Show Summary

SPEECH and DEBATE
March 25-April 11, 2010.
By Stephen Karam.  Directed by Jason Southerland. 
Featuring Kevin Koppman-Gue, Markuz Rodriguez, Rachael VanWormer and Wendy Waddell

Sex.  Secrets.  Performance-art blogs and blackmail.  A typical day when you're a teenager in Salem, Oregon.  Three teenage misfits discover they are linked by a sex scandal that’s rocked their town.  When one of them sets out to expose the truth, secrets become currency, the stakes get higher, and the trio’s connection grows deeper in this searching, fiercely funny dark comedy with music.  "…savvy comedy…bristling with vitality, wicked humor, terrific dialogue and a direct pipeline into the zeitgeist of contemporary youth…Karam has a keen ear for how teens talk, move and think, how they view each other and the adult world…and uses both the advantages and perils of cyberspace to make amusing, original points…" —Variety.

Written by Karam when he was 25, he took the transcript of an online chat between the former mayor of Spokane, Washington and a gay teenager as the basis for this fiercely funny and edgy new play.  The play received a GLAAD Media nomination upon its premiere.  Jason Southerland, now Artistic Director of Next Theatre in Chicago, co-directed the MOXIE/Diversionary musical play Pulp!

Creative Team

Kevin Koppman-Gue	Markuz Rodriguez	Rachael VanWormer	Wendy Waddell

 

Stephen Karam

Stephen Karam is the author of Speech & Debate (GLAAD Media nomination) which recently finished an acclaimed, twice-extended run at Roundabout Theatre Company as the inaugural production of Roundabout Underground. He is the co-author of columbinus (2006 Helen Hayes nomination), which ran off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop following a co-production by Round House/Perseverance Theatres. His last two plays, Speech & Debate and Girl on Girl, debuted as workshop productions at Playwrights Rep. He is currently working on a new play commission for Roundabout Theatre Company and a screenplay adaptation of Speech & Debate for Overture Films. Karam's writing has also appeared in The Advocate and online at McSweeney's. He is a graduate of Brown University.

Jason Southerland

Jason Southerland (Director) is thrilled to return to Diversionary Theatre, where his last outing was the co-production (with Moxie) of Pulp. He is an award-winning director/producer and the current Artistic Director of Next Theatre Company in Chicago. He was the founding Artistic Director of Boston Theatre Works, where his productions garnered the Outstanding Production award 5 out of his 10 seasons. During his time at BTW, the company produced twelve world premieres and developed over sixty new plays through commissions, development agreements and an annual festival of new plays. As a director, Jason's productions for BTW included the New England premieres of Homebody/Kabul, Not About Nightingales,Angels in America: Parts I & II,I Am My Own WifeandThe Laramie Project.He directed the world premiere ofReturn to Haifaand the Chicagoland premiere ofboomat Next. Jason also spent five years in New York City, where he worked with BACA Downtown, Circle Rep Laboratory, Lehman/Engel BMI Workshop, Alice's Fourth Floor and the Sanford Meisner Theatre. Additionally, he directed the world premiere ofLove Kills, by frequent collaborator Kyle Jarrow, at the 45th Street Theater in New York in September, 2007. Regional work includes Gloucester Stage Company, Foothills Theatre, Stoneham Theatre, Albuquerque CLO and the University of Kent at Canterbury. Jason studied directing at the American Repertory Theatre at Harvard University. He has served as production assistant and/or assistant director for Julianne Boyd, Jerry Zaks, Hal Prince, Des McAnuff, Oskar Eustis, Christopher Ashley and many others. He holds a B.A. cum laude in political science from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a two-time winner of the Joe Hardy Directing Fellowship, received a Drama League Fellowship, was honored with an Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Direction for his 2008 production ofAngels in Americaand was chosen byBostonmagazine as #4 on their list of the "40 Bostonians to Watch."

Press Photos

Pictured: Rachael VanWormer. Photo credit: Ken Jacques.	Pictured (l-r): Rachael VanWormer and Kevin Koppman-Gue. Photo credit: Ken Jacques.
Pictured (l-r): Kevin Koppman-Gue, Rachael VanWormer and Markuz Rodriguez. Photo credit: Ken Jacques.	Pictured (l-r): Wendy Waddell, Markuz Rodriguez, Rachael VanWormer and Kevin Koppman-Gue. Photo credit: Ken Jacques.
Pictured (l-r): Markuz Rodriguez and Rachael VanWormer. Photo credit: Ken Jacques.	Pictured (l-r): Rachael VanWormer and Markuz Rodriguez. Photo credit: Ken Jacques.
Pictured (l-r): Markuz Rodriguez and Wendy Waddell. Photo credit: Ken Jacques.	Pictured (l-r): Kevin Koppman-Gue, Markuz Rodriguez and Rachael VanWormer. Photo credit: Ken Jacques.

