Nontraditional setting works for Play Your Position
<i>Play Your Position</i> at the W Atlanta downtown is traditional subject matter - relationships - presented in a nontraditional setting
If you ever get a hankering for something beyond a cocktail and small talk at one of the city’s swanky bars, Deshang Productions may have what you’re looking for.
Play Your Position is theater in a nontraditional setting — the mezzanine bar at the W Atlanta downtown. All the action takes place in the bar setting, complete with background elements such as the bartender shaking up martinis, and the cocktail waitress taking orders.
The short play is written by Renardo Deshang, co-produced by Best Local Male Actor E. Roger Mitchell, and directed by Betty Hart. The story centers around Bobby, a man who has his own ideas of the positions men and women should play in relationships, only to have his ideas adjusted by a few women he interacts with at the bar.
It’s definitely date-night material, as many in the audience were African-American couples. Acclaimed actress and director Jasmine Guy says, “It’s like being on a date without having to do any work!” But if you participate in the discussion about relationships that takes place after the play, I’m not sure that’s 100 percent accurate.
The final production in this series takes place this Sunday, March 27. $15-$20 (cash only; there’s an ATM in the lobby). Doors, 6 p.m.; showtime 7 p.m.-ish. 45 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd. 678-561-2810.