Suffield Players' Latest Production Opens Thursday

With its latest production set to open Thursday, the Suffield Players community theater troupe is officially in “Hell Week.” The show will be the group's interpretation of the comedy "Criminal Hearts" by playwright Jane Martin.

Technical Director Jerry Zalewski, a 32-year veteran with the Suffield Players, described the challenges presented by the latest show due mainly to a tighter production schedule of barely six weeks as opposed to the usual seven to eight, as well as the addition of a new hybrid lighting system.

The new system, with a light board and several LED lights, replaces a 24-year-old system that was nearing the end of its useful life. Purchased with the aid of the Friends of Suffield and the Amil Zak Foundation, the state of the art lighting equipment was delivered last Tuesday and, according to Zalewsky, “the learning curve is steep.”

The LED lighting allows for effects usually only achievable through the use of gels over the lamps accessed through software on the light board. More traditional lamps are used for higher output lighting as the LED technology has not fully replaced the traditional lights, hence the hybrid name.

“The Suffield Players have always striven to be amateur in name only,” said Zalewsky of the technical parts of the play, “and the audience will notice none of it, and that's the way we want it to be.”

The goal of the set crew is to create an environment that suspends the disbelief of the audience. The setting for "Criminal Hearts" is an apartment in Chicago.

“If we can make it real enough, so that only a few lines in, everybody can believe it is an apartment in Chicago, then we did our job.”

Zalewsky was secretive about some of the details of the set, as they will be integral to the story of the play, but he did say that the use of furniture made the set unique. The audience will understand, he implied, when they see the show.

Director Kelly Seip's concept for the set included curved interior walls, which were a bit of a challenge for the amateur carpentry skills of the set builders.

As technical director, Zalewsky is responsible for all parts of the play that do not involve the actors, including lights, sound, and set.

The play itself is a dark comedy about an unlikely partnership formed after a burglary attempt. The identity of the playwright is one of the great mysteries of modern theater. Jane Martin, the author, has never made any public appearances despite having produced 10 plays and having been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. She is rumored to be the pen name of retired Actors Theatre of Louisville artistic director Jon Jory, though Jory denies the claim.

"Criminal Hearts" is a comedy, however, not a mystery, and Zalewsky said to the community, “Please consider this an invitation to come out and laugh with us!”

The play will be opening at the Mapleton Hall, at 1305 Mapleton Avenue on Thursday, Feb. 9, running through Feb. 25.

For information on tickets and show times, please visit the Suffield Players Website.