Help Me (play)
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| Help Me | |
|---|---|
 Official poster for the World Premier of Help Me. A hand is outstretched in the middle of the dark blocking a stage light. | |
| Written by | James Van Eaton |
| Characters | |
| Date premiered | October 6, 2023 |
| Place premiered | The Ooley Theater, Sacramento, CA |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Theatre |
| Setting | Modern |
Search Help Me (play) on Amazon.
Help Me is a Black box theater play written by James Van Eaton in about 2018 to 2019. Help Me tells the story of a male college student named Joe who enters a hyper-realistic simulation and finds himself cast as a number of women, each faced with the daunting task of refusing the sexual advances of men. Employing what he sees as basic human logic and decorum, Joe attempts to resolve each confrontation, but soon realizes that without the authority of his male persona, the obstacles he faces and the people he encounters will be far more difficult and dangerous than he ever suspected.
Help Me is a meditation on a question whose answer seems so simple and obvious to those with male privilege: Why can’t you just tell them “No?” With scenarios that will ring true on both sides of the gender divide, Help Me is a dark and tensely dramatic exploration of human behavior that is ultimately hopeful. It is an attempt to open dialogue and promote contemplation on topics of supreme importance that, like the women Joe struggles to empathize with, are too often derided or dismissed. Only through deep understanding can Joe first hope to change his perspective, his expectations, and finally, his situation.
Original Cast[edit]
- Chad Eldridge as Joe
- Breona Calvert as Stella
- Taryn Cagley as Amber
- Rona Bernadette Arrogancia as Chloe and Hannah
- Ronnie Duska Fowler as Maya and Layne
- Tabitha Ward as Kristen
- Jackie Cheng as Actor 1 (plays multiple roles)
- Brevon “Ace” McArn as Actor 2 (plays multiple roles)
- Edward Nason as Actor 3 (plays multiple roles)
- Jared Cagley as Actor 4 (plays multiple roles)
Background[edit]
Plot[edit]
Help Me tells the story of a male college student named Joe who enters a hyper-realistic simulation and finds himself cast as a number of women, each faced with the daunting task of refusing the sexual advances of men. Employing what he sees as basic human logic and decorum, Joe attempts to resolve each confrontation, but soon realizes that without the authority of his male persona, the obstacles he faces and the people he encounters will be far more difficult and dangerous than he ever suspected.
Act 1[edit]
Act 1 Scene 1[edit]
Joe is a college student who gets accepted to play a virtual reality video game in order to win a huge reward. Joe is an experienced video game player, and he is confident in his ability to win. Stella Miller is the woman in charge of the simulation and debriefs him and gives him a disclaimer, “Use the phrase Help Me, to pause the simulation”. She tells him that the scenarios are inspired by victims and survivors.
Act 1 Scene 2[edit]
Joe starts the simulation and is in a woman’s body at a bar. While she is figuring out how the game works a guy hits on her at the bar. She shoos him away and another guy hits on her. He is persistent and won’t leave her alone. He starts to get angry and yells at her which brings another in who pretends to be Amber’s, Joe in this scenario, boyfriend. Which scares off the other guy. This new guy claims to have a girlfriend but is flirting with Amber. When he demands an apology, she starts to get angry with him causing him to punch her in the stomach, bringing her to the ground. Amber says Help Me for the first time and Joe is back in the simulation room with Stella.
Act 1 Scene 3[edit]
Stella informs Joe that everything is realistic which is why he feels like he actually got hit in the stomach. She also tells Joe that he finished the first scenario and was on to the second one. They start up the simulation again.
Act 1 Scene 4[edit]
This time he is Amber again and a man is putting his phone in her face asking why she broke up with him over text. Amber is confused about what’s going on and the man claims that he will kill himself. Amber doesn’t want that to happen but also refuses to work things out with him. They have an argument, and he confesses his love for her multiple times just to be turned down. Which ends this scenario.
Act 1 Scene 5[edit]
The next scenario Joe is a 14-year-old girl named Chloe. A 16-year-old guy sneaks up on her and tickles her even when she continually tells him to stop. She accuses him of groping and molesting her. He apologizes and learns his lesson. Chloe is confused thinking that there was a mistake because he is the first one to apologize. The scenario ends and the next one begins.
