In every coffee shop, there are many stories. That is the premise of “Waiting for Jamie,” an original play mostly written, directed and produced by Wells College students.

“A lot of times you walk into a coffee shop and you might be sitting there having a conversation with someone and every once in a while, you hear an outburst from somebody else or you hear the tail end of a conversation and you wonder what that conversation was about, but you never know,” said director Russell Bailey.

The play focuses on three conversations; it starts out following one and progresses to the other two. The audience gets a chance to see the people interact and how everyone's lives are interconnected on a rainy day in a cafe, said Bailey, a senior at Wells College. The main story focuses on a young man who is waiting for his date, who has already turned him down four times.

The play, written by first-year student Alex Riad, will be performed for the first time in front of a live audience at the Aurora Free Library. Bailey's biggest challenge was adapting the play, he said.

“This is not something that's been on any other stage, there's not a model to look at,” he said.

Bailey also worked hard to reach a common vision between Riad and himself. Riad originally wrote the script as a 15-minute play and later rewrote it to be performed as a one-act, one-hour play.

Another challenge was producing a professional-level show on a zero dollar budget, he said. Proceeds will benefit the library and the opera house. Volunteers built the set and some people helped by contributing furniture.

“It's been a huge contribution of time from the actors,” he said.

Bailey's hope is for the audience to reexamine their own lives after watching the play, he said.

“The story is about a gentleman who is waiting for something that's not going to happen,” he said.

“I hope anybody who's seen the show looks at places in their life where they might be waiting instead of taking action when they need to be. Instead of people waiting for something good to happen to them, waiting for their dreams to come true ... going out and pursuing their dreams and making them happen.”

Gitana Mirochnik

253-5311 ext. 237

gitana.mirochnik@lee.net