Photo courtesy of J. Stubbs Photography (https://jstubbsphotographyvb.com/)

*Note: As per the performance eligibility requirements laid out here, this production is not up for HRACT Award consideration.

On Friday night, we were thrilled to have the opportunity to attend the opening night of Wisdom Heart Theater’s inaugural production, “Little One”.  We knew going in that this was meant to be an intimate theater experience – what we didn’t realize was that “intimate” meant “not much bigger than a large dinner party” – with, by my count, only 27 seats in the venue.  That meant that the entire audience was within 25 feet or so of the actors – which, as it turns out, was perfect for this play.  This was a different sort of theater entirely – one where the performers are looking at you individually as they draw you into their story, where the actors are free from the need to project and the audience can pick up on the intonations of the actors without distance or a mic and speakers getting between you. 

“Little One” begins with Aaron taking the stage, and you can immediately feel his tension, perfectly displayed by actor Sully Peterson-Quinn.  Every part of Peterson-Quinn’s body looks like he is bottling up a different emotion, a different stressful childhood moment, within it.  And as we soon find out – those emotions are mostly related to his adopted sister, Claire.  Claire, portrayed by absolutely top-notch storyteller Cristina Rose, was not an easy child, to say the least.  Adopted by Aaron’s parents when she was four, it quickly became clear that Claire had a lot of trauma in those first four years, leading her to lean toward violence (both sexual and otherwise), and it was going to be quite challenging to get her to “make progress”, as the therapists referenced in the story are incessantly pursuing. 

Peterson-Quinn and Rose spend the next hour or so taking turns telling stories from their childhoods individually and then acting some out together.  Their relationship is fascinating to watch develop, and Aaron’s relationship with his (both literally and metaphorically) off-stage parents ebbs and flows.  The exploration of these relationships, as well as the consideration of what love (in its various types) is, are the two grounding themes of the play.  How parents can put their kids in bad situations when they prioritize one child’s needs over the other’s or put too much pressure on one child to help raise the other is also explored.  And moral questions around what a teenager can or should do to salvage their life and sanity when put in such a bad situation are raised.

Sound like a challenge to watch?  You’d be right, as the uncomfortable scenes far outnumber the others.  Paul Lasakow, who is not only the founder of Wisdom Heart Theater but also co-directed this play with Staci Murawski, acknowledged this fact when, during the short talkback after the performance, stated that “theater does not need to be easy.”  The talkback generally was very interesting, and I feel an integral part of such an intense play, giving the audience a chance to come back down from the emotion of the play along with the cast. 

This is a real statement piece for your first production as a theater company, establishing the type of art Wisdom Heart Theater is looking to create.  This is a new and different concept for our Hampton Roads area, and the local theater community should cherish it.