Biology Lesson and Other Experiments
Written by Sandy Dietrick
Directed by Todd Ristau Performed April 28th - May 3rd, 2009.

Pieces and their actors:
The Biology Lesson: Elizabeth Matthews Jones
Dead Men Don’t Wear Mouths: Susanna Young
Alien, Baby: Natalie Trolier
The Search for Buck Boy: Martha Boswell
The Moth: La’Fawn Johnson
Keeping Track: Heidi Hostetler
Tunnel Vision: Nancy Lawrence
The Right Picture: Aimee Perkins
Lt. Col. Martha McSally, USAF: Megan White
Road Trip: Shannon Ariessohn
Sufiya: Aimee Perkins
All Good Boys Deserve Navels: Trina Yancey (and introducing: Brad)
Another Prom Night: Lianne Jackson

Bios:
Shannon Ariessohn (Road Trip, Costume Designer)
Shannon is from San Diego, California, and has been in love with theater for as long as she can remember. She is currently a freshman at Hollins University. Although she is majoring in Psychology, she is an active member of the Hollins theater community. She was Co-Wardrobe Supervisor for Hollins’ Spring 2009 production of Chicago. She plans to continue her theater experience at Hollins and also continue to be a part of Roanoke’s theater community.

Martha Boswell (The Search for Buck Boy)
Martha has been acting in community theatre since her debut with Showtimers in 1968. She has appeared in theatres in Virginia, Illinois, Texas and South Carolina. She met her husband, Charlie, at Mill Mountain Playhouse in 1973 where they were cast members in Anything Goes. When she and her husband retired and moved back to Roanoke in 2003, she was very happy to get to work occasionally at the Mill Mountain Theatre again. Her favorite roles have been Annie in Annie Get Your Gun, Mame in Mame, Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes and Sister Mary Hubert in Nunsense. Martha is thrilled to be in the first production here at Studio Roanoke.

Sandra Dietrick (Playwright) Sandy has acted and had her plays performed on both coasts and many points in between – including some of the finer theater-producing correctional facilities of the Midwest. She’s done some teaching, written some articles and created content for a variety of websites. A native Iowan, she currently lives in New York with her Fight Director husband. She's very thankful to Todd, the cast, crew and everyone at Studio Roanoke for giving these characters the opportunity to talk to a new audience.

Heidi Hostetler (Keeping Track)
Heidi is a film/photography and theater double major finishing her junior year at Hollins University. This is the 15th show she's been involved with here in Roanoke. Recent works include: Radio in Caroline, or Change; Savage in Savage in Limbo; Sure Thing (Director) and Chicago (Asst. Lighting Designer). She is so honored to be part of this production, and would like to thank Todd for this opportunity. And finally, she would like to remind you all that North Carolina girls really are the best in the world.

Lianne Jackson (Another Prom Night)
Lianne is a sophomore at Hollins University. She is a creative writing major and an active participant in the Hollins theatre department. Other interests include steel pan, chocolate, and those things called books that she used to have time to read. Her new favorite word is "Criminy," and she'd like to thank her mom for bringin' her up good.

LaFawn Johnson (The Moth)
LaFawn is a lover of theatre. She has been acting in plays since the age of 8. She was the winner of the local Act-So competition for Drama and was sent to compete for the Nationals in Wisconsin, performing Don't Tell Nobody. She played the Washing Machine in Caroline, Or Change at Hollins University, and Catherine in The Easter Dinner as well as many more. La'Fawn enjoys singing as well. She sings with her sisters and mother, 7 Seeds, and also is a praise and worship leader for her church. LaFawn plans to attend Virginia Western this fall.

Elizabeth Matthews Jones (The Biology Lesson)
Elizabeth believes her greatest accomplishments have occurred off stage as a wife, mother and grandmother, and is patiently awaiting grandson number two in May of 2009. After a 25 year hiatus to attend to things of a familial nature, Elizabeth is currently a student at Hollins University, studying Creative Writing and Theatre. When not busy with her studies, she spends her time on the deck of her Roanoke County home with husband Dick and Golden Retriever Puck, making up stories of the lives of the customers at the next door Ruby Tuesdays Restaurant. Highlights of her work in the theatre include: Nettie Fowler in Carousel; Same Time Next Year (Stage Manager); Lady Margaret Moore in A Man For All Seasons and Julia in A Delicate Balance.

