Minnesota Fringe Festival 2010

A STANDING LONG JUMP
a new play by Mat Smart
directed by Brian Balcom

Some people fall in love at first sight. Others fall in love like a slow, bloody surrender. A play about when to leap, when not to, and how the stranger at a coffee shop could be the person who knows you best.

with
James Craven*
Ali Dachis
Namir Smallwood*
*Member, Actors' Equity Association

From the company that created American Sexy, Killer Smile, and How to Cheat . The New Theatre Group has returned with another premier playwright and an all-star cast for its fifth consecutive Fringe production.

Please visit our website for more information about us and our past Fringe shows.

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Photo Credit: Aaron Fenster

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See what audience members have said about our past shows:

"Not just great writing and great acting - but a great reminder of what's possible on stage."
- John Middleton

"This is the real deal. An actual play with articulate, vibrant, interesting characters that will make you laugh, think and care what happens to them."
- Matt Sciple

"Tightly written, directed with a soft touch and acted with a double-dose of intelligence and impulsivity. Kudos, you guys are first class."
- Charlie Bethel

"Yup, best thing I've seen in this year's Fringe so far. Heck, best thing I've seen in a while! This is ballsy, beautiful work."
- Mo Perry

"I'm not going to second guess New Theatre Group's next production. I'm just going to go."
- Matthew Everett

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A STANDING LONG JUMP was developed with support from The Playwrights’ Center’s McKnight Advancement Grant Program and Jerome Fellowship Program, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Mat Smart
Role: Playwright
Mat Smart is a two-time Jerome Fellow at The Playwrights' Center. This summer, Williamstown Theatre Festival will premiere his newest play, Samuel J. and K. Other plays include The Hopper Collection. (Magic Theatre and Huntington Theatre Company) and The 13th of Paris. (City Theatre and Seattle Public Theatre). Mat has an MFA from UCSD.

James Craven
Role: Actor
James is a long-time Penumbra Theatre company member and was most recently seen in Two Old Black Guys. He also performed at Kansas City Repertory Theater and Arizona Theater Company in their joint production of Jitney. James is a 2005 recipient of the Spenser Cherashore Fund and was awarded a 2007 McKnight Fellowship.

Ali Dachis
Role: Actor
Ali Dachis has previously worked at The Guthrie Theater, Youth Performance Co., The Children's Theater Co., Exposed Brick Theater, 20% Theater Co., Park Square Theater, The Directors Studios, The Strange Capers,The Ordway and others. Ali is a graduate of The U of M/Guthrie B.F.A Actor training Program.

Namir Smallwood
Role: Actor
NAMIR is a Newark, NJ native and a 2006 graduate of the University of Minnesota/Guthrie B.F.A. Actor Training Program. Most recently he was in Pillsbury House Theater's production of Pa's Hat and has also performed locally with the Children's Theatre Company, Penumbra, and at the Guthrie Theater.

Brian Balcom
Role: Director/Producer
Brian Balcom is the founder of The New Theatre Group and has produced and directed How to Cheat, Killer Smile, and American Sexy as well as shows with Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Illusion's Lighthouse Group, Teatro del Pueblo, Walking Shadow Company, and Gremlin Theater.

Katie Hawkinson
Role: Stage Manager

User reviews

no fear of dramatic heights
by Jon Skaalen Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
A person afraid of heights might not like this show's postcard, but the performances, script and direction (even if work-in-progress and script-in-hand, which did not bother me) provided an assured evening of theatre. Two people, one old and one young; similarities in experiencing loss and needing help to cope, but not wanting to ask. I might not buy the physics of the final scene, but the spirit driving it was terrific.

Surreal love and garbage heaps
by Fringivitis Vulgaris Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
This is a work in progress from a group that loads their work with passion. Coffee shop strangers are "insignificant others" but they notice the changes and absences. Young love persists in being foolish, old love persists when it should fade. I look forward to seeing these actors as they hone their skills.

Don't Stop
by Kevin Drew Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
James Craven is one of the most mesmerizing actors I've seen locally, and he and Ali Dachis and Namir Smallwood are so present in these characters and this dreamlike script it's almost spooky. A work in progress performed with scripts in hand, but with performers like these you'll believe that these people just walk around with papers in their hands. (My only concern is I hope the guy in the picture is okay.)

Moving, but behind schedule
by Gabriel Heller Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
I really enjoyed this show. It was well-written, well-acted, funny, touching, occasionally ingenious and finally moving. The characters were realistic and empathetic. Unfortunately, the script was delivered 3 days before fringe started. This and other technical problems with the performance I saw were handled with considerable aplomb but were nonetheless there. They bothered me little, my wife a little moreso. This is a work-in-progress, albeit a potentially great one. I'd advise waiting for the last performance for maximum enjoyment.

