December 6–13, 2001
arts picks|theater
Heckler
Bill Corbett is perhaps best known as the voice of Crow T. Robot on the modern-day cult-classic TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000, during the show’s final years on the Sci Fi Channel. But his talents stretch beyond making fun of the worst movies ever made. A prolific playwright, his one-man piece Heckler— having been performed in Minneapolis and New York — is making its way to a Philly stage.
Benjamin Lloyd and Paul Meshejian — friends/associates of Corbett’s and members of People’s Light and Theater Company — have been working on a production of the play, starring Lloyd and directed by Meshejian. The two will present free work-in-progress performances of the play’s first act at Villanova (where Lloyd teaches acting) and People’s Light’s rehearsal rooms. Heckler reads from the diary of a character who, says Lloyd, feels it’s his "spiritual calling to become a heckler.
"It’s a surprising little piece," Lloyd continues. "You make a lot of assumptions about this guy… and he blossoms into a full character." The two hope these early performances will result in both audience feedback and the interest of a theater company to mount a full production.
Sun., Dec. 8, 7 p.m., Villanova University, Vasey Hall, Room 206, 800 Lancaster Ave., Villanova, 610-519-4500; Fri., Dec. 14, 8 p.m., People’s Light and Theatre Company, the Large Rehearsal Room, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, 610-644-3500.