Nancy Lawrence (Tunnel Vision)
Nancy is quite proud to be a part of the beginning of Studio Roanoke. She has been in a variety of comedies, dramas and musicals at both Showtimers and Attic Productions. Some of her favorite role include Annie Nations in Foxfire, Jewel in Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Martha Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace and most recently Sydney in Bubbles of Emotion. Nancy has been with Allstate Insurance Company for 24 years and is very happily married to husband Bruce and has 3 children and one new grandson Blake.

Meredith Levy (Stage Manager)
Merideth is honored to be officially stage managing her first production. A first year at Hollins University, Meredith is a theatre major who most recently appeared in Ramona Quimby and Chicago this past year. She would like to thank the cast and crew for being so patient with her learning curves and Todd for giving her this great opportunity.

Aimee Perkins (The Right Picture, Sufiya)
Aimee is a senior, psychology major at Hollins University. Theatre has evolved as her passion throughout the years and she has been a part of several main stage shows at Hollins including Chicago and Into the Woods. When she grows up she hopes to be successful in Theatre, pretty much anywhere they will take her. This is her first show at Studio Roanoke and she is thrilled and honored to be a part of this project. She would like to thank Todd for giving her this opportunity, her family for always being her biggest fans, her friends for being her family, and Hollins for affording her the opportunities that she has had over the last four years. I love you and I’ll miss you when I’m gone.

Katherine Osborn (Props Mistress)
Katherine is a Junior Theatre/Communication Major at Hollins University. She is very excited to be involved at Studio Roanoke and would like to thank Meredith for all her hard work and to everyone else involved.

Todd Wm. Ristau (Director) Todd is a distinguished graduate of the Iowa Playwright’s Workshop. He serves as Artistic Director of Studio Roanoke and also Program Director for the Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University, a unique graduate program in playwriting. Todd’s work has been performed in theatres across the US and England, including London’s West End. He founded No Shame Theatre in 1986 and oversaw its evolution into a national network of venues for new works in dozens of cities. He worked for four years with Mill Mountain Theatre as Literary Associate and oversaw its Underground Roanoke alternative programming and the CenterPieces Reading series.  In addition to his expertise in playwriting, Ristau is an accomplished director, designer, and an actor who has performed over 400 roles in academic, professional, and amateur theatres. He is an Active Member of the Dramatists Guild as well as a member of Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of America.

Natalie Trolier (Alien, Baby)
Natalie is privileged to be making her second on-stage appearance. Her only other role to date was in her high school’s production of A Greater Tuna, as Jody. Natalie is currently finishing up her junior year at Roanoke College with a major in English literature and creative writing. She is also a regular attendee, performer, and supporter of No Shame Theatre. She is grateful to have this opportunity and would like to thank Todd and Meredith for all their support and direction. Finally, she would like to say, “Sit back, relax, and please enjoy the anger.”

Megan White (Lt. Colonel Martha McSally, USAF)
Megan is so pleased to be a part of this wonderful cast! By day, Megan is a Development Associate for Center in the Square. Some of her favorite roles on the local stage include Elaine in Arsenic and Old Lace, the title role in Antigone, Gloria in Everybody Loves Opal, and Lisabette in Anton in Show Business. She would like to thank Todd for giving her this great opportunity to come as close as she could to fulfilling her father's dreams of her joining the Air Force. (Sorry Dad!)

Trina Yancy (All Good Boys Deserve Navels) Last seen on the Attic stage in Those Crazy Ladies in the House on the Corner, Trina is really excited to be performing with Studio Roanoke. Trina holds a BS in Communications with a concentration in Theater from JMU, class of '79 (that's 1979, not 1879) Some of her favorite roles have been in original works including Nurse Nella Larkin in The God Committee and Agnes, the funereal cosmetologist, in Coal Dust and Mountain Lust. Trina lives in Fincastle with her dear husband Dwayne, two children and their color coordinated pets.

Susie Young (Dead Men Don’t Wear Mouths) Susie is a senior theatre and dance major at Hollins University. She was last seen in the Hollins University Theatre's production of Chicago as Velma Kelly and she performed in several pieces for the Hollins Spring Dance Gathering. She is on her way to upstate New York for the summer to work as an assistant choreographer, then returns to Hollins in the Fall to finish up her last semester. She thanks her parents, Todd and Ernie, and her APO girls.

