There comes a time in every parent’s life when he must entrust the care of his child to another. Babysitter, daycare worker, school teacher—eventually, we give up control.
If you’re like me—more maternal than anything else—this is a frightening proposition. No one will care for my baby the way I do.
As with most things, when looking for someone to share my most treasured treasure with, I use intuition. Sure, I observe character revealed in unguarded moments, but how I feel about the person—what I know without knowing anything is how I make my final decision.
Recently, I entrusted my novel, “Double Exposure,” to Jason Hedden, an actor, producer, director, and a professor at Gulf Coast Community College. This fruit of my loins (and other parts of me) that had gestated inside of me for so long, that I had carried and labored over and had given birth to, this truly beloved child of mine, I gave to Jason.
Jason took “Double Exposure,” a novel, and turned it into “Double Exposure,” an extraordinary theatrical experience. I was right to give Jason my book, and I couldn’t be happier with what he’s done with it.
Jason Hedden is a theatrical genius.
With an amazing vision from the very beginning, Jason carefully, thoughtfully, magnificently adapted a book into a play—a play that honors the book as much as another art form can, one that uses the strengths of theater to lift the story off the pages and set the characters and events twirling across the stage.
I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to watch Jason work, to witness firsthand his enormous effort, his respect for the book, his dedication and determination.
Each night I’ve attended rehearsals, I’ve had the experience of encountering people and places and events from my dreams. It’s a singular, surreal phenomenon.
“Double Exposure,” the theatrical experience, presents the book in a way that combines the best of the original text with the best of staged drama. Characters speak narration as well as dialog, bringing a literary quality to the play unlike any I’ve ever seen. The use of minimalist sets encourages, even forces, the audience to use its imagination in a way not unlike the book.
In the book, I mention that a prominent voice inside the main character’s head is that of his dead father’s. Genius Jason took that and used it to dramatize the experience—for the characters and the audience—by having the deceased father on stage talking to his son.
One more example of genius: In the book, the main character, a photographer, thinks about the greatest photographs ever taken, in an attempt to calm himself in a severely stressful situation. It would have been easy to project the iconic images onto a screen on the stage, but Jason staged them with actors—bringing them to life and preserving the poetic descriptions of them from the book.
Jason Hedden’s play, “Double Exposure,” has my highest recommendation. I hope you’ll see it. Of course, I hope you’ll read the book first, but if you decide not to, it wouldn’t bother me nearly as much as usual because of how much like reading a book Jason’s remarkable production really is.
Here’s more information about the play from the college:
Tickets have gone on sale for GCCC’s latest theatre production, “Double Exposure,” the world premier stage adaptation of local author, Michael Lister’s newest novel. “Double Exposure” is a suspenseful tale of life and death set in the swamps of the Apalachicola River Basin.
The performances will take place in the GCCC Theatre Lab, also known as the black box, which is extremely popular with local audiences. However, due to limited seating, advance purchase of tickets is strongly recommended.
“Double Exposure” will show from Wednesday, November 18, through Saturday, November 21, at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, November 21 and 22, there will be matinee shows at 2:30 p.m. Please be advised that this production is for mature audiences only. Tickets can be purchased at the GCCC Visual and Performing Arts office in the Amelia G. Tapper Center. Box office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. until all tickets are sold out. Any remaining seats will be sold at the door. Doors open 30 minutes prior to curtain time and no one will be admitted once the performance starts.
Tickets are on sale for $10. Gulf Coast Community College students, retirees, faculty, staff and dual-enrolled students may pick up their free ticket at the Visual and Performing Arts Division office (ID required). Alumni get a 50 percent discount when presenting their alumni membership card.
For more information, call Sherri Renfroe at 872-3886.
(Picture by Jordan Marking)
ALSO . . .
The Visual & Performing Arts Division at Gulf Coast Community College is proud to present “Adaptation,” a collection of photographs inspired by Michael Lister’s latest novel, “Double Exposure.” The exhibit focuses on black and white photography techniques.
Gulf Coast Community College’s photography I and II students created the photography which represents a wide range of visual interpretations of the text. The artists have endeavored to create thoughtful works that reflect a variety of the novel’s themes, both literal and otherwise.
The exhibition will be held at Gulf Coast Community College’s Amelia G. Tapper Center in the Main Gallery. The Opening Reception will be on Wednesday, November 18, from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. The Exhibit will remain open until November 20.
If you have any questions or would like to visit the gallery, please contact Tammy Marinuzzi at tmarinuzzi@gulfcoast.edu or call 769-1551, ext. 2890.
