“An incessantly ringing phone, a cafe, a woman and a dead man”
Owens Community College is showcasing Dead Man’s Cell Phone this fall. The Pulitzer Prize finalist play takes to the stage at the Owens Center for Fine and Performing Arts Nov. 7, 8, 9 at 7:30 pm and Nov. 10 at 3 pm.
“An incessantly ringing phone, a cafe, a woman and a dead man,” John Toth, director and adjunct professor at Owens Community College, said, describing the award winning play as a “dark comedy,”that takes the audience on a journey of “morality, technology and how we memorialize the dead.”
Ring of a phone
The play follows Jean as she answers the cellphone that won’t stop ringing. The calls lead her on a mysterious journey to uncover details of the dead man’s life.
“She answers the cell phone and becomes part of his life. We learn a lot about her character when she answers his phone. She becomes embroiled in this mystery,” Toth explains.
The play, written by Sarah Ruhl, an award winning playwright and poet, had a run as an Off-Broadway production, where it was awarded the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play. “There’s so many layers to it. It’s so well written,” Toth said. “Sarah Ruhl has written so many other plays, but this one I always come back to because of how witty and how fast paced it is and how absurd it gets. I’m so glad that we are actually getting to do it.”
A powerful audience experience
“I want them to feel something. I think this is a really powerful play, but it’s also a really funny play. But I want them just to come out there and enjoy themselves, whatever way that may be. It doesn’t matter if they’re happy, sad, whatever. I want them to enjoy themselves, because I’m enjoying myself,” Toth said.
Toth has directed several plays and musicals throughout his career including The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Real Inspector Hound, All In The Timing and The Tempest. He also owns a local theatre company, I Hate This Stupid Bike Productions, that recently staged a production of Rocky Horror. As an Adjunct Professor at Owens, Toth teaches various classes including Introduction to Theatre, Performance Studies, Script Analysis, Introduction to Film and First Year Experience.
“I feel like sometimes, when people think of Owens Community College, they write us off as… ‘They’re just a community college. There’s nothing special about them,’” Toth said. “But really there’s a lot that’s special about us. We’ve got a lot going on, and we’re continuously doing so much for these shows, and doing so many good things. People just need to come see us.”
Dead Man’s Cell Phone tickets are available online at the Owens Community College website. $12 for general admission, $8 for students, faculty and staff. owens.edu/fpa/cfpa.
