U LT U R E
AR
LOBBY HERO HITS STAGE
STORY AND -PHOTOS BY JARED P1JEBLE
managing editor
In society, the line betw een right and
wrong can at times be as. grey as Oregon’s
skies mid November. W ith so many issues
iri today’s world, and with so many people
telling us what is good and what is bad,
it can be hard to properly calibrate One’s
moral compass.
“ Lobby H e ro ,” the fa ll play b ein g
staged at Clackamas Community College
beginning this week, seeks to shed light
on this very strife that all encounter at one
point or another.
W ritten by K enneth L onergan and
adapted to an off-Broadw ay production-
in 2001, “ Lobby Hero” tells the tale of a
hapless hotel lobby security guard who
can’t seem to catch a break. Previously
thrown out of the U .S . Navy for smoking
a joint on the job, Jeff, played by student
actor Matt Cornett, has been struggling
to keep his job w hilst under the thumb o f
his strict supervisor William, portrayed by
student actor Chrishawn W est;
The plot thickens early on as we learn
that W illiam ’s brother has been detained
along with several other suspects due to
the heinous crime o f murder. This sets
in motion a slew of events that brings in
the other badge-wearing arid law-abiding
half of this four-person act, portrayed by
student actor Em m a Beckers and actor.
Rich Cohn-Lee.
“ Part of it has to do with some social
issues that we see a lot in today’s culture,”
Cornett said. “ Like the Black Lives Matter
movement: It’ s really interesting because
th is play was actually written in 2001, so
it ’ s way ahead o f its tim e. It’ s a really
interesting centerpiece to focus that kind
of energy o n .”
The dialogue-intensive script allows for
numerous am using and charm ing back
and forths betw een the lackey and his
boss, w ith the lesser constantly having
to explain his constant turm oil and the
latter reminding his subordinate that life
takes a sturdy head to navigate..W illiam
can not always remain stoic though, as the
investigation of his brother’s incarceration
progressively chips away at his mentality
throughout the duration of the play, which
has a drastic im pact on th e interaction
between Je ff and William.
W e st h a s b e e n p u r s u in g b o th
screenw riting and film m ak in g during
his tenure at C C C , and thanks to his
com m unications teacher A lice Lewis
nudging him towards the theater on the day
of auditions, he was given the opportunity
to act on stage for his first time sinie high
school.
“ It w as d iffe re n t; it w as n e r v e -
wracking,” West said. “ I didn’t know [the
cast] and they have more experience in
acting than I do, so I was the underdog and
I was trying, to catch up with them . After
like the third week I started getting more
comfortable working around them . ”
Though West said that playing a lead role
took some calibrating, his performance
was unnoticeable as he melded perfectly
With the other three m em bers o f the
cast. West said he had to adapt to his part
even more so than others because of his
homosexuality and aloof nature served as
a barrier to W illiam ’s heterosexual, stern
personality.
“ Playing a heterosexual man was very
different, and taking on the role o f being
masculine and being a macho heterosexual
m an at that was very different, ” W est
Chrishawn West, left, portrays William who struggles with
his brother’s recent incarceration throughout the play. Jeff,
right, is portrayed by Matt Cornett and serves as the plays
protagonist. Throughout the narrative he struggles to break
free from the mistakes of his past.
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Clackamas Print j-------------- -------------:----------------
said.*“ Getting angry especially. Because
most of the tim e I’ m a happy-go-lucky
person unless you make me m ad, but
getting angry for no reason was super
hard.”
The sole set of the play takes the form
of a beautifully constructed hotel lobby
where William and Jeff; spend their time,
with police officer Bill and his partner Dawn
cycling in and out o f throughout the play.
Bill is a lo n g-servin g m em ber o f the
force, and is on track to being awarded the
occupation of detective. This praise seems
to have gone to his head, as Bill often abuses
his power for personal gain. His partner
Dawn is a rookie, and an overzealous one a f
that. When we first encounter the pair, Bill
is explaining to Dawn that it was well within
in her right to strike and knockout a drunk
and disorderly man who approached Dawn
withless than savory intentions. This tells
the audience right away that Dawn does not
appreciate the notion of being walked over,
and few would be tempted to try.
I’m still adjusting. There’s still some stuff
that I’m still figuring out with her character
and that really connects with actual people
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