When
a predatory caller more interested in discussing football than
his crime drags jock talk DJ Liz Jones and her producer Demetrius
Washington into his twisted world, they both find themselves faced
with hard decisions about the young people in their lives.
Full of suspense and insight, this deeply personal story asks hard-hitting questions about how to keep our children safe in a world full of prejudice and cruelty.
The cast of Stand included Joseph Albright, Sandra Birch, Brigit Mikusko, Maggie Smith, Jacquese Ryon Smart and Lynch Travis.
Critics' Quotes
"... Sandra Birch’s mesmerizingly authentic performance as fabulous sports babe Liz Jones... The actors work well together; Anthony Caselli is the director who has them all dance to the music." Martin F. Kohn "Director Anthony Caselli draws fine performances from his six-member cast, particularly from (Joseph) Albright and (Sandra) Birch, a non-sports fan incapable of not giving her all to a role." Christopher Potter Purple Rose’s Stand peels veneer off life’s illusions Tom Helma Steve Daut |
Photos by Danna Segrest
Everyday
people face a kidnapper
"Every
once in awhile, a piece of live theater comes along to remind
us why we go to see live theater in the first place. It is
live, it is immediate, it is in your face, and it seems a whole
lot more real than anything we see on the screens, big and
small. Such is the case with Stand, the Purple Rose
Theatre Co.’s current production... Action centers on
the irresistible caller Arnold Anderson, played by Joseph Albright,
who is the chillingest psychopath to show up in a theater in
a very long time... (Sandra) Birch does a masterful job in
the lead role of Liz Jones... Stand is not an easy piece of
fluff, not a touchy, feel-good kind of play. It peels the veneer
off the idea we sometimes entertain in our daily illusions – that
if we just have a positive attitude towards life – whistle
a happy tune – that the rest of our world, the ugliness
and the violence, will just go away. As we all know when we
stop to think of it, not really, eh? Best play I’ve seen
in a long time."
" (Joseph)
Albright is absolutely chilling as the soft-spoken, almost
jovial monster who puts no more value on human life than
on the point spread of a football game. I know this guy is
just acting, but I’m telling you if I ever see him
in a dark alley I’ll run away as fast as I can."