FLCC students stage

CANANDAIGUA – The Finger Lakes Community College spring production is not one play, not two, but 14 short plays gathered under the title, The Ragged Middle: Twisted Tales of Infinity and Powdered Donuts.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 6 and Friday, April 7, and 2 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 8 in the main campus auditorium, 3325 Marvin Sands Drive.

Tickets at the door are $15 for general admission, $10 for seniors and non-FLCC students; free with an FLCC ID.

Jim Perri, FLCC technical director and production manager for the Visual and Performing Arts Department, took inspiration for the off-beat approach from The Twilight Zone, a science fiction TV series that ran from 1959 to 1964.

The plays are a mix of dramas and comedies, some by award-winning playwrights, and four that Perri wrote. He read about 100 short plays before narrowing the field to 40. “Once the actors were chosen, they had a say in whittling down the scripts,” he said. “They were able to offer the top three roles they wanted to play.”

Perri also had some practical reasons to stage an anthology.

Not every cast member is in every play. This makes it easier to make adjustments if someone falls ill. It also makes for flexible rehearsals, allowing for participation by alumni whose theater experiences were cut short by COVID-19.

Four of the 12 cast members are alumni: Juan Espana II ’20 of Penn Yan, Ben Koeberle ’15 of Clyde, Julia Corsner ’22 of Geneva, and Julia Diamond ’22 of Interlaken. Koeberle, a theatre arts graduate, is also a current student, having returned in 2021 to get an accounting degree.

“When I heard about the opportunity to be in the spring production, I jumped at the chance. It has been quite a journey getting to know and work with everyone in the cast and crew,” Koeberle said. “I’m hoping this production will be a steppingstone in future acting and theater projects following my time at FLCC.”

Koeberle is performing in three plays, including one of Perri’s called, “The Middle Space.” Perri also wrote “Dead Ringer” and “Dynamic Duo, Parts I and II.”

Plays by other authors are

The Best Escape, by Carolyn West; [PG] by Nat Gruca; Boxed In, by Ben Kingsland; Genesis, by Donald Tongue; If the Shoe Fits, by Tim Bohn; Hold For Three, by Sherry Kramer; Something in Common, by Robin Pond; The Maltese Walter, by John Minigan; Murder, by Bekah Brunstetter; and Best Lei’d Plans, by Kelly Younger. The latter four plays were published in The Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2016. The show includes an improvised piece called Beautiful Day.

“It is an interesting and mind-boggling show! I am excited to see how this will all turn out,” said cast member Christopher Kalen of Farmington. The remaining cast consists of Benjamin Clovis of Stanley, Clara Elwell of Naples, Victoria Armstrong of Honeoye, Echo Burke of Trumansburg, Benjamin Clovis of Stanley, Blythe Hodgson of Ithaca, Liam Houle of Canandaigua, and Red Steiner of Bloomfield.

The crew includes Kathryn Snyder on lighting and stage management, Brandon Wyand on sound and scenic construction, Skye Wyand on scenic art, Jeff Kidd on video and Sarah Spindler on costumes.

FLCC students stage

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