends an air of mystery to her character of the Woman in the one-piece blue bathing suit. She plans to attend college as a business major and hopes to open her own laser tag arena someday here in St. Mary’s County.

Eric Stoneman has appeared at LHS as Pirelli in Sweeney Todd and as Tito Merelli in Lend Me a Tenor. He plans to attend college and is interested in sound production for theater. His attention to detailed character development in Never Swim Alone is clear throughout, most notably as he meticulously pantomimes “walking” through his mansion – twice – to his secret room.

Jake Dodges has been acting for four years and has appeared with Newtowne Players, Port Tobacco Players, the Ghostwalks at Sotterley, and with the Watermelon One-Act Play Festival. He plans to attend the University of Mary Washington and to become a teacher of science or social studies. He believes that this script is “demanding”. He brings experience and dedication to his acting craft to his role as Frank with a conversational inflection and a natural style. The nuanced camaraderie created between the complex characters of Jake as Frank, and Eric as Bill forms the emotional core of this difficult theatre piece. Together, the three cast members function as a strong ensemble, reflecting a high-caliber level of maturity and of professionalism in bringing the play to life.

The beautifully designed poster and program are by artist and LHS art teacher Randy Tusing who has deftly incorporated the faces of Abby, Eric, and Jake into the beach scene.

Shannon Collins is the Stage Manager for Never Swim Alone. This is the fourth show she has stage-managed; she has acted in three one-act LHS plays.
Lighting Technician is Paige Stone and she looks forward to helping during the summer with the SMC Summer stock production as well as with the Watermelon Festival.

Sound Technician is Tyler Immel who has been with LHS theater productions for three years. He worked on Little Women, Sweeney Todd, Noises Off, and Lend Me a Tenor. He hopes to major in film-making and to study this subject in California.

Other thank-yous go to Mike Watson, Alison Dodges, Trish Drewello, Laurie Stone, Tucker, and Sarah Tyson.

The next production at LHS will be Legally Blond the Musical with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, and book by Heather Hach. Legally Blonde the Musical is based on the novel and film of the same name and will run April 15, 16, 17, 22 and 24.

For additional background information on the play you may access www.gothamist.com.

For more information regarding the LHS production of Never Swim Alone you may contact rltusing@smcps.org, or gjbarbato@smcps.org.