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April 2, 2012wingspan.lccc.wy.edu16 WingspanWingspan 17Quirky and comicalCollege theater department to perform ‘Mere Mortals and Other Plays,’a series that showcases absurd yet hilarious works of David IvesWill HebertBy Jennifer StogsdillA&E WriterLiterature-writing monkeys, playwrightDavid Mamet, a Philadelphia,reincarnated construction workersand mayflies may sound like thebeginning to a bad joke. But unlikea bad joke, “Mere Mortals and OtherPlays” will incite real laughs from oddsituations.Laramie County CommunityCollege will perform “Mere Mortalsand Other Plays” by David Ives onApril 12–14, 20–21 at 7:30 p.m. andon April 15 at 2 p.m. at the LCCCPlayhouse.Director Jason Pasqua said: “Thereis not a heavy theme to the individualone acts. It’s just lots of fun.”The production is intended formature audiences only and featuresa group of five one-act scenes that“are each independent and self-contained,”Pasqua said.The first play, “Words, Words,Words,” is about a group of threemonkeys who are playwrights lockedin a room. They end up typing“Hamlet.” The monkeys are Kafka,played by Erin Williams; Swift, playedby Aaron Varnum, and Milton, playedby Matt Eleshuk.The next play, “Speed-The-Play,” isa condensed version of plays writtenby the playwright David Mamet.“Mamet has fast dialogue, andDavid Ives made that into a quickone-act play,” Pasqua said. This playfeatures Marcie Smith as The MC,and the rest of the actors are DominicSyracuse, Mark Schaad, PatrickMitchell, Jillian Janeski and BrooklynPratt.After that is “The Philadelphia,”which is a play about a day in whicheverything goes wrong. Pasqua saidpeople will enjoy this one because everyoneknows what it is like to have aday where nothing is going right. Thisfeatures Hannah Jones as the waitress;Mark Schaad as Al and Josh Kimmelas Mark.Next is “Mere Mortals,” a storyabout three construction workersand their “secret pasts.” This playfeatures Jonathan Allen as Charlie;Patrick Mitchell as Frank and DominicSyracuse as Joe.The final play is “Time Flies,” a playabout two mayflies on their first date.“The only thing to keep in mind isthat mayflies only live for 24 hours,”Pasqua said. This one features Schaadas Horace; Pratt as May and Dave Hallas Sir David Attenborough.Pasqua described the plays overallas “what it would be like if ‘TheTwilight Zone’ met ‘Far Side.’”What connects the different oneactsis they were all written by DavidIves and they all feature “extraordinarypeople or creatures in extraordinarysituations,” Pasqua added.Admission is $10 for adults and$5 for students, seniors and children.Reservations can be made by emailingboxoffice@lccc.wy.edu or calling307-432-1626.Will HebertJosh KimmelLay out by Shawn HavelBackground photo by Josh KimmelWill HebertMere merriment:From top left: Hannah Jones and Jason Pasqua rehearse “The Philadelphia”; Marcie Smith smokesa cigar in “Speed-the-Play,” Patrick Mitchell questions Dominic Syracuse in “Speed-the-Play, andAaron Varnum, Erin Williams and Matt Eleshuck argue about writing “Hamlet.”