Mamet plays explore father-daughter relationship

Middletown — Two one-act plays, “Dark Pony” and “Reunion” by David Mamet, will be performed this month at the Orange Hall Theatre in Middletown. Mamet infused both of these plays with the theme of the dislocation of the relationships between men and women. “Dark Pony” centers on a father telling his young daughter her favorite bedtime story to pass the time during a nighttime car ride. “Reunion” is a haunting story about the same father and daughter when they meet after a 25-year separation. The father, a drifter and reformed alcoholic, attempts to establish a relationship with his daughter. Both confrontations explore a father’s love and a daughter’s courage. The New York Daily News said “Mamet gradually and surely touches our emotions and then leaves us with an aftertaste of solitude.” The two short productions are the inaugural event in a campaign to raise funds for Theatre Arts Scholarships at Orange County Community College. The Apprentice Players is the oldest student club in the State University of New York’s community college system and has the longest tradition of theatrical production of any two-year college in the state. The performance on Jan. 27 will be the capstone event for that day’s Alumni Day events. Performances will be held on Thursday, Jan. 25, at 11 a.m.; Friday, Jan. 26, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 27 (the Alumni Day special performance), at 6 p.m.; and Sunday, Jan. 28, at 3 p.m. The production is directed by alumnus George Gallo and features faculty member Max Schaefer and alumnus MaryLee Shorr. Tickets are free, but donations given at the door will be welcomed. For reservations, call 341-4789. For more information, call 341-4790.