Ampersand: New Play (Just Don’t Call It A W#@*d P^#)%*e)

When Vincent Delaney has been asked in the past if he is a political playwright, he has in the most casual fashion been most direct like his writing to answer “yes,” quickly adding, “but only to the extent that the politics become personal. My other plays are drawn from family history (including my own), or from wonderfully bizarre tidbits in the news.”
 
His ability to be as fluid, as we are in life with the constant bombarding of news and stimuli that is shaping to be uniquely modern, is one reason why so many connect with his work.
 
Arriving in Grand Rapids is a fresh new play titled Ampersand and to the best of my research, it appears to have never been staged anywhere else. (But for legal reasons, I find out I cannot say the words “world premiere,” so I will say never staged.)
 
Ampersand follows two characters, Kate and Marlowe, as they seek to save their marriage with a trip to Switzerland. 
 
It is while on this quest that the couples’ clones arrive, and this unlikely family drama is off on a fast-paced, dark farce of a ride that ponders the questions of marriage, family and how far would any of us go to change ourselves for the one we love. Or as Delaney says, so beautifully, “If I sleep with your clone, is it really cheating?” This is not your grandparent’s topic of dialog on stage, but something many have often mused over.
 
Since this is a play about cloning, the actors in this production must juggle multiple roles that inhabit Ampersand. The result is a comic romp and workout for those on stage, but also your gut as it is sure to be sore from the laughter generated by the actors’ antics.
 
“When we introduced Ampersand last year at our annual Pipeline Reading Series (currently under way in Grand Rapids until April 10) ( www.atgr.org/pipeline), we knew, based on the very enthusiastic responses, that we wanted to bring this play to Grand Rapids,” says Jonathan Clausen, marketing manager of Actors’ Theatre. “Ampersand is all of the things we associate with really, really good theatrical farce, and yet, it also has some dark, contemporary twists in the plot. More specific to Actors’, it’s the kind of play we can hold up to our mission statement and say, ‘Entertaining? Check!, Innovative? Check!, Challenging and thought provoking? Double check!'”
 
There are two chances for locals to meet Vincent Delaney. An opening night reception following the performance on Thursday, Mar. 22 will allow theatergoers an opportunity to meet the playwright in the lobby. Also on Friday, Mar. 23, Actors’ Theatre will host a post-performance discussion and dialog with the Seattle-Based Playwright. This discussion begins immediately after the curtain and is open to the public.

Admission: $24 – 26.