Reading of "The Antipodes" by Table/Read at Paikka

After two years at Boston University earning his MFA in Directing, #TCTheater artist Grant Sorenson is back in town and jumping right in making good things. He has plans for a new theater company (which will hopefully continue the great and interesting work of Arrow Theater), but for now, Grant has introduced a new and exciting monthly theater event - one-night-only readings of new plays, fittingly called Table/Read. That in itself is a really cool idea, but what makes this series truly unique is that the name of the play is not announced until the moment the reading begins. We always go into the theater knowing something about the work, even if it's just the title and playwright. But often the promotional materials, social media, and/or the program have information on what the play is about - a short plot summary, character descriptions, or even just the location and time period of the story. It's extremely rare to watch a performance and know absolutely nothing about what's going to happen. And that's exciting! The first monthly Table/Read did not disappoint, with an excellent choice of play read by a powerhouse cast of nine of #TCTheater's best actors that gave fully realized performances despite having just one zoom rehearsal. And it was preceded by drinks and conversation in the lovely courtyard outside Paikka, an event space in Vandalia Towers. But I won't get too attached to that; each reading will take place at a different non-traditional space. Follow Table/Read on Instagram or watch their website for details on the next monthly reading. And for artists - check out the artist nights, intended to be a place where artists can connect.

Literally seconds before the reading began, Grant (who directed the reading) told us that the play was The Antipodes by Annie Baker. I did not know the play, although the playwright sounded familiar, but I couldn't immediately place it. Until about halfway through the reading, when the similar structure and tone reminded me of Circle Mirror Transformation, to my knowledge the only Annie Baker play we've seen in #TCTheater (the Guthrie did it in 2010 shortly after its Off-Broadway premiere, followed by Yellow Tree Theatre in 2013 and Theater in the Round in 2021). I love that play for its realistic dialogue, awkward pauses, believable characters, and slice-of-life feel. The Antipodes feels similar to that play, except that it's set in a writers' room instead of in a community theater class. We meet a group of characters, follow them over the course of several weeks, with multiple scenes ranging from a few seconds to five or ten minutes. In a fully staged production scene breaks would be indicated by lighting and/or sound design, but here we had the ringing of a bell offstage (I'm assuming by Grant) to indicate a new scene. The actors sat around a table at one end of the event space, which fits this story about people sitting around a table talking. There were a couple of entrances and exits by characters, but for the most part the actors sat around the table reading from scripts, but adding so much to the reading by the way they were sitting or the way they reacted to and looked at each other. Friends, if you go to a reading in this town (including at The Playwrights' Center in their brand new space in St. Paul), it's never "just" a reading. Our acting community is so great that readings are always nuanced and meaningful performances.

Very quickly as we're thrust into the world of the play with no preamble, it becomes apparent that we're in some sort of a writers' room, for an unnamed sci-fi/fantasy TV series, or movie franchise, or video game. The head writer is Sandy (the great Robert Dorfman), who lays out the ground rules and runs the room, but is often absent due to personal issues and dealing with his bosses. His assistant Sarah (Anna Hashizume) pops in when needed to order lunch, and Brian takes notes (Michael Torsch on a laptop) while veteran writers (Nathan Keepers and Dustin Bronson) and those new to working with Sandy (Chris Paulson, Nathan Barlow, Emily Gunyou Halaas, Eric Morris) go around the table telling stories. Stories about anything and everything, and some of them are pretty wild! Of note, this is a writers' room with only one woman in it, which seems pretty typical of such places. The dialogue and situations feel so real (and not infrequently misogynistic) that one wonders if the playwright has found herself in such rooms. Some reviews I've read of the play criticize it for not really having a point, or not really going anywhere. But I kind of love that about it. There are lots of stories that never go anywhere, non-sequiturs, and plot points that are never followed up on, so it is kind of a rambling mess, but a highly entertaining one. And at its heart is about the nature of and need for storytelling itself, which is very relevant.

I would love to see a fully staged production of this play sometime, or any of Annie Baker's plays (including The Flick, for which she won a Pulitzer Prize). I would even love to see Circle Mirror Transformation again. Thanks to Table/Read and Grant Sorenson for bringing us this hilarious and one-of-a-kind new play. I'm looking forward to more fun surprises at future Table/Read events!