McMINNVILLE — “Truth and illusion. Who knows the difference, eh, toots? Eh?” George says to Nick in the third act of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

What is a play but truth and illusion? Woolf contains many lighthearted moments as well as unbearable truths hidden within an illusion created by its characters — which are then created by its actors.

Allusion and illusion. These two words go hand-in-hand with Woolf. Throughout the play all four characters allude to the heartbreaking triumphs and tragedies that they hide from behind their facades: Martha a brash bulldozer amongst the sheep; mild-mannered George, an unprepossessing wallflower; Nick the epitome of upright moral fortitude; and Honey, the demure and submissive little wife.

These self-imposed lies make their lives easier to bear. Fear of truly seeing themselves and their realities makes these pretenses so important. On this one night, they finally acknowledge the pain and illusions.

Woolf is a difficult play for everyone involved. It is extremely painful to watch, like driving past the scene of an accident. The audience becomes silent, unwilling participants in the downfall of a domestic empire. Walking away from the theater you ask yourself, are my relationships built on illusions, too?

It is three hours of emotionally overwhelming dialogue for the actors, who must portray people whose behavior is often gladiatorial, their responses hyperbolic and their confessions heartbreaking. As Nick says to George, “Flagellation isn’t my idea of a good time.”

But Woolf is just that.

Sponsor

It’s one of my favorite plays. I love Albee’s work. His dialogue is reminiscent of film noir movies; it is rapid-fire, confrontational ,and no-holds barred. Nothing stands in the way of the story; nothing is too personal, no topic taboo, no behavior too extreme. Albee peels the skin off each character one layer at a time and doesn’t stop until he reaches bone.

The actors must create these layers, these hidden feelings and emotions, and then be able to feel the violation and secret relief when they are exposed. All of this while living their own lives, feeling their own emotions and burying those for three hours or more at a time while the character can live in their flesh. This is a must when playing a character in any of Albee’s plays. His work demands that commitment.

Earlier this year my friend David Bates (who as a professional journalist is a regular contributor of stories to ArtsWatch) told me that he would be directing Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at McMinnville’s Gallery Theatre, where it would open Oct. 10 and continue through Oct. 26, and I was thrilled. I have seen him act — he is brilliant — but I had never seen him direct, and I had not had the chance to see this play put on locally.

It was a golden opportunity. I started asking, “Could I please come take photos during the course of rehearsals?” When he said “Yes,” I was thrilled. The project began as a personal one — I often take photos of events or people just for fun — but it became more than that. Witnessing the process and progress, the effort it took to bring these characters to life, felt like a story that needed to be told.

I dropped in for the rehearsals every two weeks or so; more often some weeks, less others. There was a lot going on with the cast: bouts of covid, work conflicts, other commitments, etc.; and rehearsals had to be adjusted. They pushed on, and the layers began to form. Words on a page became more than dialogue.

These four actors — three seasoned from years of community theater and more, one a relative novice — began their journey early this summer. Each rehearsal brought new changes and more complexity.

Walking into rehearsal, they began to shed their own personalities more quickly, adopting the demeanor and mannerisms of their characters.

Sponsor

Watching Martha was breathtaking. Holly Spencer, the actor playing her, is a bouncy, happy, enthusiastic person. She is dedicated to this character. I have been around theater for years. I started my journalism career as a theater critic. Seeing her shed her skin and become another person has been a lesson in how much work acting is and the effort it requires to become someone you are not. The contrast between her personality and that of her bombastic counterpart is a gulf bridged by talent.

Honey is played by Jordan Reed, a fearless, self-confident young person. She has a dark sense of humor and is a delight to talk to. The character of Honey is not. She is deliberately innocent, manipulative, childish, moving between weak and demanding. The contrast between the two is stark, and the transformation is whole. The actor’s growth as a performer has been apparent and satisfying to see.

If there is always a cutup in every classroom, it’s not Nick. He is stolid, detached and judgmental — a good Midwest boy who has grown into a dull man. That description is the total opposite of Reese Madden, the actor playing him. Madden’s always laughing and joking when not in character, a perpetually goofy smile on his face and a toothpick in his mouth. Finding Nick was like finding his own doppelganger — a difficult search, but it was there, and it soon took over.

On the other hand, George and Lance Nuttman, the actor who plays him, seem suited to each other in a way. There is a gentleness in George, even at his worst, even in the middle of his cruelty, which stems from a malignancy of hurt, loss and betrayal, and yet he still comes across as someone who is kind. It is difficult watching this cruelty and vindictiveness spew forth, and is painful seeing apathy and corruption overtake a good soul. Nuttman slips the character on like a glove; his kindness shines through the character. What is amazing is his ability to be so despondent, hurt, and hurtful. It is quite sublime.

My friend David has done an excellent job of leading, guiding, and pushing his gifted cast to find their characters within themselves and to inhabit them fully.

***

Follow along in photos as rehearsals move from their beginnings in June through the final preview performance of Gallery Theatre’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? on Thursday evening, Oct. 9:

Sponsor

***

• Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opened Friday evening, Oct. 10, and continues through Sunday, Oct. 26 at Gallery Theater, 210 N.E. Ford St., McMinnville, 97128.
• Directed by David Bates and stars Lance Nuttman as George, Holly Spencer as Martha, Reese Madden as Nick and Jordan Reed as Honey.
• Ticket and schedule information here.