Where the sidewalk ends, it gets a little risqué.
An assortment of the lesser-known works of Shel Silverstein will be performed by the BareBones Ensemble Theatre at 7 p.m. March 18-20 at the Grand Little Theatre, 105 W. Grand Ave.
Known for his more popular children’s poetry and literature, like “The Giving Tree” and “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” Shel Silverstein also wrote adult poetry and plays. “An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein” will feature 10 short plays by Silverstein, with local musicians Matt Florence and Bill Hamilton performing live in between each of the scenes. Each scene will showcase quirky interactions between different types of people in normal settings, said Cassie Serig, one of the members of the group.
“It will explore a lot of topics and themes, but all will have his signature style,” said Ben Richgruber, one of the founding members of BareBones.
However, this is not a traditional community theater performance.
“The costumes and content will be quirky and at times a little risqué,” Serig said.
Take for example “Buy One, Get One Free,” which is one of the 10 scenes to be performed. The description on the back of the playbook reads, “Merrilee and Sherilee are offering the deal of the century. ‘Buy one, get one free,’ the hookers sing to a tempted Lee. It’s a golden opportunity. And it all rhymes.” The show is recommended for mature audiences only.
Unique to this show is that audience members get to see all 12 actors in the troupe rather than just those performing. The actors not on stage and not performing will be in the audience creating their own characters, Serig said.
“We hope to break down the wall between actors and audiences,” Serig said, “Not so much making the audience into actors but integrating actors into the audience.” The Grand Little Theater will become a circus tent of sorts, Serig said, showing that the actors are normal people too.
The group performing the piece, the BareBones Ensemble Theatre, is an independent acting troupe based in Eau Claire.
“BareBones was founded about 10 years ago by some theater students at the university that just couldn’t get enough theater,” Richgruber said.
The group disbanded after a few years, only to get back together with some new and old members early last year, Serig said. Last year was the troupe’s first year back in action, performing three pieces, one in spring, summer and fall, including Shakespeare and Others in the Park, an event sponsored by UW-Eau Claire in the summer months.
BareBones is no stranger to risqué tales like Silverstein’s, Serig said. They typically do non-traditional dark comedy, although in the past have done modern and more traditional works.
“We can take more risks than traditional community theater can,” Richgruber said. “We just want to have a good time. If we are having a good time, the audience will have a good time.”
The group aims to please the audience, but also make them think and feel.
“Our main goal is to bring creative, independent and eccentric theater to the Eau Claire community theater,” Serig said. “We are always trying to find something that will provoke thought in a new way – that’s the main goal.”
The dynamics of the group are that of an open theater ensemble. The current member count is around 12 but fluctuates, Serig said. Each person has the option to take on an all encompassing role, she explains.
“As a member, you take on what you can handle that month. I am doing acting, directing, set design and advertising right now,” Serig said. People who want to get involved can easily do so by contacting a member, she said. There are no current UW- Eau Claire students in the troupe, but most of the members are former students or were born and raised in Eau Claire.
The show is about two hours with an intermission. Tickets are available for $7.
