Greg Romero, playwright and resident writer for ArtsEdge, recently shared the early stages of his latest work-in-progress Dandelion Momma. Inside the intimate, shabby-chic space of Kelly Writer’s House on University of Penn’s campus, Romero and director Wally Zialcita hosted a small gathering, fusing together art, dialogue, and food. The first half of the play was presented as a fully staged reading; the second half had the actors sitting down, reading in character but without any blocking.
Dandelion Momma follows the lives of a little girl and her dreams, a young couple’s search for identity while surviving through the Great Depression, and a one-hundred-year-old woman recalling memories of years past. The script was full of crisp and superbly simple dialogue that expertly created layers of meaning to the story. Romero’s choice to present his play in its early stages with this mix of staging and listening allowed the audience to imagine what the play might become and and left them wanting to see what happens when the play is fully realized.
Dandelion Momma is not yet ready for public view but if the in-progress performance is any indication, this will be an engaging piece, as well as one that instills a new found appreciation for the impact of a dandelion.
–Jennifer Burrini
Photos property of Kelly Writer’s House. Top photo: Brenna Schiman. Bottom photo: Brenna Schiman, Wendie Hetherington, Kevin Bergen, and Miriam White.
