The Impostors Theatre Company wraps up its inaugural season with Footholds, an anthology of five short plays tied together by one shared conceit: a stack of red construction paper used in various ways. While most local theaters produce a single show (oftentimes running longer than necessary), it’s delightful to see a variety of engaging vignettes written by Chicagoans.
Maria Welser’s Refraction explores life’s meaning through the metaphor of the life span of a star, a unique take on our shared journey and the search for purpose. The fears, self-loathing, and criticisms we get from society and carry within us are literally on display in Stephanie Lewis’s Agita, which plays out as an impactful dance. Drew Michele, as Woman, does a wonderful job of silently communicating the social anxiety we all struggle with, though the decision to have a male member of the chorus “save” her diminishes her agency. The weakest entry, Creations by Kasey Mooney, presents a quiet young boy making origami in a park and interacting with various strangers who all seem to pity him.
In Natalia Terzic’s hilarious The Piper’s Calling, a group of teen girls obsessed with popularity decide to sacrifice one of their number to the devil because “death is the key to social immortality.” Sarah Bacinich, Raven Nichole, and Michele are completely hysterical in this over-the-top, smart satire of teen angst. In the Details by Caroline Hyde is a corporate parody set in hell with some silly, slapstick moments but without a central message. All together, they add up to a thoroughly enjoyable night out. v