by Elizabeth Kennedy

Carolyn Cantor and Artistic Director Hal Brooks helm shows this weekend and next

Since 1995, The Cape Cod Theatre Project has striven to develop new American plays each summer.  Nearly sixty plays have been developed in picturesque Falmouth, Massachusetts over the past seventeen years.  Notable actors who have participated in The Cape Cod Theatre Project include Anna Paquin, Bill Pullman, Amy Ryan, and Rip Torn.  Many plays developed at The Cape Cod Theatre Project have gone on to Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional productions around the country.

Originally founded by Andrew Polk and Jim Bracchitta, Directors Project Alum Hal Brooks was named Artistic Director last year.  Brooks was no stranger to The Cape Cod Theatre Project; he directed Annie Baker’s Nocturama in 2008 and Aladdin Ullah’s Indio in 2009.  As Artistic Director, Brooks’ mission is to get “people to come up to Cape Cod and create beautiful works of art in a beautiful setting.”  His inaugural season features four plays: Mike Daisey’s The Orient Express (Or, The Value of Failure), Bess Wohl’s American Hero, Joshua Allen’s Chrysalis, and Neil LaBute’s The Money Shot.  Two of these plays are directed by Directors Project Alumni; Brooks helms Chrysalis, while Carolyn Cantor directs The Money Shot.

Chrysalis is a coming-of-age story.  The play revolves around a precocious preteen girl, Violet, who is in love with her older step-brother, Ian.  When their parents mysteriously disappear, Ian must raise Violet.  What happens when Ian brings home a girlfriend?  The end result, according to Brooks, is a dark and comic play “about the awkwardness and beauty of change.”  Reyna de Courcy, Daniel McCabe, Colby Minifie, and Danielle Skraastad star in Chrysalis, which runs July 19-21.

Prefer something lighter?  The Money Shot, which runs July 26-28, is a comedy about two Hollywood celebrities who must find a way to tell their respective partners about the real love scene they are shooting the next day.  Director Carolyn Cantor says the play “has a satirical edge and is very funny.”  The Money Shot reunites Cantor with Neil LaBute, her collaborator on 2007’s In A Dark Dark House.  While In A Dark Dark House had some humor, Cantor says “it’s undercurrent was much darker” than The Money Shot.  The play will also reunite Cantor and LaBute with Fred Weller, who starred in In A Dark Dark House and will star in The Money Shot.  The play, which runs July 26-28, will also star Gia Crovatin, Ali Marsh, and Robin Weigert.

Ultimately, Brooks believes “when people are treated well, are relaxed and surrounded by beauty, good things can happen.”  Interested in taking a trip up to scenic Massachusettsthis summer to see either of these shows?  The Cape Cod Theatre Project Box Office number is 508-457-4242.  Tickets can also be purchased online at capecodtheatreproject.org.

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