Press Release

Updated March 19, 2010

Sex, secrets, performance-art blogs and blackmail in Diversionary’s “Speech and Debate”
“Even if you're not fluent in IM, you'll LOL at this subversive comedy” – Entertainment Weekly

Diversionary Theatre will stage Stephen Karam’s Speech and Debate as the fifth show of their 2009-2010 season.  Speech and Debate is about sex, secrets, performance-art blogs and blackmail – just a typical day when you’re a teenager in Salem Oregon.  Theatre Communications Group reported that the play is one of the top ten most-performed plays in the United States during the 2009-2010 season.  Diversionary’s production will be directed by Jason Southerland, and feature Kevin Koppman-Gue, Markuz Rodriguez, Rachael VanWormer and Wendy Waddell.  The show will run for three weeks from March 25-April 11. 

The premiere of the play was described by Variety as a "…savvy comedy…bristling with vitality, wicked humor, terrific dialogue and a direct pipeline into the zeitgeist of contemporary youth…Karam has a keen ear for how teens talk, move and think, how they view each other and the adult world…and uses both the advantages and perils of cyberspace to make amusing, original points…"  Three teenage misfits discover they are linked by a sex scandal that’s rocked their town. When one of them sets out to expose the truth, secrets become currency, the stakes get higher, and the trio’s connection grows deeper in this searching, fiercely funny dark comedy with music.

Diversionary’s creative team for Speech and Debate includes Beth Gallagher (Assistant Director and Projections), Ted Crittenden (Scenic Design), Kate Stallons (Costume Design), Karin Filijan (Lighting Design), Nhan P. Pham (Sound Design), David Medina (Properties) and Gwendolyn Fish (Stage Manager).

Written by Karam when he was 25, he took the transcript of an online chat between the former mayor of Spokane, Washington and a gay teenager as the basis for this edgy new play. The play received a GLAAD Media nomination upon its premiere. Stephen Karam is the co-author of columbinus (2006 Helen Hayes nomination), which ran off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop following a co-production by Round House/Perseverance Theatres.  His last two plays, Speech & Debate and Girl on Girl, debuted as workshop productions at Playwrights Rep.  He is currently working on a new play commission for Roundabout Theatre Company and a screenplay adaptation of Speech & Debate for Overture Films.  Karam's writing has also appeared in The Advocate and online at McSweeney's.  He is a graduate of Brown University.

The production will be directed by Jason Southerland, now Artistic Director of Next Theatre in Chicago.  Jason co-directed the MOXIE/Diversionary musical play Pulp! in May 2006.  Prior to Next Theatre, Jason served as the founding Artistic Director for Boston Theatre Works. As a director, Jason has staged several award-winning productions including the New England premieres of Homebody/Kabul, Not About Nightingales, Angels in America: Parts I & II and The Laramie Project.  Other notable regional premieres include Pulp, The Sweetest Swing in Baseball by Rebecca Gilman, Four Baboons Adoring the Sun and I Am My Own Wife.  Jason spent five years in New York City, where his affiliations included BACA Downtown, Circle Rep Laboratory, Lehman/Engel BMI Workshop, Alice's Fourth Floor and the Sanford Meisner Theatre.  He studied directing at the American Repertory Theatre/Harvard University Institute for Advanced Theatre Training, working with Ron Daniels, Bob Scanlan, and Robert Brustein.  He holds a B.A. cum laude in political science from the University of California at Berkeley.

Speech and Debate premiered at the Roundabout Underground in New York.  The New York Times stated "Mr. Karam’s observations are shrewd... A plot description doesn’t hint at how funny and cliché-free this brilliantly performed little show is... The play’s real accomplishment is its picture of the borderland between late adolescence and adulthood, where grown-up ideas and ambition coexist with childish will and bravado... The triumph of this production is that we never feel we’re being educated, just immensely entertained. Its first time out, the Roundabout Underground has done exactly what it was created to do.”  Time Out New York wrote "Karam has a sharp eye for detail and a keen ear for the geeky, gawky dialogue of adolescent outsiders."

Diversionary Theatre was started in 1986.  The mission of the theatre is to produce plays with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender themes that portray characters in their complexity and diversity both historically and contemporarily. 

