SHELBY COUNTY — Theories about whether evil is learned behavior or is born within people will take center stage beginning today when the Shelby County Players present the psychological stage thriller “The Bad Seed” at Offstage, 1416 S. Miller Ave., Shelbyville.
The horror-oriented production features a heavy Bartholomew County influence, including Columbus resident Mark Owens as director and cast members Mark Webber of Columbus and Nancy Sizemore of Hope, with Beth Woods of Columbus coordinating lighting and sound.
Author Maxwell Anderson looked at some Communist world leaders years ago and theorized that they were born evil. Hence, the play’s title about a serial killing youngster named Rhoda is understandable. Owens initially directed this production 25 years ago at Merrillville High School in northern Indiana to positive feedback.
“I think it IS different for community theater,” Owens said. “Because this is pure, psychological horror.”
Just in time for Halloween.
Owens has added special effects nearly right out of the gate in one musical scene early in the show to give the presentation a stronger sense of foreboding. To make the story work, play publicity clearly delineates that the young girl is highlighted on the surface as “sweet, charming, full of old-fashioned graces, loved by her parents, admired by all the elders.”
All of which aims to make the darkness that much darker.
“There are plenty of twists and turns to keep people watching,” Owens said of the show that also was a 1956 movie by the same name.
Taylor Dennis portrays Christine Penmark, mother of the child. She is impressed with the manner in which the tension builds in the show.
“It’s actually very unnerving,” Dennis said. “The script just creates a kind of uneasy feeling. It definitely builds as it goes.”
The actress acknowledged that there are ample layers to the play and to the characters to keep audiences tense and surprised.
“This has the most depth of any character I’ve done,” Dennis said. “I’ve played much more surface-level characters before, so this definitely is a big challenge. And it has been fun.”
She added that it helps in on-stage relationships that she knows well and has mentored the actress playing her daughter Rhoda.
And Owens mentioned that special effects themselves in community theater need not be especially grandiose, but merely logical and fitting to the characters and story.
“What we’re trying to do is simply put the audience on edge — so much that they’re startled,” he said.
