Billings is an actor in Benchmark Theatre's world premiere of Jeremiah, a play about America's culture around firearms and how it affected the lives of four young men. When Jeremiah's brother, Mitchell, steals a gun, it slowly and dramatically changes the lives of the two teenagers in unexpected and tragic ways. In light of the ever-increasing number of mass shootings and gun violence in the United States, this timely production investigates why people decide to use weapons in the first place. The play, which opens Friday, August 11, was written by Colorado playwright Tami Canaday.
"I started writing Jeremiah about two years ago because I felt like arguments about gun control were kind of at a dead end," Canaday recalls. "I was really interested in why most of the gun violence in the United States is done by men or young boys. The project's initial impetus was to investigate what it is about guns that makes them so appealing to vulnerable young men. In the beginning, I didn't know what the end would be; I just knew I had an idea worth exploring. So I kept trying to write in a way that surprised me and upped the ante."
Canaday submitted the play to Benchmark as part of its open call for submissions for its Casualties-themed season in 2023, and she is happy with how the theater has embraced her work.
"It is clear that Benchmark has experience producing world premieres, because their team has made this a wonderful experience," she says. "They let me choose how much I wanted to be involved in the process. I could have gone to every rehearsal, but I didn't want that at all. I appreciate that Benchmark paired me with a creative team capable of doing the project justice."
"All of these young men have genuine humanity at their core, but the impact of the culture around them can cause an explosive reaction."
Courtesy of Benchmark Theatre
The creative and production team is led by Benchmark Theatre guest director Kate Poling and includes stage manager Lauren Hergenreter, scenic designer Neil Truglio, lighting designer Kevin Taylor, sound designer Marc Stith, costume designer Jaime McNear and executive director and producer Haley Johnson. Jeremiah's four-person cast is made up of Billings, Nate Cushing, James Giordano and Kaden Hinkle.
"When I read the script initially, what really stuck out to me was the idea that boys and younger men try to live up to the ideals of masculinity that they see in the media or in their families at home," Poling says. "The boys in Jeremiah are constantly attempting to dominate or outdo one another; adding a weapon to that dynamic causes tension and changes the balance of power in the room."
The play's action takes place primarily in an alleyway behind Jeremiah and Mitchell's apartment. "There are a couple of scenes that take place in different locations, which we will indicate with [technical elements], but the concept is that these boys are in an alley that has become their hangout and safe space," Poling says. "In terms of design, it's going to be a sort of knocked-down alley. Everything on the set is going to be grayish, so that we project onto the set and so that the color schemes of the characters and some props that come in are colorful and really pop against the set."
This allows Poling and her cast to focus on the characters' psychology and investigate whether engaging in violent conflict is a natural response or something that society teaches men. Canaday sprinkled the script with instances of magical realism in order to humanize the characters.
"There are moments that show these boys' toxic masculinity and desire to dominate, but each character is much more complex than that," she says. "With Jeremiah, who goes on this whole arc because of a gun, I wanted him to show that he had a relationship with these birds, like pigeons, sparrows and crows, that we normally shoo away, and show that he cared for these birds that are kind of outcasts. I included these moments of magical realism as a way to humanize the characters. ... All of these young men have genuine humanity at their core, but the impact of the culture around them can cause an explosive reaction."
It was important to the creative team that the young men weren't rendered into cartoonish caricatures. Poling says she worked with the cast on "when the audience gets to see each character's real self and when we get to see them taking on what they've seen from their dad or in movies. It's been kind of fun to play around with when their machismo comes into play and they put on that energy with each other. We want to make sure that the audience has a chance to connect with each of these young men so that there are times during the play when they are unsure of who to support because they have been on everyone's side."
"There are no antagonists or protagonists in Jeremiah; there are just people," Billings concludes. "I think that's what's so interesting about this play and makes it so tricky to talk about. I just want people to come to experience Jeremiah's world premiere onstage."
Jeremiah, opening Friday, August 11, through September 2, Benchmark Theatre, 1560 Teller Street, Lakewood. Find tickets, times and more information at benchmarktheatre.com.