Act 1 Scene 6[edit]
Joe is now in a woman named Maya and she is at a man’s house who is serving her wine. He seems nice at the beginning, but it is clear that he wants to have sex with her, but she doesn’t want to. He is persistent and believes he deserves it despite her repeating no. He wrestles with her and throws her on the couch. He begins to start raping her and covers her mouth before she can say help me. The simulation ended because Joe’s vitals were declining.
Act 2[edit]
Act 2 Scene 1[edit]
Joe is Amber again and she is at a house with Hannah and Layne. They are planning on having a girl's night and going to a bar, but Amber doesn’t want to go to a bar. Layne tells her about safety codes for women in the bathroom and that they will protect each other. Layne leaves and Amber and Hannah have asked if she is okay, and they will be fine as long as they are together. The next scenario begins.
Act 2 Scene 2[edit]
Instead of Amber being at a bar, he is now Kristen at a man’s house. The man sneaks up behind her with a Southern accent hitting on her. She is confused but she finds out that the man is her husband. He wants to have sex with her, but she is not in the mood and declines multiple times. He accuses her of cheating on him and calls her insulting names. He says that he just wanted to have some time with his wife, but she says that her not being in the mood trumps that. He leaves the room, and she is mad that he doesn’t understand why that is a problem.
Act 2 Scene 3[edit]
In the next scenario, Joe is Chloe again and she is at a bus stop. Two elderly men start complimenting her and hitting on her, making her uncomfortable. She voices how uncomfortable and angry she is and one of the men backs off while the other one gets more aggressive. The man who backs off tries to calm the other one down when Chloe lies and claims that there is a police officer. This scares the men away and they run away. The simulation doesn’t end immediately and glitches before it starts working again.
Act 2 Scene 4[edit]
In the next scenario, Amber is finally at the bar with her friends when a man hits on her. She gets him to go away and then a drunk man starts making her uncomfortable by asking about porn stuff, but she escapes him too and makes it to Layne and Hannah. Hannah isn’t feeling well, and Amber is confident that she will be safe by herself. A man hits on Amber and starts making her uncomfortable and in danger. She hopes that the bartender will help her out, but he is friends with the guy harassing her. Amber tries to leave but the guy won’t let her. She cries Help Me as the guy carries her out of the bar.
Act 2 Scene 5[edit]
Back in the simulation room Joe forfeits and can’t take it anymore. Sometime later, Stella goes to his apartment to check in on him to make sure he is okay. Joe is better now but he is still shaken up. He offers to walk Stella to her car, but she has other stops to make in his apartment complex. Then she leaves.
Productions[edit]
World Premier[edit]
The stage premiere of Help Me was directed by Emma Emma Eldridge, who was also the lighting designer. This was produced Emma Eldridge of FreeFall Stage productions. Taryn Cagley as Amber also choreographed the fight and assault scenes. Ronnie Duska Fowler as Maya and Layne, bringing a huge breadth of experience. Chad Eldridge was sought early to play Joe. Breona Calvert auditioned and cast as Stella. Tabitha Ward as Kristen. Rona Bernadette "Bernie" Arrogancia as Chloe and Hannah, she was found during emergency casting when previous actor fell through. Jackie Cheng's plays Actor 1 in multiple roles, after his first stint as Roderick Remley in "While the Lights Were Out." He said that it was a dream to work with "The S tier of Actresses" as he plays large scenes with Taryn and Ronnie. Brevon "Ace" McArn as Actor 2, after his audition and performance in "While the Lights Were Out" as Benjamin Braddock. Edward Nason as Actor 3, he had concerns about this subject matter but decided it was something he wanted to do. Jared Cagley as Actor 4, book ending the male actors.
FreeFall Stage collaborated with The Ooley Theater in Sacramento. During production, James Van Eaton had a Q&A with the cast. He said he found the play amazing, and that the cast brought the pages to life.
Themes and motifs[edit]
Sexual Advances[edit]
Feminism[edit]
Male dominance is one thematic element found in the play.
Criticism and interpretation[edit]
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