There’s a true hidden gem of the theatrical arts currently on stage in downtown Long Beach’s The Garage Theatre.
I was already aware of The Garage Theatre’s tradition of putting on original plays that can’t be seen anywhere else. Still, I Google’d “Tragedy Giftshop” afterwards, almost expecting it to be a rendition of a well-known story: But nope — it was a brand-new play from the mind of local playwright Ryan McClary and directed by Matthew Anderson that premiered earlier this month, only at the Garage Theatre.
The quality of the play is on par with performances at far larger and more recognizable theaters with bigger budgets.
Set in a small All-American town in the wake of a deadly school shooting, “Tragedy Giftshop” explores the dangers of gun violence, toxic positivity and the monetization of human suffering. The play serves as a stark reminder of the inadequacy of offering “thoughts and prayers” in the face of ongoing, systemic violence.
The story follows multiple characters from Townsville on the day of a school shooting at the local high school and the weeks that follow. As the community is left devastated and confused, a mysterious new business rolls into town: Boon’s Emporium, run by the sunny Chris Udall (Rory Cowan).
Boon’s provides the public with objects to memorialize the disturbing tragedies that occur all too often in life, from white bicycles for roadside memorials to T-shirts and other totems emblazoned with the images of victims.
But as the play goes on, the audience has to consider whether the seemingly well-intentioned offerings are to memorialize tragedies and their victims, or fetishize them.
Cowan perfectly embodies the cheery businessman with an upbeat attitude, so much so that I was worried at the start that this was going to be an overly saccharine performance with a simplified feel-good message. Thankfully, more layers to Cowan’s character are slowly revealed and challenged in a way that engrosses the audience.
The set was particularly immersive, with seats set up along each wall in the small theater, and actors often getting within inches of the audience. Throughout the play, the actors would enter and exit through multiple different doors, so the audience never knew where they would appear from. It added an extra layer of tension to the story, as the audience never knew where or when the characters would appear.
Everyone in the cast gave emotional yet grounded performances in this thoughtful and poignant play. Two of the youngest characters, school shooting survivor Heather Morton (Madi Burns) and the ghost of school shooting victim Dominick Wicklow (Sage Forsythe) are at the center of the story. Burns and Forsythe shine in their respective roles, and capture the angst, awkwardness and subtle hilarity of teenagers working through their own trauma and that of their community.
Forsythe in particular showed great range in her acting, coming across as a harmless and helpful apparition for most of the play, but still delivering a genuinely unsettling performance as a ghoulish, yet justified spirit of vengeance near the end.
The story is prescient for the times we’re living in, and surprisingly applicable in our daily lives. I found myself disturbed while listening to a true crime podcast days later, as the hosts excitedly went over their own speculations on a gruesome case.
We love to sensationalize and dissect tragedies, but our society is far less willing to do the work to prevent them. Memorialization is not the same as taking action — a lesson underlined by “Tragedy Giftshop.”
“Tragedy Giftshop” will be performed at The Garage Theatre, located at 251 E Seventh St., on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. through April 5. General admission tickets can be purchased for $28 at the door or on the theater’s website.
