Press Release: “Lopsided” at Cotuit Center for the Arts

Cotuit Center for the Arts and WatermelonAlligator Theatre Company present the New England regional premiere of “Lopsided,” a play by EA Kafkalas, October 10 through 27 in the Black Box Theater. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 PM, and Sunday at 2 PM.

How long, and how tight, should you hold on to a part of yourself that's no longer there? It's the most wrenching question in Kafkalas’s searching drama, "Lopsided." The play explores the raw side of breast cancer, from the scars of surgery to the damaged self-image. At the same time, it embraces a sense of strength and hope, reminding the audience that the membrane between being shallow and being human is paper thin.

Four college friends have reunited in London for the marriage of their friend, Dr. Mary Lewis. Megan, a photographer, discovers her best friend, Laurie, a high school teacher, has been fighting breast cancer for the past seven months. Laurie kept her illness a secret from Megan because Megan lost her lover to inflammatory breast cancer. Despite Laurie’s positive attitude, her self-esteem has been shattered by the mastectomy and her ex-boyfriend’s insensitivity. Complicating Laurie’s weekend is the thought of seeing Gail, who still believes that Laurie stole her boyfriend in college.

“Playwright EA Kafkalas has created a beautiful piece that reminds us that life goes on, sometimes not like we planned, sometimes not as we expected, and sometimes even when we feel it shouldn’t,” said the show’s director, Garrett Olson of Pembroke, who is associate artistic director of the WatermelonAlligator Theatre Company.

“She has given us an opportunity to give thought to the person and not the disease. We have an opportunity to see things through eyes of fear, friendship, jealousy, and laughter. The play also speaks to the bonds of friendship that have years and distance between them, but no less love, intimacy, familiarity, and trust.”

The cast includes Julie Butler of Pembroke, Ian Rubinstein of Bourne, Susan Salvesen of Marion, Victoria Smith of Mashpee, and Jess Wilson of Onset, who also appeared in the world premiere of “Lopsided.” The production is stage managed by Annie Rossi of Wareham.

“This is a remarkable cast,” said Olson, “whose talents and passion make my job as a director an easy one as we create what I hope is an evening of theater that makes the audience rethink stereotypes and provokes a new level of awareness past the traditional ‘thought and prayers.’ I hope there is a true realization that the true beauty of a woman is not her physical attributes, but her character, her strength, her confidence, and her opinion of herself.”

Kafkalas is a novelist and playwright. Her plays, “Lopsided” and “Pandora’s Golden Box,” have been performed in Texas, Pennsylvania and New York. Her novels include “The Second Heart,” “Soul Mistakes,” “Out of Grief,” and “Frankie & Petra.”

Kafkalas has worked in the theatre as an actor, director, and producer, and is a member of the Golden Crown Literary Society. In her spare time, she is a mixed media artist working with clay and acrylics.

Tickets are $20, $15 for members. Cotuit Center for the Arts is at 4404 Route 28 in Cotuit. For more information, visit www.artsonthecape.org or call 508-428-0669.

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What:

“Lopsided,” by EA Kafkalas

Where:

Black Box Theater, Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Route 28, Cotuit

When:

October 10 to 27, Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 PM; Sunday at 2 PM

Admission:

$20, $15 for members

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