'Omnivores' Comes to Playwrights Theatre

MADISON – When Ben Clawson was a boy, his family had a cabin in the woods that they visited a couple times a year.

The 25-year-old playwright would imagine things that could happen in such a secluded place, and some of those thoughts inspired his play "Omnivores," running through Dec. 12 at Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey.

The play, which is being produced for the first time, is about two brothers who meet at an isolated cabin for a "camping weekend," although they rarely see – and don't much like – each other.

Cole Mitchell, played by Joseph Palestina, is an adjunct professor at a community college and the younger Clyde, played by Brian Parks, is a construction worker who went to jail rather than college.

Unbeknownst to Clyde, Cole has arranged for the visit of another young man, played by Scott Cagney, whom he believes has wronged their family.

The Mitchells' drunk and dangerous Uncle Nutsy, played by Thom Molyneaux, completes the quartet onstage.

Because the play includes violence, it is not recommended for children younger than 16. If it was a movie, Clawson said it likely would be rated R.

Among the issues the play explores are family conflicts and the trouble people "have letting them go," the playwright said. It also deals with revenge and what men expect of themselves and others.

"Omnivores" is a joint production of Playwrights and Strange Dog Theatre Company, which was formed by a group of recent graduates from the theater department at Montclair State University, including Clawson and the director, Artem Yatsunov.

Clawson, who graduated in 2007, said being part of a theater company keeps playwriting from being such a solitary occupation.

When he finished the first draft of "Omnivores" in July, he gave it to Yatsunov, who read it and said they should gather some actors to read it aloud.

Yatsunov described the play as "very funny and also very dark." It "examines very basic issues of eye-for-an-eye mentality and what do you do if you feel hurt or offended."

"Omnivores" underwent two to three big revisions before rehearsals began in October. As the actors and director worked, Clawson cut big chucks and made revisions, including "little tweaks" up to two days before the opening.

"Omnivores" is his fourth full-length play and the third to be produced, but Clawson said he has written dozens of one-act plays, ranging from three minutes to a half-hour long.

Strange Dog has presented shows composed of several one-acts at several locations in Montclair.

Playwrights Theatre artistic director John Pietrowski saw one of the productions and invited the group to mount a show in Madison, partly to attract a younger audience to the theater.

"My goal is to be able to keep writing and to keep putting on shows," said Clawson, who teaches playwriting at Playwrights in addition to bartending.