The college application process can be both exciting and nerve-racking for the applicant. Hopefuls everywhere sit and think about the best way to impress the admissions board.
Inadmissible, a hilarious new play by D.B. Gilles, reveals that the tireless efforts made by college-bound students are undeniably futile. The play goes behind the scenes of the admissions board of a graduate program at a university. The audience discovers very quickly that recommendation letters, essays and the like mean nothing in comparison to race, religion and background. In this story, there is a quota to fill, and politics are everything.
The story takes place in a cozy office at the university. Dozens of applications are strewn about, covering almost every surface in the room. In the corner is a white marker board, hanging on the wall. It holds the fates of names without faces those who have applied to the program. That white board is what stands in the way of honor and civility amongst the deciding professors.
The set, designed by Clifton Chadick, is exactly what one would imagine, right down to the very last paperclip. The space itself is small, but comfortable. The Canal Park Playhouse is the perfect venue for this play. After all, the subject matter is complicated, private, almost dirty in nature. It is a process that only a select few should be privy to. So within the walls of this intimate theater, the audience feels as if they are being let in on a secret. It gives the whole performance a sense of heightened suspense.
The audience is introduced first to the chair of the board and a professor who assists in the decision making. Beautiful, heartfelt student essays are read aloud, only to be mocked and criticized by the two veterans. This abrupt, jaded behavior sets the tone for the rest of the play. The chair of the board, Elaine Callaway (Kathryn Kates) is a warm, likeable character. Although she’s been around the block in the admissions department and acknowledges that politics in the world of education are a necessary evil, she appears to have a soft spot for the talented and starry- eyed underdogs.
Her partner- in- crime, Martin Hemmings (Richard Hoehler) is the character we love to hate. His duality is alarmingly deceitful, which becomes especially clear when Joanna is introduced. Joanna, played by Charise Greene, is Martin’s former student and is also an adjunct professor who dreams of joining the ranks of her mentors. The character is written as a naïve newcomer to the admissions process. But it isn’t her naivety: her morals have yet to be compromised.
As the trio works together in finalizing the list of accepted applicants, a disturbing but hysterical series of events unfold. Ethics are called into question, close colleagues betray one another, and the lives of young, ambitious prospective students are forever changed. The actors, Kates, Hoehler, and Greene all give great performances.
The show is entertaining and captivating, but the story becomes predictable and the exchanges between characters begin to feel contrived. However, these small flaws did not change the integrity of the performances nor is it so blatant that it affects the telling of the story. The actors contribute aspects to their roles that make them well rounded and relatable. Inadmissible is an interesting, laugh-out-loud play that gives a never-before-seen view of the college admissions process— a view from the other side of the personal essay.
Inadmissible; Written by D.B. Gilles; Directed by Sherri Eden Barber; Canal Park Playhouse; 508 Canal Street; New York, NY 10013; www.canalparkplayhouse.com
