Courtney Lyons, Contributor
On Wednesday March 20, Little Theatre and UNITY presented “Reflections: A Night of Monologues.” Co-directed by Patrick Stouter and Dominic Vivolo, the program consisted of nine members of the Canisius community delivering monologues, the majority of which were written by the performer. In choosing this year’s theme of “Reflections,” Vivolo described how one’s mere mirror reflection is an incomprehensive depiction of their entire essence since we often “harbor a vision of ourselves shielded from public view.” Thus, Vivolo championed showcasing those “shielded visions” through the monologues, stating each performer’s purpose is to “show who they want people to see them as.”
Dr. Jonathan Lawrence’s “shielded vision” is encapsulated in his original work “Anywhere but here, Anyone but me.” In this monologue, he ingeniously flipped the titular phrase on its head, reflecting on his progression from dissatisfaction to contentment with life and his place in the world.
Similarly, Michael Dobrasz’s “What Can’t They Offer” challenged a pessimistic job interview question by imploring the audience to understand and appreciate boundless human capabilities, rather than try to discover “What [you can] offer that others can’t.”
Dobrasz’s performance was followed by Bria Winship’s tear-jerking “Flight 469 (Read to You While Holding Your Hand),” which captured grief in the most beautifully heartbreaking way as she flipped the pages of her notebook. Winship’s emotionally dense piece was offset by Alexa Gioia’s light-hearted, humorously delivered “I Really Like Birds” and Naturalle Miller’s optimism and motivation in pursuing an animation career in “A Piece of My Journey to Being Creative.”
Without the adornments of costuming, lighting or even a fellow cast member, a monologue forces the audience and performer alike to focus on language, intonation and emotion. From Stouter’s reading of Daisy Du’s “Divine Surrender” to Amanda Ostroske’s “Snapshots,” the performers were not lacking in any of those respects. All of the monologues were thought-provoking, compelling the audience to commit to their own reflections.