Student actors relate to play involving sexuality

While the characters in the latest Cave Studio Theatre show “Speech and Debate” struggle with sex scandals and blackmail onstage, their student actors have been dealing with presenting a play that hits close to home.

In the play, lonely high school student Diwata, played by junior acting major Sophia Foldvari, engages in “well-meaning blackmail” to get fellow classmates to join her speech and debate team. Among this band of misfits are Solomon and Howie, played by Jacob Barnes and Gardy Gilbert, who are both sophomore acting majors.

Throughout the show, Solomon attempts to write a news article about the mayor’s recent sex scandal, as well as uncover the secrets of a high school teacher’s, both of which involve same-sex relations, which makes them almost unspeakable in their conservative town.

Howie is an openly gay senior in high school who has just transferred to the Salem, Ore. high school from a more liberal school in Portland. Howie tries to balance starting a gay-straight alliance club at the new school while attempting to avoid drawing too much attention to himself.

“He’s trying to remain unknown, which is kind of difficult when you are trying to be openly gay in this religious, conservative town,” said Gilbert.

Many of the actors in this performance were able to relate to the show on a personal level. For Barnes, the show’s focus on sexuality hit close to home. It allowed him to draw on his personal experience of being in the closet in high school.

“What’s been hard for me is going back to that place,” he said.

Gilbert said that he can especially relate to Howie when it comes to his own sexuality and his ability to be open about it. As a gay man who has yet to come out to his parents, he empathizes with Howie’s struggle to be comfortable in his own skin.

Gilbert can see the events in the play from both perspectives. He comes from a religious household where sexuality was barely discussed, as well as a performing arts high school where “it wasn’t a big deal.”

“It’s been a lot about not letting [being gay] be the only characteristic my character has ... it is just a tiny piece of my puzzle,” he said.

Emily Kipp, the director of the play, said she's had to be mindful of putting on a show that investigates sensitive subjects and consider the effect it might have on her actors.

“I don’t want to dig too far into [painful memories], but I also want to find ways to use that past and those memories to find their characters and to find their ways in the world,” she said.

In order to do so, Kipp said she has worked to maintain a healthy and “open conversation without pushing.” The fact that the group of artists were already friends has helped with this process. They got together many weekends and found themselves talking about these issues organically. 

“One day, Jacob opened up about how a scene really impacts him because [his character] was him in high school, and that led into everyone else talking about stuff,” said Kipp.

The play deals with serious subjects, but it’s still a comedy.

“[The play] deals with them in a light way,” said Kipp. “It treats them as serious issues without making them dramatic or sad.”

Foldvari, who plays Diwata in this show, said there is a quote at the end of the play that summarizes how she sees their performance.

“A reporter is writing a story about their team, and she basically says, about the show they are creating, that ‘if you go to listen, you will leave talking,’” Foldvari said.

Barnes agreed. The quote is a “beautiful statement” about the nature of their production, she said.

“You will go and everyone will be talking about something different,” he said.

The show will cover topics including gay rights, abortion, scandal, politics and others.

“This show is very relevant to today’s audience and hits on a lot of the big ones people have a lot to say about,” Barnes said.

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