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The Crossroads Repertory Theatre in Terre Haute continues their summer season with Theresa Rebeck's play Bad Dates, directed by Dale McFadden.
"The ‘bad dates' of the title are from the efforts of Haley, played by Julie Dixon. She's a forty-some woman who dropped out of the dating scene to raise her now teen-aged daughter. Haley is trying out dating; her scenes consist of reports about men who-shall we say-didn't quite come up to snuff. There's a good deal of humor in her reports."
The Frying Pan And The Fire
"In addition to the tensions of dating," McFadden continues, "there's tension at work. Haley's employed in a restaurant that's controlled by the Romanian mafia. Playwright Theresa Rebeck is a seasoned writer with plenty of experience in television procedurals like Law and Order and N.Y.P.D. Blue, so it's no surprise that we have a well-orchestrated and scary subplot."
Dale McFadden is an IU faculty member and an active director in the area where theater-goers in Bloomington, Nashville, Indianapolis, and now Terre Haute will have had the opportunity to enjoy his work. McFadden's shows have ranged from madcap to macabre, with lots of territory in-between, but most have never seen him direct a one-character show.
"The last time I directed a one-character show was for a play focusing on the life of Henry David Thoreau, in Chicago, twenty years ago. Directing a show with a single actor is an incredibly detailed process. I'm happy to be working with Julie Dixon, who plays Haley, because we've worked together before."
It's Not The Men In Your Life, It's The Life In Your Friends!
"The changes, the variety, and the continuity have to be managed very closely. Haley does grow and develop. She learns that she can reach out and find support, but it's not a Lon Chaney sort of thing. She's always very much her own person. As soon as the lights go up, the audience knows that this is the person they're going to be with for the whole show. It's a challenge, but in Bad Dates it's a rich one."