Award-winning play opens at BPP

Each year, the Bloomington Playwrights Project holds a national competition for playwrights designed to honor new plays. The Reva Shiner Playwrighting Competition awards its winner a cash prize and the opportunity to have BPP produce the winning play. This year's winner, Jason Grote's "The New Jersey Book of the Dead," opened last night at the BPP, 312 S. Washington St..\nThe show deals with a series of complex, abstract, work place-related issues like unionization, consumerism and technological advances. The play is centered around a call answering company called Singer, Sigman & Associates, where a new computer system called Omnivore is introduced to monitor employee productivity. In this case, Omnivore tracks the length of personal calls made by the employees. \nIn an effort to protect their rights as workers, two employees named Diana and Cass decide to start a union. Diana also winds up in complicated situations throughout the play involving a bad home life and the "unfair" boss, Alvarez. \nThe invasive corporate system is reminiscent of George Orwell's "Big Brother" in his novel "1984." The script begs the question, "Will technology save us, or betray us?"\n"The script is truly unique in its discussion and use of technology, and the comparisons to ancient times through flashbacks of sorts in what Grote calls 'Shamanic Traces,'" said BPP Public Relations Director Rachael Himsel, who is acting in the show. "We are introduced to these characters -- these often very flawed, human characters -- who are living through the times before and after Sept. 11." \nHimsel said the elements of the plot involves the audience in the story line. \n"We follow them as they form a union and as they come to realize what matters most to them," said Himsel. "There is definite resolution in the script, but, at the same time, I always find myself wondering, 'What will they do now?' I think that's another sign of a great story: Even though all the ends have been tied up, we want more."\nFollowing Saturday's performance of the show, the BPP is holding a question and answer session to allow cast and crew members, as well as Grote, to interact with the audience.\nIn addition to the Reva Shiner Award, "Book of the Dead" has garnered other praise from the Playwrights Center of San Francisco's Dramarama in 2002. It was also the 2003 winner of Coe College Playwriting Award in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.\n-- Contact staff writer Brandon S Morley at bmorley@indiana.edu .