Starting next week, Sock ‘N’ Buskin are revealing their 2016-17 season with a lineup of four confirmed shows starting in November.
Lauren Stiers and Casey Beynon, both previous members of the Sock ‘N’ Buskin team, are stepping into the director’s seat for the first time with the highly-acclaimed Sherlock Holmes and the West End Horror and God of Carnage.
Stiers said she has been involved with shows since her first year at Sock ‘N’ Buskin. This will be her second year on the board of directors. She said she is thrilled to share her vision of the Anthony Dodge modern classic.
“I’m very passionate about the source material for Sherlock Holmes and bringing all the literary criticism that I’ve read about it and bringing all the history surrounding the canon into the show,” Stiers said. “I was trying to get other people passionate about a thing that I was really excited for.”
She said the choice of the action-packed comedy over other plays was a personal preference.
“I searched really hard for a show that I felt would preserve the integrity of how I saw the characters, at least with my interpretation, but at the same time I wanted it to be fun.” Stiers said. “I wanted it to be a show that I would watch because there were a lot of Sherlock Holmes shows where I read through the whole script and they just bored me to death.”
Stiers said that she hopes that the cast will feature both new actors and returnees, with Sock ‘N’ Buskin attracting many new actors this year to have a large ensemble cast.
Alongside Stiers is Casey Beynon, directing a cast of only four in her production of God of Carnage. It will also be her first directorial role, after starting as a volunteer bouncer for shows last year. The play is by Yazmina Reza and was originally written in French, translated into English by Christopher Hampton.
The plot is based off of a simple premise: two couples meet together to have a conversation about their two sons who got into a fight in a park. The whole play takes place in one living room, giving it a claustrophobic feeling. Tempers flare as the parents drink and get increasingly defensive of their kids.
The simple premise of the play means smaller details matter so much more, according to Beynon.
“It’s so much responsibility to be on the board, volunteer co-ordinator, and directing my own show,” Beynon said. “But I’m ready for the challenge.”
According to Beynon, the best part of Sock ‘N’ Buskin is the strong sense of welcoming that the club creates.
“I think that if anybody is interested in not just acting but in what theatre is all about, whether they’ve always wanted to design costumes . . . or build a set or run some lights . . . I would definitely say send Sock ‘N’ Buskin an email, because we always want to hear from new excited people,” Beynon said.