Sunny daSilva, our Resident Dramaturg (and also a student in the Playwright's Lab at Hollins University) interviewed the playwright. Here is a portion of their discussion:

What was the process involved in creating these monologues?

There's not really one single process for all of them. These pieces were all written for separate performances, over a number of years. I started out writing solo pieces for myself to perform in grad school. There was a late-night performance series in Iowa City called "Midnight Madness" that was a weekly venue for the graduate playwriting students. We wrote short pieces on an assigned theme, or set in a certain locale or incorporating a specific prop – whatever. Eventually, I did do a performance of all the pieces (that existed then) together.

When I moved to New York, I started doing performances in various downtown spaces. I continued writing pieces and threw a couple of them into the mix. And the two most recent ones (Sufiya and McSally – which I haven't performed) were written for a conference at Temple University in Philadelphia.

So, some were written in a hurry, some I took my time with. Some are based on actual people, some on an image or an urban legend. Usually, something appeals to me and I play with it mentally until I'm ready to write it down. Voila!

What do you see/define as the one phrase or question that ties together these pieces?

I don't know that there is one.

If you could choose one image to represent this work, what would it be?

Um, I'm not sure how to answer that one, either.

I understand that these pieces were written individually over an extended period of time. Did you see a theme developing as you were writing each new piece with a woman as the primary character? What was that theme?

I think I kinda covered that in my answer to #1. I will say that I've always found the state of being female, and how the world deals with humans who are female, to be interesting to write about. It just kind of shows up in a lot of what I do.

What would you like - if anything - the audience to take away from this play?

If they are struck by, and remember, any of the pieces – a story, or image or turn of phrase or laugh or individual performance – that would be great.

Do you have a favorite of all the characters?

Yikes. Tough question. I'm awfully fond of Mrs. Dahlsten. She was inspired by my 9th grade biology teacher. I owe my respect for scientific method to her.

Where are you in all of these women?

Um, I'm not really sure.

On a personal note - as a student playwright to an established one - are you aware as you are writing the deeper metaphor of the character and situation you are creating, or is that simply in the back of your mind - helping you shape the piece, or does that come to your realization after the fact? I am just really curious.

I'm not sure how "established" I am. But sometimes, yes, the metaphor was really present in my mind for some of the pieces. "Right Picture" and "McSally" come to mind. For others, not so much. That’s probably a consequence of having written them all as individual pieces. Does that help?

Director's Note:

This play is very special to me, and precious. Almost sacred, because this play is in some ways where my real life in the theatre began. When I first arrived at the University of Iowa back in 1981, I thought I had an idea of what theatre was because I'd been active in High School plays. The playwrights and actors working and learning in the theatre department back then were mindblowing in their creativity and innovation, and Sandy was someone who really stood out even among those extremely talented artists I found myself looking up to my freshman year.

There was this thing called Midnight Madness, and it was the forerunner of what I would later "create" and call No Shame Theatre. Madness was this weekly event that took place at midnight in an abandoned math classroom on the Pentacrest--Maclaen 301. Each week, members of the Iowa Playwright's Workshop had to write these short pieces on a theme assigned to them by the head of the Workshop. Sandy was in the Workshop then, and a lot of the pieces that are in this play I saw her perform herself in that crazy, amazing venue. She was also in this weird Grotwoski based improvisational mask company that only performed in prisons, called Geese Theatre Company (led by John Bergman, and I later joined it myself--performing in over 170 correctional facilites around the country).

I learned a tremendous amount about writing (and acting) from watching Sandy on stage performing her own work. I'm still learning a lot about both those things from my continued personal and professional association with her. To me, this is the perfect play to open Studio Roanoke. It combines my earliest influences in the theatre with interesting roles for a large number of Hollins theatre students and good roles for our local community theatre actresses who are often underutilized. It is also a perfect tie-in to No Shame, which was the spark that got Kenley interested enough in theatre to buy and start his own.

So, lots of good sparks here. I hope that someday, 20 years down the road, audiences, actors, and crew connected with this show look back on it as an inspiration for starting them down the path to a life in the arts.

I really want to thank Sandy for helping to start me down that path, and also thank Roanoke, because I couldn't have imagined a better place for that path to take me.
(Todd Ristau, Director)