A Fool for Love Debuts with Two of Greendale's Acting Veterans

A heartwrenching exploration in the profundity of love and life, A Fool for Love by Sam Shepherd opened Friday, June 3, 2011 at the Alchemist Theatre in Bay View debuting two Greendale natives, Bethany Ligocki Peters and Jeff Ircink.

The one act play lasts only an hour and quickly delves into the deepest recesses of a relationship between characters May (Bethany Ligocki Peters) and Eddie (Alex Grindeland). Set in a dingy motel room in the Mojave Desert, May strives to move on with her life and leave the poor choices of her past behind. The man she has been with for the 15 years, Eddie, turns up unexpectedly and brings her back to the old life she had wanted to leave. Their story is a tumultuous one, which both realize is not meant to be, despite how much they still love one another.

The entire play is acted out by merely four actors, three of which remain on stage throughout the entire show. Ligocki Peters, the female lead, started acting at Middle School under the direction of then theater department director, Char Manny. Inspired by the many shows she acted in throughout middle and high school, Ligocki Peters chose to study theater performance during college and continues to act at local theater companies. This is her first performance at the Alchemist Theatre.

Despite the many shows she has performed in she claimed, “It’s a surreal thing being on stage the whole time. It can be draining because you don’t get a break and there are a lot of lines, but at the same time, you can’t leave character. You have to stay in the moment. Sometimes when you go off stage you can get distracted or psych yourself out. With the way this story is written and performed, you don’t have the option to leave the character’s world as the actor.”

A Fool for Love is particularly special for Ircink, who plays the Old Man. In 1997 he acted in the Riverside Theater’s production of the same play in Iowa City. In that rendition, Ircink played the role of Martin (played by Derek Burton Morris at the Alchemist). “Being a part of the same show again after all these years is really interesting,” Ircink explained. “It’s a wonderful play and I’ve learned so much more about it the second time. I understand now more fully what Sam Shepherd was trying to say and the subtext of the story. I can also hear and see flashbacks of the actors in the ’97 production I was in throughout the whole experience.”

This time around, Ircink plays a different role and it's one which the director of this production, Bo Johnson, has performed in the past.

“While receiving actor’s notes from Bo, I knew that he was hearkening back to his experience with the character,” said Ircink. “He really emphasized precision in delivery of the script; each word written is perfect he would tell us. It’s a short play, so Shepherd did not mince any words.”

For Ircink, the play is an exciting opportunity as his acting debut in Milwaukee. After years living away from Greendale, he has returned home and is excited about his first show at the Alchemist Theatre.

A Fool for Love runs through June 18 on Fridays and Saturdays. This coming Monday, June 6 there will be a special pay-as-you-can performance for those interested in seeing the show at a discounted price. For more information about the show or the Alchemist Theatre please visit www.alchemisttheatre.com.