What Is Working and What Isn’t

By Phaidra Yunker
Staff Writer

Harwood Prairie Playhouse’s “Barely Heirs” is in its last weekend. If you enjoy outlandish plot lines and hysterical stage antics, take the time to attend one of the last four performances of this original play by Fargo resident David Lassig.

Harwood Prairie Playhouse is well known for its farces. Each year the company produces one play that packs the house at Dawson Hall in Bonanzaville, and for many Fargoans this is their annual trip to the theatre. Audiences laugh uproariously at the ridiculous characters, door slamming chase scenes, and mistaken identities that inevitably appear in farcical plays. This year’s production is no exception.

“Barely Heirs” is a wonderfully enjoyable play. It is apparent that the cast is having a fantastic time with the ludicrous plot twists. Jane, a thirty-something woman, played by Shanara Lassig (who also happens to be David’s off-stage wife), needs a husband and she needs one now. In her desperation she enlists the help of her best friend, Claire (Amanda Eide) and her neighbor, Tom (David Lassig). To explain the plot any further would destroy the fun of the play. That is the nature of farce: the delight is in the surprise. All attendees need to know is that this play is wacky, absurd, totally hilarious, and not appropriate for young audiences.

“Barely Heirs” is the twisted brainchild of David Lassig, a longtime HPP company member and actor. This is the second season that the company has chosen to produce one of Lassig’s scripts. After attending the show I was able to ask David the following questions:

High Plains Reader: What inspired you to start writing plays?

David Lassig: I have been inspired to write since I was a little kid. I used to love to come up with short stories, and then when I got older I started writing poems and song lyrics. I’m not sure where the ideas come from as they seem to pop into my head. I guess some of my ideas just come from seeing things in everyday life. My inspiration for writing plays came from acting in plays. When you are in a play and can see the power of theater and how it affects an audience, it is truly magical. After being in farces for many years and seeing how farces can make an audience come and enjoy themselves and have a good time, I decided I wanted to try my hand at it. I wanted to come up with the craziest and funniest things possible in order for the audiences to have a good night and to leave the theater with smiles on their faces.

HPR: Why farce?

DL: To me, there is nothing more rewarding than to say one or two words or have a facial expression that can cause an audience to erupt with laughter. That to me is the magic of farce and why I love doing farces and why I have started writing farces.

HPR: How difficult was it to get your first play, “Who Maid Who?” published?

DL: I had sent the script to Playscripts in December of last year and never dreamed the script would get published. It took three months to hear back from them and when I did hear back that they wanted to publish the script, it was one of the most gratifying things of my life. The whole process from sending in the script to hearing back and then going through the drafts took about a year. I would venture to guess that for most people, trying to get published is probably very hard, so I was amazed that I got a publishing offer from the first place I sent it to. Probably the main reason it got published by the first company to look at it was because of all the rewrites it went through before I sent it to the publisher. A lot of people were very helpful in reading the drafts and also helping with character readings.

HPR: Can you explain more about the playwriting award you won last year?

DL:The Mountain Playhouse International Playwriting Contest started in 2003 as a way to get more people to write plays. They were tired of doing the same old shows every year, so they came up with this concept. The winning play may get produced at the Mountain Playhouse the following season. There were about 80 scripts sent in for 2009. For winning, Shanara and I were flown to Pennsylvania to attend a professional staged reading of the play and a reception afterward. The official season for the Mountain Playhouse hasn’t been announced, but they are leaning towards producing “Who Maid Who?” this summer.

HPR: Can we expect more plays from you in the future?

DL: I finished a male version of “Barely Heirs” called “Heir Necessities” and have submitted this script to the Mountain Playhouse for the 2010 Playwriting Contest. Shanara and I have come up with an idea for another script and are doing some brainstorming right now, so we may write one together. I also have done an outline for another farce and will be starting on it shortly. I also plan to write a dramatic script in the near future. Shanara and I are also contemplating a comedic script about relationships.

When “Barely Heirs” closes I will be tightening up the script and doing some revisions. The plan is to send it to four publishers for possible publication. It’s been really great to see the audience reaction to things, so I know what is working and what isn’t. The cast has also been very helpful in suggestions to improve the script.

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If You Go

What: Barely Heirs
Where: Dawson Hall, Bonanzaville
When:March 25-27, 7:30pm; March 27, 2pm
Info: 701.298-6807