OCEAN CITY – Brown Box Theatre Project will return to Ocean City this month to debut its newest production, “don’t feed the bear.”
Written and performed by playwright Cam Torres, the one-man show follows a character’s journey to find connection.
A synopsis for the play reads, “In a theater, or a place where theater can happen, there exists Will. At the least, Will is born out of words on a page at the whim of a playwright. But Will is anyone, anywhere, anytime. Battling their own existence, Will questions reality, explores human connection, and admits deafening loneliness and debilitating insecurity in the common pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. With Will, we witness what it means to be utterly and horribly human.”
Torres, an actor, playwright and tour manager with the Brown Box Theatre Project, said he spent three years writing “don’t feed the bear” before submitting his work to the theatre company for consideration.
While he’s performed with Brown Box in the past, Torres said this is the first of his plays to be produced.
“The whole premise is based around one character,” he said. “They know they are the character in a play. However, they don’t know what is supposed to happen. So it’s a journey to see what the play is about, and along the way the character stumbles upon this need for connection.”
Torres said “don’t feed the bear” differs from traditional solo performances pieces.
“A lot of solo performances are very biographical …,” he said. “However, this play is about a character trying to figure out who they are. Flipping that on its head was interesting to me.”
Torre’s “don’t feed the bear” kicks off the Brown Box Theatre Project’s ninth year of programming. Its mission is to bring high-quality theatre to communities that otherwise lack access to the performing arts, with a constant goal to bring down barriers that separate potential audiences from live theatre and to introduce the performing arts to the widest audience possible.
Officials with the Brown Box Theatre Project said “don’t feed the bear” is a play that challenges the ways in which theatre is typically created and consumed.
For Torres, the play provides a unique opportunity to perform onstage alone.
“There is an element of control,” Torres said. “I am orchestrating the night.”
The Brown Box Theatre Project’s production of “don’t feed the bear” will debut at the Ocean City Center for the Arts from March 22-24. Shows will begin at 7:30 p.m.
To purchase tickets, or to view the full performance schedule, visit www.brownboxtheatre.org. Funding for this event is provided in part by the Worcester County Arts Council, Maryland State Arts Council, and Massachusetts Cultural Council.
“I think that people will be surprised,” Torres said. “The character gives a more intimate look at how humans can help each other and better connect. That in itself is worth seeing and experiencing.”
Torres encouraged anyone to attend.
“I think it’s a play where you want to come and watch but aren’t sure what you are going to get,” he said. “But if you come with an open mind, I think you will be open to a surprise.”
Torres is a Boston-based actor and playwright with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Studies with a concentration in Acting from Emerson College. His acting credits include “Angles in American Pt. 1,” “Jerusalem,” “A Midsummer’s Night Dream,” “A Winter’s Tale,” “James Franco and Me” and Brown Box’s 2016 Free Shakespeare Tour of “Cymbeline.
