In a motel room onstage, an uncanny duo finds themselves surrounded by conspiracies, tension, and, of course, bugs. As the psychological thriller dives into insanity, the performers plant themselves in roles they find challenging yet push them in ways they have never experienced before.
East Theater’s one-act play “Bug” by Tracy Letts takes viewers into violent and unfamiliar situations. The program performed at UIL last week and advanced to district-level competition. While the play is certainly an acquired taste, the actors love bringing an unnerving and thrilling performance to life.
“I’ve never played anything like Peter before. He is just a whole bunch of everything except happy,” junior and lead actor Ayan Mishra said. “In the first scene, I’m playing paranoid, trashy and charismatic at the same time, so it’s a real challenge for me.”
“Bug” is a psychological thriller set in Oklahoma, where a woman named Agnes lives in a motel room and hides from her ex-husband. Through a friend, she meets a younger man named Peter, who proves to be fidgety and paranoid. The play escalates as Peter convinces Agnes into his conspiracies and delusions and a bug infestation takes over the motel room. The play messes with the mind and may make several sensitive viewers uneasy, but the young actors get a taste of many new experiences onstage.
“It delves into a lot of themes of abuse and mental illness, so it’s very gritty and hardcore,” senior Alexis Corder said. “But that’s what makes a show like this so great.”
While the play may not have a moral that audiences should follow, the play definitely exposes circumstances and problems that only a handful of people realistically experience. It opens doors that are usually kept closed and reveals moments in society that make the show disturbing yet raw.
“You don’t see people living in motels for months or even years,” Corder said. “With the things that people believe and the things that people go through every day, I think it just shows a different side of society and what we don’t see.”
Corder and Mishra both found their love for theater through classes in middle school. Since then, while they’ve shared theater classes and performances for years, this is the first time they shared a lead together. They love the unique circumstances of their roles and agree that these roles combine skills way out of their comfort zones. They work together to create the unfathomable in front of the audience.
“I’ve never had to do anything with another actor that I’ve done with [Corder],” Mishra said. “She knows what needs to be done and she knows whatever we do is for the best.”
The group gave an outstanding performance at UIL. “Bug” earned a spot in district competition and four individuals earned awards over four different zones. Corder got All-Star cast, Mishra got Best Performer, senior Gina Phan got Honorable Mention All-Star cast, and Faye Escamilla got Outstanding Technician. Despite tough competition and only one chance to deliver their best, the group still achieved their goals.
“The stakes are high for every competition,” Mishra said. “If you contrast [us] with speech and debate, there’s a whole season long. With us, you only get one shot.”
Regardless of the new opportunities that “Bug” provided, the actors are grateful for the lessons and skills that theatrical performance gave them, such as growing under pressure and public speaking. They hope to use these skills far into the future not only in real-world situations but also in tales of fantasy, drama and mischief under stage lights.
“I think a little piece of everybody in the world wants to be an actor,” Mishra said. “Even as little as it is, if it is, everyone has it.”
