THE FLICK: Hyper-Realism in a Modern Day Cinema

Title Spotlight is a regular series written by our Samuel French staff to feature musicals and plays — and why you should be interested in them.

Title
The Flick

Author
Annie Baker

What It’s All About
This hyper-realistic play is about three movie theatre employees in a run-down theatre in Massachusetts. The theatre is home to one of the last 35 mm film projectors, but is under constant threat of needing to switch to digital. When newbie Avery comes to work at the movie theatre, he is trained by Sam and meets the grungy but sexy Rose. A love triangle forms in-between mopping the floor, playing movie association games, and discussing their futures. Their heartbreaks are only amplified by the threat of the theatre closing, and their nostalgia for the look of film. As the audience faces the audience seats of the movie theatre itself, the audience is forced to confront not just the lives of the employees, but the fast-changing world of art and entertainment.

Why You Should Do This Play
If you like Chekov, you will love Annie Baker. This piece, again, could be classified as hyper-realism, which makes it an excellent challenge for actors and audiences alike. In particular, Baker pays attention to silences. The silence is as much a part of the story as the dialogue. It perfectly portrays that particular suburban boredom, and the heartbreak that comes with feeling stuck. Ultimately, the beauty of this play is in the details. It’s the granular moments between the characters- the most awkward human moments that drives this piece. It’s utterly gorgeous, funny and absorbing. Furthermore, it has a single set (the movie theater itself), which could be easily done on a budget.

The Particulars
3m, 1f. Single Set. Props: Mops, trash, brooms, a projector.

Need to Know
Original run was at Playwrights Horizons. Winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as 2013 Susan Blackburn Prize and the 2013 Obie Award for Playwriting.

Photo: Louisa Krause and Aaron Clifton Moten. Credit: Sara Krulwich (New York Times).