Speech and Debate previews March 25 and 26, opens on Saturday, March 27 and runs through Sunday, April 11.  Performance times are: Wednesday & Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday & Saturday at 8:00pm, Sunday at 2:00 & 7:00pm.  Single tickets are $29-$33 with discounts available for students, seniors (60+), military and groups (10 or more).  For information, call the Diversionary box office at 619.220.0097 or log on to www.diversionary.org.

- END -

Financial support for Diversionary Theatre is provided in part by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.

Wells Fargo and the Gay & Lesbian Times are Season Premiere Sponsors of Diversionary’s 2009-2010 Season.

 

Reviews

THEATER REVIEW: Get up and dance for charming, goofy 'Speech and Debate'
North County Times
By PAM KRAGEN - pkragen@nctimes.com | Posted: March 31, 2010 10:00 am

Quick, what do Abe Lincoln, nude body stockings, Wikipedia, George Michael, a time-traveling witch, gay cruising and a crap sandwich have in common?

Surprisingly, they're all plot points in Stephen Karam's hilarious, free-wheeling dark comedy "Speech and Debate," now in its San Diego premiere at Diversionary Theatre. The heartwarming, zippy and dance-happy play explores the inner angst of three teen misfits struggling to be noticed at their conservative Oregon high school. Brought together by loneliness, blackmail and a brewing gay sex scandal involving their drama teacher, Mr. Healy, the awkward and unlikely trio forge a lasting bond over online blogs, club meetings and bad performance art.

The three teens first meet through the cringe-worthy online blog of eccentric Diwata, a frizzy-haired, tone-deaf aspiring teen actress who's so frustrated in her failed efforts to land a part in the high school musical that she's hit the Web with her Casio keyboard to sing/speak a rumor about Mr. Healy's penchant for sex with underage boys. Tuning in that night are Solomon, the preppy 16-year-old crusading reporter for the school newspaper, and Howie, an openly gay soon-to-graduate senior who messages Diwata's blog to (sort of) confirm the rumor.

Sensing a juicy scoop, Solomon blackmails Howie into divulging the details. But because the school newspaper won't print controversial stories, Diwata convinces Solomon that the only way he'll get his story out is by helping her form a school speech and debate club. Diwata promises Solomon he can read his story at a speech contest, though secretly she plans to dump him on show day so she can perform her own kooky musical about a witch from the Salem witch trials who travels through time to rap and dance with a gay teen Lincoln.

All three teens have secrets and ulterior motives, but they share a commonality as lonely outsiders. When their fragile bond of trust is threatened by a reporter from the Oregonian newspaper who comes sniffing around for Solomon's scoop, they come together in a zany, uninhibited dance performance that celebrates their friendship and shared weirdness.

Director Jason Southerland's production is witty, fast-paced and gleeful (yes, as in "Glee" ---- these teen students break out frequently in song); and it's led with the best performance to date by up-and-coming San Diego actress Rachael VanWormer. The brainy, quirky VanWormer has played all sorts of characters at theaters around the county, but the loud, abrasive and over-the-top Diwata is a perfect match for her exuberant talents.

Kevin Koppman-Gue is all nerves, neediness and bluster as the Izod-wearing Solomon, an eager, aspiring journalist with an unfortunate character flaw that his Christian Republican parents are working hard to cure. Markuz Rodriguez is natural and confident as Howie, the disco-dancing Eagle Scout who came out to his parents at the tender age of 10. Wendy Waddell completes the cast as the school newspaper adviser and the Oregonian reporter.

There's no choreographer credited for the George Michael dance number, but it's a gas, and the comical projections by Beth Gallagher also add a lot to the story. Also worth noting is costume designer Kate Stallons, who created some inspired outfits for the frumpy Diwata.

Karam's play was inspired by a real-life political sex scandal exposed through IM chats, and there are some troubling questions in the play about the never-seen drama teacher, but "Speech and Debate" is really a sweet, uplifting story about friendship, diversity and acceptance. Audience of virtually all ages will find something to love in this oddball comedy about finding your own unique place in the world. * Critic's choice

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San Diego Reader
By Jeff Smith
April 2, 2010

Okay, the second act - except for a hilarious dance to George Michael's "Freedom" - doesn't fulfill the first's promise. No matter. Rachael VanWormer's outstanding performance, at Diversionary, trumps all objections. She plays the explosively expressive Diwata (named for an ancient Philippine goddess, young Diwata's either one-eighth or -sixteenth Filippino, not sure which). When North Salem High offers a speech and debate club, only three students attend: openly gay Howie (outed himself at 10), wannabe-journalist Solomon, and dervish Diwata. Each has ulterior motives for joining - blackmail, among them. All see similarities between Salem, Oregon, and the Salem, Mass. of the witch trials (Diwata, who identifies with Mary Warren in Miller's The Crucible, says "try to hang me; see how strong my neck is"). As they explore freedom of speech, the trio opens up to who they are. Along with the with amazing VanWormer (whom Kate Stallon dresses in a grab-bag of artsy styles), the Jason Southerland-directed show creates the epic emotions of youth (in IM lingo). Markuz Rodriguez and Kevin Koppman-Gue do fine turns as Howie and Solomon, nervously assertive teens. Wendy Waddell gives the authority figures, a teacher and a reporter from The Oregonian, touches of humanity. Critic's Pick

