COLLECTIVE RAGE: A Play in 5 Betties

. . .Imagine the Arctic as a Pussy; It’s Sort of Like That

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: Richmond Triangle Players at the Robert B. Moss Theatre, 1300 Altamont Ave, RVA 23230

Performances: June 8 – July 2, 2022

Ticket Prices: $30-35; $10 for Students.

Info: (804) 346-8113 or rtriangle.org

In Essence, A Queer and Occasionally Hazardous Exploration; Do You Remember When You Were In Middle School And You Read About Shackleton And How He Explored The Antarctic?:

Imagine The Antarctic As a Pussy And It’s Sort Of Like That

There are 5 characters in COLLECTIVE RAGE and they are all named Betty. Betty #1, Lenaya Van Driesen) is married to a man of wealth who has no time for her; Betty #2, Nora Ogunleye, is in a sexless marriage; Betty #3, Zoe Cotzias, is a celebrity lesbian who works at Sephora; Betty #4, August Hundley, is a sensitive queer woman with a truck and a crush on Betty #3; and Betty #5, with Rachel Garmon-Williams subbing for Kasey Brett is a non-binary male presenting female who runs a boxing gym – and owns a truck.

After Betties #2 and #3 attend a boring dinner party given by Betty #1, Betty #3 throws her own dinner party, where she gives the shy and friendless Betty #2 a hand mirror and invites her to use it to look at her pussy. This act opens up a whole new world for Betty #2 who spends the rest of the play on a journey of self-exploration and empowerment.

Betty #3 attends a play with a friend, becomes enamored of the “thea-tah” and decides to devise a play of her own. Betty’s play involves a prologue, a wall, a lion, and moonshine; it borrows blindly and liberally from the mechanicals’ play-within-a-play in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream – whose title Betty repeatedly butchers.

When they all get together to rehearse for “the thea-tah,” the ensuing chaos both defines and defies their collective rage. Set in New York in the present  and first performed in 2016, COLLECTIVE RAGE is described as a “lesbian/bi-curious/genderqueer/Shakespearean comedy for everyone.” COLLECTIVE RAGE feels like a fusion of satire, cabaret, and improv. It’s hilarious and touching at the same time. There’s a cheating husband, a contrast between femme and butch, stereotypes of lesbians with trucks, and all the elements are used to explore growth, individual and collective, in multiples areas of life.

Directed seamlessly by Chelsea Burke, COLLECTIVE RAGE is more than just a niche production; it’s relatable across economic, ethnic, and gender boundaries. Van Driesen is sharp and dangerously edgy, both in her verbal delivery and her physical presentation. Ogunleye is endearing in her eurotophobia (yes, there is a word that means fear of one’s vagina or female genitalia). Cotzias aptly and appealingly encapsulates every video of a vacuous influencer I’ve ever seen. Hundley nailed their portrayal of a caring but insecure character, while Garmon-Williams uses body language and physicality on equal footing with words. COLLECTIVE RAGE offers the viewer options: you can enjoy it as a comedy, as social commentary, or both.

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Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

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COLLECTICE RAGE: A Play in 5 Betties

Written by Jen Silverman

Directed by Chelsea Burke

CAST:

Betty #1 …………………………………….  Lanaya Van Driesen

Betty #2 …………………………………….  Nora Ogunleye

Betty #3 …………………………………….  Zoe Cotzias

Betty #4 …………………………………….  August Hundley

Betty #5 …………………………………….  Kasey Britt

Understudies

For Betty #1 ……………………………………. Amanda Spellman

For Betties #2 & #3………………………….. Leanna Hicks

For Betties #4 & #5 …………………………. Rachel-Garmon-Williams

CREATIVE TEAM:

Costume, Hair & Make-Up Design      – Dasia Gregg

Costume, Hair and Make-up Design   – Carolann Corcoran

Lighting Design                                   – Deryn Gabor

Sound Design                                      – Candace Hudert

Intimacy Choreographer                    – Stephanie Tippi Hart

Properties Design                               – Tim Moehring

Assistant Director                               – Katie Fitzgerald

Technical Director                              – Tom Holt

Production Stage Manager                – Lauren Langston

Sound Design                                      – Candace Hudert

Intimacy Choreographer                    – Stephanie Tippi Hart

Properties Design                               – Tim Moehring

Photo Credits: No production photos available at the time of publication