Actor, Director

 Bob and Maggie are out on their second date when things go terrible wrong. Eager for acceptance, Bob pretends to be more than he is. Maggie, new to the world of dating, struggles to calibrate as she lurches forward into the unknown.  

-From Concord Theatricals

It is a very relatable feeling to be questioning if our own identities are good enough. We experience it in our teens, trying to fit in. We experience it in our 20s and 30s, as we question whether or not we have to fit the normal path of life as expected for us. It is something I have personally dealt with a lot. I was drawn to this play as it explores two characters who are questioning whether or not they are stuck pretending to be who other people want them to be, or if they will ever be free to be themselves. Maggie and Bob meet through a dating app, where they have presented the most filtered and appealing versions of themselves. But will they get the chance to be vulnerable, to show the messy and relatable versions of who they are?

This story is incredibly relevant now. As we exist in the digital age, we know people through social media apps, and we see their perfect, curated lives. It can make us question if we are behind, if we should be perfect, and what we are missing that makes us feel so stuck. We try our best to fit in and also present a picture perfect life. The reality is, if we can find it in us to share who we really are, the connections we make will be all the more satisfying, and Stuck as a play represents that message. 

This play features two iconic monologues, one from each of the characters, that helped inform the direction of the play. First, Maggie, as she describes herself as a small tree, alone in the forest as all the bigger trees have been chopped down and taken away. The other, from Bob, questions the idea of being "normal", and whether or not normal really exists, or if it means just settling for a mediocre life. 

These monologues capture the themes of fitting in and feeling behind in your life compared to your peers. Maggie, as the tree, still has so much growing to do and things to experience, while she feels all of her peers have grown and accomplished life already. Bob, meanwhile, feels he has to pretend to be normal, which condemns him to an emotionless, grey life. This is reflected then in the movement and directions of the character. Maggie has bounding energy and youth, but she can often feel unfocused and anxious rather than direct in her energy. Her apartment is an explosion of colors, but it isn't cohesive. She moves frantically around the stage and has trouble grounding herself in her apartment. Meanwhile, Bob is in muted colors, he is slow and timid. He tries to be cool, but it just makes him anxious and he freezes in fear. As both characters try to present the best versions of themselves, they are constantly on different levels. 

But, by the end of the play, they both realize they are not alone in their struggles. They both feel behind, they both dread being normal, and there is companionship found in this bond. For the first time in the play, they occupy the same level, eye to eye. We notice that Bob's outfit, though dull, has leaves that mirror Maggie's floral dress. When open and vulnerable, they realize they are not alone in their fear of being Stuck.