East Coast premiere of In the Middle of Nowhere

By Jeff Ault
BEACON COLUMNIST

posted Nov 18, 2008 - 5:10:18pm

In the Middle of Nowhere isn't just a typical reply a resident traveling abroad gives when asked where the heck DeLand is. It's also the name of a new dramatic play currently premiering at Sands Theater Center.

Penned by Connecticut playwright Kent R. Brown, the play was awarded first prize in the 2007 Beverly Hills Theatre Guild/Julie Harris Playwriting competition from a field of more than 300 entries. It won the Actors Playwriting competition the same year.

In January 2008, In the Middle of Nowhere was given a staged reading at Sands Theater as part of the DeLand Theatre Festival, and after minor tweaks, the play made its official world premiere in Santa Cruz, Calif., this past September. Sands Theater is only the second organization in the country to be granted rights for the show, and photos of this production will appear in the published script when it is released in 2009.

The two-character play is a stylized production, making it exciting for those wishing to see something new and out of the ordinary. The story unfolds in a small, rural town "in the middle of nowhere," where an aging Rebecca Pender (Rene Sands) watches world events and allows her fears to gradually take control. Over the course of time, a Pandora's box of suspicion is unleashed, changing the way she and her husband live and interact with the world around them.

It's part mystery, as you watch and try to figure out characters' thoughts and actions. And it's part romance, as you witness each member of a couple try to understand their loved one and the changes they go through over time. Relationship squabbles, conversations with the grandkids and tender, personal moments between the two actors help the common person not only identify with them but also think about world events and how they impact our everyday life.

As a special treat for local arts supporters, DeLand resident Rene Sands stars opposite Clark Adams in In the Middle of Nowhere.

Rene Sands, Sands Theater Center's original producing director and well-known arts patron, has staged and acted in dozens of productions through the years. Along with her husband, Larry, the two are not only the namesake of the theater, but have been the heartbeat of the organization as well as much of DeLand's cultural scene for more than 25 years.

"Presenting a new play is a challenging experience, and a juicy role for a 'mature' actress is a special bonus," Sands said. "The play intrigued me the first time I read it, and it only gets better as I study it."

Adams is a seasoned veteran of Sands Theater. During the past two years, he has directed two festival plays, Breathing Water Instead of Air and Mend, as well as the recent Stage II production The Complete History of America (Abridged).

Together, Adams and Sands will take on the task of capturing the hearts and minds of a theater audience.

"I'm looking forward to it," Adams said. "Rene was the one who got me hooked on theater almost two decades ago, and being able to perform onstage in such a challenging role is a real treat. I feel like I've come full circle."

"There is a lot of depth to the play as the two characters go through a tremendous change over the course of the story," Adams added.

Directing the show is New York actor/director Stewart J. Zully, who is returning to DeLand after directing the January play reading. For the 2007 DeLand Theatre Festival, he also directed Khalass, a play set on the great pyramids of Egypt. Zully's professional credits include The Sopranos, Law and Order, Becker and Spin City.

Zully understands the complexities of In the Middle of Nowhere and found it compelling.

"The crux of this love story is how their innocent lives go astray because of a husband's love for his wife that transcends any trauma or obstacle," he said.

In Brown's author notes, he describes how In the Middle of Nowhere evolved for more than six years, with its infancy just a simple one-minute monologue titled "The Lawn Stealer." The idea was sparked one night when Brown's wife was up late peeking out the blinds and he jokingly commented, "Honey, what's the matter? Are you afraid someone's going to steal our front lawn?" and as the cliché goes, the rest is history.

Brown states that he is "not attracted to simple theatre," which is overwhelmingly evident in this piece. He has tackled one human fear we all seem to face at some point in our lives, the fear or "sense of abandonment," which makes the show so easily identifiable with so many people from diverse backgrounds.

In the Middle of Nowhere runs through Sunday, Nov. 23, at Sands Theater Center. It plays at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, Friday, Nov. 21, and Saturday, Nov. 22, and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23.

Sands Theater Center is located inside the Cultural Arts Center, half a mile north of downtown DeLand at 600 N. Woodland Blvd. Ticket prices for the show are $18 for adults and $10 for students with a valid school ID. To order tickets, call the box office at (386) 736-7456 or log on to to www.sandstheatercenter.com.

— Jeffrey Ault is the executive director for Sands Theater Center. His career spans radio, TV, film, theater, and corporate production in 28 states, Europe, Canada, Bermuda, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. He can be reached at JDAult@aol.com.

— JDAult@aol.com

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