Script is a gravity well
by Justin Alexander Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
As others have noted, the actors are still reading from their scripts because they were still being revised a week before performance. This, however, doesn't prove to be much of a negative: The actors turn in great performances and you quickly forget that the scripts are even present. (More disruptive was the fact that one of the actors was running late to the performance I saw due to a medical emergency, causing the playwright to step in for the first scene and a half. But that presumably won't happen again.)

So we have great performances. We also have some incredibly graceful pieces of staging. And a visually stunning set driven by layered drifts of props. Plus fantastic, evocative sound design.

But ultimately, for me, the show couldn't escape the gravity well of its script, which alternates between heavy-handed metaphor (relationships are a leap of faith!) and utter nonsense. I think the aim may have been some sort of magical realism, but it falls short of the goal.

It feels odd to say that I was entertained; that I was even moved... but the show fails. The successes are simply too intermittent, and while there are some incredibly powerful moments, the underlying foundation of the show is simply too weak.

What I will say is that there is enough material in this show which is worthy of consideration to make it a good slot-filler. But it's not something that I would recommend seeking out.

Missed By Inches
by Reid Gagle Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
This is a strong story, about people trying to connect. With a bit more time to work, this would have been an easy 5 kitties. Problems: The script was finished so recently that the actors needed a copy in hand. The actors sometimes provided third person narration, a distancing device not suited to this story. Perhaps a narrator character would have helped. Finally, sometimes the physical staging didn’t work too well for me, such as in the climactic scene. Despite all of this, I enjoyed the piece a lot and recommend it. I just wish they’d had another month to work out the kinks.

Ragged and fabulous
by Carla Mantel Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
The edges are still rough; the actors still carry scripts, which are still in development; it's still better than 90% of what you'll see on any given theater outing.

Promising and engaging
by Florence Brammer Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
The audience was told up front that the script had been revised after the run had opened, and it seems that more revision and workshopping are warranted. However, that said, this is a piece of gravity [no pun intended] and substance that moved me and kept me engaged throughout. The staging elements were a distractingly fussy and it would have been nice to see the actors off-book, but it was well worth a Fringe slot. A script of great beauty and thoughtfulness and top-notch, detailed performances.

I pay, you deliver
by Nick Lewandowski Follow this reviewer
Rating 2 kitties
I have great esteem for the Playwrights' Center. As such, I trust that those associated with this work are smart and respectful enough not to sell me a "new play" when the material is really being workshopped. I could be wrong -- but I'm presuming that actors-on-book and writer-as-cast-member are artistic choices that I am intended to experience. It is then on me to embrace, to reject, to engage, to become distracted. The problem here was that the script -- excluding the conceits -- didn't do anything for me. I felt very little for these characters, and at times, I was bored. Good actors, though.

Can't wait for completion
by J Emily Peabody Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Solid acting, great mood, interesting concepts and haunting set design. Put me on your mailing list!

Well-Written AND Well-Acted
by Erica Mauter Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
I don't happen across a lot of dramas at the Fringe that are both well-written and well-acted (and not historical in nature). This was both of those. It can only get better through the week as the actors get more comfortable with the script. There are a few... ahem... leaps and some interesting staging. Overall, I found it highly enjoyable and I'd definitely recommend it.

One Long Metaphor
by August Berkshire Follow this reviewer
Rating 2 kitties
Do you dare to leap into a relationship? What happens if you fall? That about sums up this play, which had a few good moments, but which I can’t quite recommend, though the actors/characters were likable enough. I give it a 2.5, which I round down to 2, while my partner would round it up to 3. The first night the actors were reading from the latest version of the script. It wasn’t too distracting, but hopefully they’ll have it memorized a bit more for future presentations.

Kitty Kounter:
5 = Outstanding. Must see.
4 = Worth your time.
3 = Okay to fill a spot.
2 = Probably not.
1 = No.
0 = Avoid at all costs.

Expectations
by Nuke Fool Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
To start, future audiences should go into this show with the expectation of seeing a drama and not a comedy. It is a dramatic script about relationships with a few humorous lines thrown in. It is well written and very well acted. The performers do read from the script, which some audience members will find distracting. Having the right expectations going in is the key to enjoying this show.

Be Willing To Take The Leap
by Sid Solomon Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Before the performance, New Theatre Group artistic director Brian Balcom encouraged his opening night audience to take a cue from A STANDING LONG JUMP's publicity image and take the leap with the actors in engaging in this story.

Even presented with scripts in hand, the leap is well worth it. Compelling and unique relationships presented in a highly theatrical manner, this is an ambitious piece of new American theater played by one of the strongest casts you'll find at the Fringe.

take the jump
by Anna Reichert Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Though the cast was on book (due to how fresh off the presses the new script was) I didn't notice after about two minutes. There are great performances all around in this small but solid cast. There was just the right dose of humor to keep the show from slipping into 'too somber land' but had beautifully poignant moments both between actors, and in its design elements. check it out!

Engaging!
by Liz Floyd Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Very interesting. Filled with many surprizes.

Energy vampire
by Publius McGee Follow this reviewer
Rating 2 kitties
Lead balloon.