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Sdnn.com
By Pat Launer
April 1, 2010

BSA
THE SHOW: “Speech and Debate,” a 1960 comedy, at Diversionary Theatre

It begins with a little voyeurism. The first thing we see is a projection of an evolving conversation in a gay online chat-room. An older man (36) is setting up a meeting with an 18-year-old. At the same time, a wacky, friendless female is video-blogging (in song!) about the drama teacher in her high school, who goes after boys. A third student, a geeky would-be journalist, wants to write a school paper exposé on the Mayor, who seems to be a pedophile.

Ultimately, they all come together in the Speech and Debate club. Each has a sexual secret. In this coming-of-age tale, they all learn about privacy rights and public humiliation, when it’s okay to speak out and when it’s best to clam up. As they explore the heinous hypocrisy of the adult world, they’re forced to confront some of their own. Ultimately, they explore their own emerging identities.

Playwright Stephen Karam created the play when he was just 25, working from actual transcripts of online chats between the former mayor of Spokane, Washington, and a gay teenager. The play, which Karam set in Salem, Oregon (the comparison with that other Salem is made plain) was workshopped in 2006 at Brown/Trinity Playwrights Repertory Theatre in Providence, Rhode Island. It went on to an Off Broadway run at the Roundabout Underground, and received a GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Media nomination. Last year, “Speech and Debate” was the third most produced play in the country. It’s easy to see why.

The characters are quirky, the dialogue is quick, quippy and clever – and, according to a gay high schooler I spoke to, very close to the bone and true to reality. We learn that BSA doesn’t just stand for the Boy Scouts of America; it’s the “Bathing Suit Areas” the students are taught about in the school’s “Stranger Danger” lecture. These kids are having sex and obsessing about sex, considering exposing a scandal focused on sex, but the parts put to use for it are called Bathing Suit Areas.

The oddball Diwata (wildly funny Rachael VanWormer), a talentless, wannabe musical theater starlet, can’t get cast in the school play (by the same drama teacher she’s already exposed online – by name). She’s convinced that the various Speech and Debate team presentations will showcase her talents. Howie (Markuz Rodriguez, solid, underplayed), the new gay boy in school, wants to form a GSA, Gay-Straight Alliance. Solomon (Kevin Koppman-Gue, funny in his seriousness), the brainy, nerdy, alligator-logo shirt-wearer, wants to get his articles about the sex scandal published. In the end, in some way, they all get what they want.

But first, these misfits come together for a wild interpretive performance, after they share their secrets and their dreams — about Mary Warren, the weak-willed witch-exposer in Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” in Diwata’s case; for Howie, it’s a fantasy about a young, gay Abraham Lincoln.

The play is amusing, enjoyable, a little off-the-wall, fun and informative, an intriguing reflection of the youthful zeitgeist, the plight of the high school outcast, the search for identity and developing an ability to communicate. The adult perspective is provided by a rule-following teacher and a probing public radio reporter (both well played by Wendy Waddell).

There are a few unconvincing moments: What 18-year-old wouldn’t know what ROFL means, for one thing? (Rolling on the Floor Laughing, for you non chat-roomers, Facebookies or tweeters). Structurally, the Speech and Debate meeting is far more effective than the GSA gathering, which is followed by an awkward (not in a good sense) scene between the two boys.

But the Diversionary Theatre production is delightful, under the assured direction of Jason Southerland (the artistic director of Next Theatre in Chicago, whose prior work at Diversionary was co-direction of the delectable MOXIE/Diversionary musical, “Pulp!”). The spare set (Ted Crittenden) works very well, offering multiple playing spaces: a classroom and the kids’ bedrooms. The projections are effective, each of the 12 scenes announced by a description of a Speech and Debate category: “Extemporaneous Commentary,” “Declamation,” Group Interpretation,” etc.

The play is young and hip, a sometimes startling, if accurate, consideration of high school outcasts and the effects of the internet’s unique brand of communication. Take a trip back to high school (if you dare); you’re sure to have a few (uncomfortable?) laughs.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Best Bet

This n That

Lobby artwork by cast member Markuz Rodriguez.