Directed by Terry Martin
Betty is looking for the ultimate summer
vacation when she rents a room at a cozy
beach house. However, her vacation turns
into a surreal adventure when the darker
sides of the other summer renters begin
to unfold. Betty's Summer Vacation, a black-comic
send-up of America's insatiable appetite
for scandal and reality television, is a
merry beachside romp featuring murder, mutilation,
and Charades.
*This production contains mature
subject matter and adult language*
Quote from
the Dallas Observer:
"Tell
me this isn't the best advertising pitch
you've ever heard for a play: "Betty's
Summer Vacation, a black comedy send-up
of America's insatiable appetite for scandal
and reality television, is a merry beachside
romp featuring murder, mutilation and charades."
Awesome. Anytime you can work "merry"
and "murder" into the same sentence,
you're onto something hot."
Cast:
Betty - Kristi Humphreys
Trudy - Margaret Athene Chaplin
Buck- Ryan Schneider
Keith - Bobby Selah
Mrs. Siezmagraff - Mary Anna Austin
Mr. Vanislaw - Rick Tuman
Voice 1 - Clayton Farris
Voice 2 - Rebecca McDonald
Voice 3 - Uri Heller
Director's notes
When asked to direct this production of
Betty’s Summer Vacation, which
I happen to think, is one of the best plays
written in the last few years, I was at
first relieved that someone else found this
play as disturbing and funny as I did, and
then a bit frightened at the opportunity.
Christopher Durang, the playwright, has
stated “this is a dark comedy in which
some very terrible things happen.”
He has said that the play was written as
a reaction to the glut of high profile court
cases on television that seems to capture
America’s obsessive attention. Since
it was written, America’s obsession
with reality TV has increased beyond belief.
Now on television, people eat bugs and marry
strangers for money. Durang has written
a play that not only spoofs this phenomenon,
but also through its brilliance allows us
to reflect on how and why we are so interested
in other people’s scandal and folly.
It is exciting for me as an artist to
have the chance to work on play that has
so much social relevance and, while initially
that relevance may be hard to see, has much
to say about the way our society functions.
Why it has become almost the norm in broadcast
television to witness the embarrassment
of other people? Why is that entertainment?
To those of you who may find Betty’s
Summer Vacation insensitive or upsetting,
I ask you to set back have a good laugh
at the ridiculousness of it all and remember
that tonight you missed the newest episodes
of "Fear Factor", "Average
Joe", "Joe Millionaire" or
"American Idol". Not to mention
the latest on the Michael Jackson case.
About the Director
Terry Martin was selected as Artistic
Director of WaterTower Theatre (WTT) in
1999 following a year-long, nationwide search.
He was promoted to the position of Producing
Artistic Director in 2001. Terry has been
active in the Dallas theatre community for
over 10 years.
WTT directing credits include You Can't
Take It With You, Book of Days, Cat on a
Hot Tin Roof (2002 Rabin Award –
Director of a Play), Sweeney Todd
(2002 Rabin Award Nomination – Director
of a Musical), Desire Under the Elms,
Ravenscroft, Rockin’ Christmas Party
(2000,2001), Enter the Guardsman
(2001 Rabin Award Nomination – Director
of a Musical), Lady Day at Emerson’s
Bar and Grill and Little Shop of
Horrors (2000 Rabin Award Nomination
– Director of a Musical) among others.
For Plano Repertory Theatre, he has directed
Journey’s End (2000 Rabin
Award – Director of a Play), Dracula,
La Bête, Little Shop of Horrors and
Pump Boys and Dinettes. He has appeared
on stage at WTT in Bash:Latterday Plays
(2002 Rabin Award Nomination - Actor in
a Play) and at PRT in The Only Thing
Worse You Could Have Told Me…
(1998 Rabin Award – Actor in a Play,
1998 Dallas Theater Critics Forum Award),
The Woman in Black (2000 Rabin
Award Nomination – Actor in a Play),
and Lonely Planet. Other area stage
credits include Sight Unseen for
New Theatre Company and Lost in Yonkers
and Lips Together, Teeth Apart
(1997 Dallas Observer Best Actor) for Stage
West.
In New York, Terry directed at The Village
Theatre Company, Carnegie Hall Studios and
Theatre at St. Marks as well as television
appearances on ABC’s "One Life
to Live" and NBC’s "To Serve
and Protect." He holds a BFA from the
University of Alabama and has trained with
Sanford Meisner, Fred Kareman, Wynn Handman,
Sally Johnson and Lehmann Byck. Terry was
named "Best Theater Director"
in the Dallas Observer's "Best
of Dallas 2002."
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2002-2003 Events
