PLAY SUMMARIES

A Grand Tour Upriver 

with Jacob Brock and Commodore Rose

Join us on a rollicking trip to Enterprise after the Civil War on the storied steamboat Darlington. Inspired by Harriet Beecher Stowe’s own “Grand Tour Up River” from her book Palmetto Leaves, the play celebrates a little-known chapter of Florida history—the untold story of steamboat captain Jacob Brock and the stalwart slave who saved his life in an accident, Commodore Rose, aka “the real hand on the wheel of the Darlington.” 

Commodore Rose began her career with Brock as part of a slave crew on a South Carolina cotton steamer called The Richland. Brock later acquired the steamer Darlington and brought the boat and Rose to Florida. Brock’s steamboat line would corner the market on regular service between Jacksonville, Sanford, and Enterprise, the premier destination on the St. Johns River. Rose was Brock's right arm in this venture from at least 1849 until his death in 1876, over 25 years.

Commodore Rose is a unique figure in Florida history—an African-American and a woman responsible for the successful operations of a major vessel on the St. Johns River at a time when this was unheard of. Though she is not found in history books, she remains a lasting part of the saga of the St. Johns River. 

A Grand Tour Upriver takes place in 1872 at the dawn of the “Golden Age of Steam Boating” on the St. Johns River. Tourism was beginning to mushroom thanks to the promotional literature of Stowe and other travel writers of the time. At the wharf in Jacksonville, boats filled up with phlegmatic invalids, wealthy adventurers, would-be settlers, and keen-eyed developers who made the journey to Enterprise and booked a room (or a pool table when things got crowded) at the Brock House, one of the finest northern style hotels on the river. 

The dialogue is drawn from nineteenth-century writers like Miss Eliza Leslie, author of etiquette guides for ladies, travel writers Ledyard Bill (A Winter in Florida) and James Stirling (Letters from the Slave States), and, of course, Mrs. Stowe. Through the lens of their observations, we experience the enchantment of floating along the water amid curtains of flowering vines; the excitement of exploring the country’s last untamed frontier; the optimistic idealism of settlers venturing into the wilderness with only a trunkful of tools and a vision; and the emerging realization that Florida's unique wildlife and pristine riverbanks would pay the price of tourism's amazing success. We also see the plight of newly-freed slaves trying to find their place in society and the animosity of arrogant New Englanders with their northern work ethic toward the "shiftlessness" of the slow-moving Cracker natives.

Although little is known about the real Rose, she is portrayed in the play as formidable, yet understanding and compassionate, qualities essential to dealing with privileged and demanding passengers. As a freed slave, she may have had to rely on devious methods to keep abreast of what was going on. One traveler observed, she was someone who “learned early on that life was a battle, and was determined to be on the winning side.”

It was said her voice could be heard above all others shouting orders on the landings, and when she and the captain conferred about things, it was "clear who had the upper hand." But it is she who saves the day when disaster strikes on the river, and when captain and passengers become mired in their own personal predicaments. As the real Rose might have said, “Evr'y day’s a trip upriver, fulla twists and turns and sandbars cain't no one see. Only one thing's for sure—we all gonna be stuck on one some time or other. We just have to help each other find a way off.”

Can You Hear Me Now? Love in the Cellular Age

A play that proves it’s never too late
 to discover (or rediscover) your soulmate…

This new and original production follows the mishaps of couples and siblings trying to work through difficult situations in their lives with the aid of technology or in spite of it. In a series of entertaining vignettes, aging high school sweethearts reconnect on Facebook and I-phones after forty years; an annoying cell phone user interrupts a meaningful interchange between two strangers on SunRail; a high school teacher tries to save her shopaholic sister from bankruptcy; and a wacky medicine man at a Spirit Lodge comes to the rescue of a troubled teen’s distraught mother. The play provides an uplifting and insightful message for everyone trying to navigate the electronic culture of our times.

In one vignette, two sisters, Arlene and Rene, go on the Dr. Lil Show to try to resolve their problems. Rene says Arlene’s life is in chaos—she goes on spending sprees, makes reckless investments, and relies on Rene to pay her bills. Rene confronts Arlene about her freewheeling lifestyle, but Arlene rationalizes her behavior.

Dr. Lil questions why Arlene spends so much and why Rene bails out her out, enabling her to live this way. Lil suggests that they attend a workshop on financial recovery held at the church in their hometown.  After Dr. Lil leaves for a break, Arlene gets mad and tells Rene that she has no intention of attending any workshop. They argue, and Rene tells Arlene she has never really known her. Arlene rebels and tells Rene to get out of her life. Arlene storms offstage in a huff, leaving Rene in tears.

Another vignette features Lauren, the neglected wife of prominent CEO, Mark, who spends all his time on his smartphone. Packing for a long-planned getaway, Lauren and Mark have a blow-up over Mark's workaholic issues. Lauren tells Mark to go back to his office--she has decided to accept a friend's invitation to go on a road trip out west instead.

At a Navajo Spirit Lodge, Lauren is meditating as she awaits her spiritual cleansing ceremony. Suddenly a bizarrely-costumed "Medicine Man" wearing a frightening mask and carrying a bag of shells, rattles, and animal bones explodes into the room chanting and yelling incantations. He dances wildly around the terrified Lauren wafting bird wings and incense sticks in her face. 

Lauren gets a call from Mark on her cell phone and yells for the Medicine Man to stop his antics so she can answer it. He drops his act and rudely listens in on their conversation, reacting to everything that is said. Mark tells Lauren that their teenage daughter Keesha has been arrested for possession of marijuana. Lauren is shocked and dismayed as Mark reveals details of the arrest. 

During the conversation, the Medicine Man becomes totally involved with their problem, yelling his own thoughts into the phone as Lauren angrily reacts. At the end, he gives Lauren some good advice about Keesha and yells into the phone that Mark shouldn't worry about a thing. The Medicine Man will take Lauren to the airport and get her on the next flight home. Lauren ends the call and starts to leave but makes two insightful observations about the supposed Cleansing Ceremony that didn’t happen.

  

Through it all runs the love story between Boomers Howie and Moira, a divorced salesman and a widow, who reconnect on Facebook after forty years. Howie comes off as a preening peacock full of himself, but is really insecure and struggling unsuccessfully to redefine himself in today's technology workplace. Moira, sweet and self-effacing, works at a spa tending to the needs and demands of wealthy customers, but never gets her own needs fulfilled. She has still not gotten over the death of her husband, Bernie, and this presents an obstacle to her blossoming relationship with Howie.

The two comical characters confront the challenges of finding romance in their Golden Years with humor and courage. The final scene brings everyone together at Pasquale's Pasta Palace with an annoying waitress and an off-key chiropractor who kicks off a rousing karaoke contest.