Brownie Points
Apr 13th, 2012 - May 27th, 2012
Written by Janece Shaffer
Directed by Deborah Gilmour Smyth
 
Allison Karson St. John
Nicole Kaja Amado Dunn
Deidre Monique Gaffney
Sue Cynthia Peters Gerber
Jamie Erika Beth Phillips
Understudy Caitie Grady
Understudy Yolanda Marie Franklin
 
 
Scenic Design Michael McKeon
Lighting Design Nathan Peirson
Costume Design Keith Bonar
Sound Design Patrick J. Duffy
Stage Manager Jennifer Leigh Sears
Properties Design Michael McKeon
Director Deborah Gilmour Smyth
 
"Thoughtful and entertaining! In Lamb's Players' capable production, smoothly directed by Deborah Gilmour Smyth, the patron is left with solid food-for-thought that is infinitely more satisfying than Dinty Moore stew over a campfire...Poignancy is nicely balanced with humor, making the show feel rich and genuine."
- Milo Shapiro ( StageandCinema.com )
 
"In Janece Shaffer's comedy-drama BROWNIE POINTS, what you expect is not all there is...and five women learn to see beyond all they think there is. Karson St. John, Noel Award-winner, plays "insensitive" Allison, an organizer so compulsive she's a human Control Tower. Noel Award-winner Monique Gaffney plays Deidre, a "high-maintenance," in-demand Atlanta surgeon. When Allison makes a possibly racist mistake with the itinerary, St. John and Gaffney go toe-to-toe with such ferocity that resolution seems impossible. Then the playwright slyly realigns the quintet. Different women discover things in common: two connect here, another two there, like building blocks, and they slowly repair at least some of the damage...Directed by Deborah Gilmour Smyth - with an eye for goofy slapstick and surprisingly intense drama - Brownie Points is primarily an ensemble show and all 5 actresses contribute."
- Jeff Smith ( San Diego Reader )
 
"BROWNIE POINTS is dedicated to unpacking the baggage that comes with being a generation caught in the middle, straddled between civil rights and civil unions; raised one way and making the effort and the choice to raise another."
- Elizabeth Guiten ( Coronado Eagle and Journal )
 
"..more than a camping trip for the girls, Shaffer's play zeros in on the mom's past experiences, prejudices and place in society, and how working and blending together as a group is easier said than done. It explores their tolerances, class differences, (stay at home mom's vs. working moms) and the cultures that makes this once in a lifetime camping trip one for the books. "
- Carol Davis ( examiner.com )
 
"The play, now getting its Southern California premiere at Lamb's Players Theatre, earns points of its own (real ones, not the Brownie variety) for grappling with delicate matters of race, class and the agonizing choices women often face over careers and motherhood."
- James Hebert ( San Diego Union Tribune )
 
"Intelligent and insightful...top notch production and spot on cast! Playwright Janece Shaffer deserves major brownie points for turning out a comedic, but mostly smart and serious look at what contemporary American women think of race, religion, and above all, their roles as mothers just trying to do the best they can to provide for their families... In the end, Brownie Points does not offer up any artificial, overly simplified, neat-and-tidy conclusion. Instead, things remain as messy and complicated as real life itself… their honest dialogue provides some important food for thought and hopefully sparks some equally-honest discussions about color, creed, and compassion long after the last burnt marshmallow is devoured. "
- Donnie Matsuda ( San Diego Drama King )