Portmanteau

Five strangers arrive in a remote village.  Eli wants to set up a mine, Verna wants to make a documentary, Maud wants to save the world, Jan wants work, and Agnes just wants a vacation.  As Maud and Eli battle for control over the village’s destiny, Jan and Agnes angle to get what they want out of the situation, while Verna stops at nothing to capture all the drama on film. This play was built to unpack out of suitcases, and play in any room it entered; it has invaded over a dozen rooms, each time molding its story into new architecture.  It has two possible endings, determined by whether the audience sides with Maud or Eli in the penultimate scene.

First performed at the 2010 Phildelphia Fringe Festival, Portmanteau also traveled to FronteraFest in Austin, TX; Actor’s Theatre of Louisville; North End Studios in Burlington, VT; Temple University; the New England Literature Program; and The Dragon’s Egg in Stonington, CT.

The Austinist

“This ‘invasion play’ strikes a rare balance in unconventional, interactive-ish theater: by using a relatively small space, and sticking to a pretty straightforward narrative built on familiar found texts, this hour-ish piece allows the audience member to get into the action without being forced to get too close…”
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The Inquirer

“Portmanteau has more the feel of watching a movie than a play, because we’re within feet of the action watching close-ups, which sometimes in a minor way include us… The timing of conversations and the logistics involved in delivering them reveal the storyline, no matter where you roam or what you witness. Portmanteau is meaty and curious – and as close to a piece of installation art as theater gets.”
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City Paper

“That it works at all is a considerable feat; that it’s consistently engaging without being overwhelming, that it creates a taut, cohesive, and compelling socio-political drama, and that it’s also very funny (MK Tuomanen is particularly hilarious and spot-on as the documentarian “Verna Werzog”) and frequently moving all speak to some serious ingenuity. Truly delightful.”
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Broad Street Review

“By themselves, the careful selection of dialogue and the fine acting create a compelling, innovative piece of theater. But Wright and Shaplin build another layer of innovation into Portmanteau with their “choose your own adventure” approach to the staging. …slowly, the marketplace setting and the brilliance of Wright and Shaplin’s idea worked their force.”
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