Amusician writes a song about a girl. The girl hears the song. The musician and the girl meet and a relationship forms. This is the premise of Vertigo Productions’ “Songs for Dixie Kaminsky.”
Or so we are told.
The original play, written by Communication senior Bridget Moloney, premieres this weekend at Shanley Pavilion.
Since “Songs for Dixie Kaminsky” has never been performed before, it makes sense that “Dixie’s” director and cast are reluctant to divulge too much information about the play. Although Director John Dixon, a Communication junior, is willing to hint at the play’s premise, he refrains from pigeonholing “Dixie” into a single genre.
“It goes beyond classifications such as ‘drama’ or ‘comedy,'” Dixon said. “It’s a very modern play, it’s a contemporary comedy.”
Dixie Kaminsky, a 20-something sandwich vendor who dreams of being a performer, is constantly in search of a better life. Yet she is able to appreciate the intricacies of the world around her.
“(Dixie) is hot, she’s fun, she’s totally a performance artist,” said Mamie Gummer, a Communication senior. “She understands that people have within them a desire to express their emotions and that everyone has their own way of expressing themselves.”
Dixie lives with her boyfriend Brad, an attorney played by Communication sophomore Nick Kanellis.
“Brad is totally a lawyer,” said Kanellis of his character. “He stays hydrated.”
“Brad knows how to argue and win,” continued Dixon. “He gets what he wants.”
Dixie’s closest relationship is with her younger sister Allison, a spunky yet naive college student played by Communication senior Zoe Perry.
“Allison gets pretty excited about things,” Dixon said. “She is fascinated by how other people deal with different situations and how males and females differ in their lives.”
The main interest of the play is found in Dixie’s interaction with Seamus Smith, a rock musician played by Communication junior Jon Schmidt. Dixie sees Seamus on television promoting his album, “Songs for Dixie Kaminsky.” A relationship between the two soon ensues.
“I liked imagining who every song in the world was written for, and what they thought about it when they heard it,”said Moloney of her inspiration for writing Dixie. “I mean, if Beck had written ‘Sea Change’ about me, who knows what would be happening in my life.”
“Songs for Dixie Kaminsky” runs Thursday at 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. at Shanley Pavilion.4
Communication junior Mackenzie Horras is a PLAY writer. She can be reached at [email protected].
