Theatre Ink’s The Big Meal tells a riveting and compelling one-act story through its unorthodox plot, small cast, and relatable characters.
Directed by seniors Emma Davis and Rachel O’Brien, the staged reading will run Oct. 17 and 18th at 7:30 p.m. in the Little Theater. Because it is a staged reading, The Big Meal actors will be able to refer to their scripts on stage.
According to Davis, The Big Meal takes place in a restaurant and focuses on a family as they grow over the span of 80 years. It includes important moments in the family that happen at the restaurant.
“What’s really unique about our show is that there’s only eight actors, but there’s a bunch of different characters,” said Davis. “If a character starts as a kid and then throughout the show grows up, they’ll switch the actor to be that age.”
The Big Meal also features an unconventional plot, according to O’Brien.
“There is a plot in the sense that you know what happens in the character’s lives,” said O’Brien. “It’s more about the character’s relationships and how those change over time and the family dynamics.”
O’Brien added her favorite part of the show is the script. “When we read it with our cast, a lot of the time, after we do a reading they’re like ‘oh my gosh that was so real,’” said O’Brien. “That’s something that’s really exciting to us because the messages of the show are so much more relatable to an audience.”
According to O’Brien, the set design for The Big Meal is sparse. There is a table and tablecloth with some basic props.
Additionally, for costume design, each character has “one statement piece.” Other than that, there is a simple all-black clothing look for costumes, according to Davis.
Because it is a staged reading, the rehearsing process for The Big Meal focused on being scrupulous about the timing of lines and dialogue in the show, according to Davis.
She added that because actors did not have to memorize lines, there was more time to develop characters.
“We’ve worked a lot on character development and creating real characters on stage that people can relate to,” said Davis. “We hope that’s something that comes across.”
