Daily Deacon

WFU’s Theatre Department presents its first main-stage production of the semester, “The Waiting Room,” a dark comedy

The Waiting Room, written by Lisa Loomer and directed by John E. R. Friedenberg of WFU’s Theatre Department, opens Friday, February 12 at 7:30. The show runs Friday through Sunday this weekend and next.

The play centers around three women from different time periods waiting in a doctor’s office. In the program synopsis released by the Theatre Department, The Waiting Room is described as an “outrageous comic approach to beauty and medicine.”

“We’re doing a lot of stuff that Wake Forest doesn’t typically do, and we’re talking about things Wake Forest’s Theatre Department doesn’t typically talk about,” said sophomore Eli Bradley, who plays Oliver Smoot, the 1870s doctor. Bradley was not planning on auditioning for the play, but after reading the script, fell in love with Oliver’s character.

“It’s a comedy, but I’m doing a lot of non-comedic things. I’ve only done silly comedies so far, so this has been fun. The Waiting Room is more relationship-based. It’s more small, intimate moments. It’s realer,” Bradley said.

Sophomore Stephanie Moore, the play’s assistant director, agreed with Bradley, “It’s been so much fun to work on, because it relies so heavily on conversation but in a very realistic way. It’s more human interaction than dialogue.”

This week is what the actors call ‘tech week,’ the final days of rehearsal before opening night. Junior Valerie Medoff is the stage manager for the show and has put in nearly eight hours of work every day this week.

“During performances, I have a lot to juggle,” said Medoff. The most difficult part of her job, she said, is calling transitions. “So many elements need to be in place for them to look really smooth.”

Moore explained that these different elements are worked out during tech week. They focus on a new one every day.

“On Sunday, we added all the lights and the sound and then the set. On Tuesday, we added costumes, and we’re getting more props as things go on,” said Moore.

This Thursday, the final day of the department’s Sunday-through-Thursday tech week, included an open showing of the play. The goal was to attract an audience so that the actors can gauge when people are going to react and for how long.

“We know that reactions are going to happen, but we’re not sure when or what kind,” said Moore. “There are a lot of things that can shock people. But at the same time, there are a lot of things that are going to make people laugh and probably some that we’re not expecting because of the wild, uncomfortable nature of what’s being said up there.”

Several of the actors described The Waiting Room as provocative, raunchy or dark. They also agreed they believe it appeals to wide variety of people.

“I think anyone could come and enjoy this show, from any background, any perception, just because it covers everything. It covers beauty standards for men and women. It covers medicine and problems with medical practice. It covers problems with big business, problems with not enough big business. It covers cultural collides and divisions, people from different cultures not understanding each other, power dynamics and hierarchies and the nature of love and what it means to love too much,” Bradley said.

Medoff, too, thinks the show is for anyone and encourages Wake Forest students to attend.

“I think the idea of wanting to achieve perfection both in looks and in life in general is something that greatly relates to the Wake Forest audience because it is something we all deal with,” said Medoff.

“I think it’s a very important show for this campus,” Bradley said. “It’s the best show I’ve ever worked on. It’s going to be one of the best shows Wake’s done in a long time.”