"Wait ‘til the lights go down!" I tell everyone I take to M. T. Pockets. My criterion for choosing a theater is simple: it must have a good selection of "proven" plays and good talent. M. T. Pockets qualifies. Architecture and decor are extras, but they aren’t essential. We are excited as we walk down Spruce St. to the awning of Morgantown
Florist--that’s our landmark. Miss it, and we miss the door to the steps down. It’s not a
"beatnik" cellar, either, so we don’t expect style. The room with commercial tile floors,
fluorescent ceiling fixtures, and black velvet curtains strung all around is a temporary
home with all the basic requirements: air conditioning, adequate stage lighting, and
elevated platform seating on stackable chairs. Voila! Theatre! Now it’s up to the cast to
create the illusion. To see what kind of spell they plan to cast, we consult their website:
M. T. Pockets.
A great number of plays conform to the company’s stated mission: to create parts for
women. However, the performance schedule deviates from this objective occasionally to
offer Twentieth Century intellectual favorites, like Waiting for Godot, and visiting
events, such as An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein. We’ve seen three plays
there: The Deer and the Antelope Play, a Texas family drama about teenage
depression, by Mark Dunn; The Death of a Miner (a woman coal miner) by Paula
Cizmar; and most recent, Waiting for the Parade, a character study of five women
without their men during WWII. All have been well-acted and directed with sets and
costumes that seem authentic.
We chose the downtown theater Saturday night in preference to the West Virginia Public
Theater production of Ain’t Misbehavin’. My favorite character in Waiting
for the Parade (set in Calgary, Canada during the 1940’s) was the German woman
who kept reminding those who scorned her: "I’fe liffed in Calgary since I
vas eight." She sang in German--even smoked like a German--and was
appropriately gruff. Another character, the "do-good" organizer of the volunteers, was
justifiably too intense, and her stiff jaw was convincing. Another was pert, curt, and sexy
as she painted lines (seams) on her legs. It was a bravado performance that
received a standing ovation--chairs and feet clattered on the wooden platforms as we all
clamored to get up.
We share the excitement of this company. Indeed, no guest at their performances could
avoid interest in the group, as well as the plays. They are succeeding in creating a
community proving ground for talent the area is overflowing with. The need was there,
and M. T. Pockets fills it.