The Duncan Macmillan piece digs deep into the emotional and societal triggers that lead one down the path of addiction, and The Sandbox Collective imbues it with a good dose of humanity.
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Bela Padilla, as Emma, and Jake Cuenca, as Mark, were able to effectively capture the fraught dynamic of two people caught between denial and acceptance in rehab.
Photo from Bela Padilla (@bela) on Instagram
The group meetings are a focal point for PPT, as each character explores the many reasons why they were driven to addiction.
Photo from @thesandboxco on Instagram
Over the past few decades, addiction and mental health were considered afflictions hanging over society’s head like Damocles’ sword, with conversations whispered in dark corners than out in the open. Modern mindsets have since opened the floodgates on such discourse, making room for greater empathy, inclusivity, and inroads to recovery and healing on all fronts.
The Sandbox Collective explores the impact of addiction and mental health on both the person and those around them in their current production, a staged reading of Duncan Macmillan’s People, Places, and Things (PPT), which is on a very limited run this weekend (August 15 to 16).
PPT marks the directorial debut of Sandbox’s artistic director, Sab Jose-Gregorio. It is also the third Macmillen work that the company has staged, after critically-praised runs of Lungs and Every Brilliant Thing. This piece aligns with, as Gregorio explained during last night’s open technical-dress rehearsal, their “focus on advocacy theater, and telling stories that shine a light on issues and discussions that impact our audience.”
In PPT, the central character, Emma, is forced to zero in on her myriad of excuses to justify her addiction to drink and drugs as she checks herself into a rehab clinic. Her time there becomes a navigation of human frailty and stubbornness, laced with hubris – told from her point-of-view, and that of the doctors and patients there. Each one broken, struggling, and ultimately castigated by a self-righteous Emma.
Playing the central character in this show was Bela Padilla, who makes her theater debut in PPT. She proves her mettle as an actress, going for the difficult scenes at full throttle. Bela fully captures Emma's unhinged manic nature, of a woman teetering on the edge. All the emotions and the lashing out feel fully-fleshed out. Except, as the reading progresses, she seems hard-pressed to fully shed that skin for one whose character has earned her 'diploma' from rehab. The actress makes up for it with a moving performance in PPT's penultimate scene.
Bela alternates in the role with multi-awarded theater and film actress Gabby Padilla.
The reading's most compelling narratives happen during the group meetings. The ensemble, made up of formidable theater talents Reb Atadero, Brian Sy, Miel Abong, and Pam Imperial, dug deep into the all too human cost of addiction. If only there were more pages and lines and backstories given to them, but that is a function of the material and cannot be helped. Jake Cuenca's Mark makes for a good counterpoint to Emma's mania as he pushes her from denial to acceptance.
For theater veterans Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, Audie Gemora, and Robbie Guevara – every line already felt as though there was a whole broken life lived behind them.
If there was one thing that got in the way of the storytelling was the lack of clear transitions between scenes and the passage of time. As a staged reading, it did not have the obvious benefit of a set to define spaces and movement, relying heavily on light and sound cues, and Salve Villarosa van Schoonhoven as the main narrator. Even then, it was difficult to tell if all those meetings were happening in one day, or as it turned out, five weeks (or maybe more). That said, it would be interesting to see PPT as a full production.
People, Places, and Things is the kind of theatrical piece that dares the audience to confront their own dark sides. Whatever that looks like. For its characters, the reasons for their addictions run the gamut of the simplistic and mundane, or the ensuing weight of childhood trauma, and even succumbing to societal pressure. Macmillan’s writing holds space for all that discourse, while the Sandbox Collective’s staged reading harnesses it into a form where it feels real for everyone in the room. It sparks a pause to think about what affects, drives, or even heals you. A pause that feels, in this frenzied world, not just prescient but necessary.
The Sandbox Collective’s People, Places, and Things is on a strictly limited run just this weekend - August 15 at 7:30PM and August 16 at 3:00PM and 7:30PM – at the Blackbox, Proscenium Theater, Rockwell, Tickets are available at Ticket2Me, and they’re selling fast.
