The first play, “Infinite Alice,” displays the concept of time dilation — the phenomenon of time slowing down at near-light-speed so that an observer in motion experiences time more slowly than an observer standing still — by exploring the relationship between two childhood friends who come to terms with a trauma in their past. Shinay, a newcomer to the stage, plays a short-tempered child whose self-defense mechanism of becoming a perpetual motion machine ultimately wins the sympathy and pity of the audience.
The second play, “Blackbody,” is based on the concept of a stellar object that absorbs all the light that falls upon it; if it were to go completely cold it would be black and therefore invisible. In this play, Partridge’s character struggles with uncertainty and the human desire for love and acknowledgment as she narrates the story of an almost-relationship. However, Partridge’s intense stage presence and conviction command attention and, thus, the visibility her character does not and cannot retain. Overall, this second newcomer to the Amherst stage brings a sharp poignancy in a stark and yet beautiful performance.
The last play, “8 Minutes 21 Seconds,” features the entire cast as they deal with the threat of crisis on individual, national and universal levels through several variations on an ordinary morning. Chimiak ’08 turns in a gleefully sinister performance as an angel of death invisible to the characters left in the wake of her destruction. She throws her voice alternately as a soothing blanket or a piercing weapon.
The playwriting process for Fenson started in a Physics/Theater and Dance class called “Astronomy and Physics on Stage”. “8 Minutes 21 Seconds” first began as a final project for the class as a musing on the fact that it would take us eight minutes to know if the sun, eight light minutes away from earth, went out. “Blackbody” originally started as an exploration of what a blackbody would look like in human form. Fenson says that “Infinite Alice” grew out of a lesson on time dilation in Professor Jagu’s class “Relativity, cosmology, and Quantum Physics.” Fenson credits her fellow playwrights Claire Kiechel ’09 and Diane Exavier ’09 as providing valuable support, feedback, and encouragement. Furthermore, Playwright in Residence and thesis advisor Constance Congdon supplied constructive criticism throughout the year-long writing and editing process. Both Congdon and Fenson attended several rehearsals for the show.
The cast started rehearsals in the second week of Interterm; Partridge says that the “whole cast is terrific” in supporting each other and looks forward to going to rehearsal every day in spite of the added responsibilities of classes and homework. All the cast members had positive things to say about their director. Shinay says that “Michael is always very encouraging and worked with us in a collaborative way, providing tons of great direction and advice while listening to our views on the characters’ motivations and relationships.” The director’s hard work has paid off, and Time Zones is a particularly intricate piece.
When asked why people should come to see Time Zones, each cast member had something different to say. Shinay is fascinated by finding the connections between the three plays and still finds nuances in Fenson’s writing. Freije waxes eloquent on Fenson’s playwriting abilities and says that Fenson has “accomplished something incredible” in her work. Chimiak claims that people should see the play because she is in it and since she is “pretty much the best thing since yogurt.” Partridge sums it up best for Amherst students considering entertainment during lean times; audience members “get to see three fantastic plays for the price of one. The price being zero dollars.” Now that is magical.