The plays of Kres Mersky have been
presented at colleges, universities and theatres on the West Coast and in Canada. Her
specialty is one-woman shows, which she spends years researching meticulously. Examples of
these are Isadora Duncan and The Life and Times of A. Einstein, in which
Einstein's devoted secretary Ellen greets roomful of reporters and struggles to answer
their questions when Einstein doesn't show up for his interview. As an actress, Kres has
performed on stage at the Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson Theatre in their productions
of A Man for All Seasons, Hot L Baltimore and Getting Out. She
also appeared on many a television show – everything from Charlie's Angels
to Murder She Wrote – until she turned her back on television in order to
spend more time with her son Ted. This also, fortuitously, gave her more time to write.
The following is an excerpt from Algerian Romance, her
all male play, which had a workshop at the Mark Taper Forum and was produced at Primary
Stages in New York.
Bob: (Brokenheartedly as he reads) My Darling, I am leaving. My bags
are packed – or almost. I will be taking a small room in a charming pension
overlooking the sea. The view is exquisite and the sound of the crashing surf will
hopefully soothe my aching heart. Clean linen is provided daily, along with a
breakfast consisting of coffee, juice, a boiled egg, a single slice of ham, and a
roll. A hard roll, whose ends are delicately molded into small curls, much like the
ones we ate so greedily that unforgettable night on the beach at San Carlos Bay.
That memory, once so delicious, just now brought a stinging pain to my breast, and I asked
if instead of the roll, I might get a single slice of rye toast unbuttered instead.
For information on Kres Mersky's portrayal
of Isadora Duncan,
visit http://www.metalsmith.com/isadora.html |
