The Driftwood Players opens Northwest playwright Jeff Stilwell’s new one-act comedy “Traffic Stop” Feb. 18 as part of the theater company’s Alternative Stages series.
“The Driftwood Players is moving in the direction of performing original works, making us one of the few regional theatres outside of downtown Seattle, and we’re quite proud of that,” said managing director Gregory Magyar. “I chose [Traffic Stop] because of the play itself — it’s a simple drama, really, a true drama, and the characters surprised me.”
“The drama of a traffic stop might appear mundane,” “Traffic Stop” director Zanne Gerard said. “However, this play takes the stereotypes we expect and opens them right up before the audience like a psychological striptease. In this chance meeting between two strangers, there opens a possibility of spiritual and intellectual communion.”
“Traffic Stop” is a comedy about a woman trying to talk her way out of a speeding ticket but quickly finding herself lost in a vibrant give and take about the meaning of life.
“It was an interesting play to write,” Stilwell notes. “Two characters only on the stage without any scene changes or major plot interruptions to carry the flow of the story. How do you keep that compelling? ‘Pacing’ became my answer. If I’ve done my job properly, the writing should carry the actors and the audience through the story sometimes at break-neck speed, sometimes with heart-arresting stops. All done in an enthralling manner that wakes you the next morning thinking about what you saw the night before.”
“Traffic Stop” is also being entered by the Driftwood Players into Kaleidoscope, the Northwest’s regional small play competition, this spring. The competition, hosted at the Little Theatre of Walla Walla from March 9 to 11, features theatre companies from around the state performing some of their best work. The winning work will move to the regional competition facing off against works from Oregon, Idaho and Alaska.
A member of the Dramatists Guild, Stilwell’s previous plays staged locally include “No Middle Ground” and “Penny Upstart and the Widget War.”
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