By Nicole Clark
GRCC players will be presenting Jump/Cut at 8 p.m. from Feb. 27 through March 1 in Spectrum Theater’s Lab Space (Room 201).
The show has three parts: aspiring filmmaker Paul, played by Henry Marcusse; his grad student girlfriend, Karen, played by Kendra Jones; and their friend Dave, played by Robert McFletcher. When Dave comes to live with the couple, his manic depression becomes the subject of a documentary filmed by the duo.
Mental health, however, isn’t the only theme that this show explores. It delves in that terrifying transition from years of schooling and routine into the “real world,” something that many GRCC students will soon face, if they are not already.
“I think all of us struggle… definitely when you’re young and you’re facing life and the world outside of academia, that you can really feel this pressure and have a kind of loss of control,” explained Michelle Urbane, Theater Manager and the show’s director. “I think so many people share that experience of struggling with different aspects of your life…just the concern, the wanting to make that mark…”
McFletcher added, “-the wanting to be present and wanting to be here and to have made some form of impact on the world, to have made a difference…to really say: ‘I’ve really made a difference. I am a name for generations.’”
Another aspects of the show that encourages the audience to connect deeply with the show is the show’s location. Instead of a typical auditorium, the show takes place in a black box theater. The much smaller and sparser space brings the audience much closer to the actors, and sparse set keeps the focus on them as well.
“I love the intimacy of that space [because] the audience is right there with you,” Urbane explained.
Tickets for the show are $3 with a valid GRCC student ID, $5 for staff and area students, and $10 for all others. They can be purchased via telephone at 616-234-3946, or via the Spectrum Theater’s Facebook page. Although there may be tickets available at the door, it is recommended that tickets be bought ahead of time.
