mayfliesfast
a play by Lee Shackleford
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Mary Elizabeth McCown as Maria in the premiere production at UAB
Adam Fox as Gregorio (pretending to be a gargoyle) in the premiere production at UAB
Creed Bowlen as Frank and Nicole Sciacca as Alex in the premiere production at UAB
It's been described as the Perfect Play for University Theatre Programs -- thanks to its four challenging roles, simple set, and big ideas. The healthy mixture of comedy and tragedy only adds to the play's appeal.
The basic idea
Four gifted college students compete in a contest of intellect, with high-paying jobs as the prize. But in the process of answering the contest's probing questions, the four friends quickly find themselves at each other's throats and in each other's beds...
The show has its world premiere in April 2000 in the Odess Theatre at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, under the guidance of internationally renowned director Karma Ibsen. The response was powerful and immediate -- word-of-mouth from the first performance drove audience members to the box office, where the rest of the week's run was quickly sold out.
Audience notes from the world premiere:
"I came to the show on Tuesday night because it was a class requirement. But on Saturday night I came back to see it again."
"This play has changed my life. I never thought I'd say that about a play I saw in college, but it's true -- now I have to rethink everything I learned in school."
"This is my favorite show at UAB -- ever."
"Seems to me every university theatre in America should be doing this play."
"WOW! I loved every syllable. It is intelligent with sex and violence as an added attraction. Enticingly unpredictable!"
"MAYFLIESFAST is downright subversive -- and I mean that in a good way."
And this from UAB president Ann Reynolds:
"My husband, Tom Kirschbaum, and I greatly enjoyed MAYFLIESFAST. The production was well-paced and quite riveting. Tom thought the dialogue brought to mind the plays of Stoppard. This play should have 'good legs' and a real future ..."