REVIEW: Plein Air Plays 3.0
- amymodesti5
- Sep 10
- 3 min read
Review written by Amy Modesti, assisted by Doug LaRocque
ANCRAM - The biannual Plein (open) Air Plays series returned to the Ancram Center for the Arts (Ancram Center) in Columbia County. From Aug. 7-Aug. 10, spectators travelled to three different locations to watch three short plays; Rupert's Birthday, My Dog is Dead, and Same Picture, Different Poses.
Plein Air Plays originated in the summer of 2021, just when area theaters were returning to live performances after COVID-19. As the outdoor series became a popular event, the Ancram Center has repeated it biennially ever since.
Ancram Center said this year's three short plays were chosen so that their setting would become "characters" in the story. Directors Jeff Mousseau and Paul Ricciardi chose the specific performances, with My Dog is Dead and Same Picture, Different Poses written specifically for Plein Air Plays. Rupert's Birthday, written by Ken Jenkins in 1985, however, fit well into the outdoor esthetic.
The Plays
Saturday, Aug. 9 was a beautiful warm day spent in Ancram. I arrived at the first location; The Circa 1799 Barn, a Dutch built structure that was relocated to Ancram from the Mohawk Valley, was the setting for Rupert's Birthday.
Danielle Skraastad portrayed Louisa, a farm women recounting a time from her rural childhood when she helped birth a bull calf, Rupert, born on the same day as her brother, Orville. The monologue followed the thread of Louisa's life and her strong bond with Rupert, who was destined to end up at a slaughterhouse.
The stage was minimal, with only a small circular table with a basket, a stuffed doll (Louisa's childhood toy), a rocking chair, and the nightgown Louisa put on to tell her coming of age story.
Directed by Paul Riccardi, Rupert's Birthday allowed Skraastad to convey the emotional power in telling Louisa and Rupert's story. Skraastad, who won a 2018 "Best Solo Performance" award from the Berkshire Theatre Critics Association, more than met that moment.
The second play, My Dog Is Dead, was a seven-minute drive from The Circa 1799 Barn. Staged on a lawn set up as a makeshift living room, the act was a part-song cycle, part story telling piece composed by Kate Douglas, who portrays Mary, the wife of Roderick (portrayed by Ben Ferguson) and featured Luke Wygodny as Charlie. All three actors sang and performed instruments in this production.
Set in a farming town in the Hudson Valley, Mary suddenly demonstrates physic abilities after the death of the family dog. When she begins to see the fate of other town residents, the community becomes besieged by a torrent of emotions and secrets emerge. A wild plot twist at the end of the act made spectators wonder how much of the story was true and how much of it was pure madness.
The final performance, Same Picture, Different Poses, was held on the grounds of Ancram Center for the Arts.
The performers, tight rope dancer and unicyclist, Logan Keer of 3AM Theatre and contemporary circus artist, Kyle Driggs, told a wordless romantic tale expressed through a combination of circus athleticism; in this act, tightrope walking, juggling, unicycling, and complimented by modern dance.
But most importantly, Driggs and Keer used the empty photo frame not only as a circus prop, but also metaphorically, as a means to tell their picturesque tale.
Photographs and actions may tell a thousand words, but Same Picture, Different Poses was balletic and poetic, playful and lighthearted in its story telling from start to finish. Closing with the final act was a nice way to end the evening and Plein Air Series 3.0.
Plein Air Plays 3.0 was part of the Ancram Center for the Arts 10th Anniversary season and was generously supported by Sally Brody, Ivy and Josh Levine, and an anonymous friend of the Ancram Center.
To learn more about Plein Air Plays 3.0, go to https://www.ancramcenter.org/plein-air-plays-2025.
Note: This story was originally posted to NYVT Media's website on August 24, 2025. To read the original review of Plein Air Plays 3.0, go to https://www.nyvtmedia.com/sections/renss-lens/articles/theater-open-air-play-well-together under the Renss Lens tab. -Amy Modesti (9/10/2025)
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