This weekend, Phantom Theater presents a double feature at the Edgcomb Barn in Warren. Kestutis Nakas and his wife Audre Budrys, two performers from Chicago, have traveled to the Green Mountain State to perform their shows, “Revenge of the Dummy” and “Book Talk.” The creators explained, “Each individual show is too brief to stand alone, but combined they offer a complete night of entertainment.”
“Revenge of the Dummy” tells the story of a ventriloquist as he grapples with his increasing dependency on his Dummy to define his own identity. Nakas explained, “When I was 8 years old I saw the notoriously scary ‘Twilight Zone’ episode, ‘The Dummy.” It told the story of a Dummy that antagonizes his ventriloquist and finally takes over his personality. That scared the crap out of me and I have returned to my early childhood terror.”
Nakas drew inspiration from ventriloquists he saw on TV in the 1960s, in particular on the Ed Sullivan show, where he first saw acts like Paul Winchell with his puppet Jerry Mahoney, Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop, and Jimmy Nelson with his dummy Danny O’Day.
In addition to teaching drama at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Nakas has been working professionally as an actor and performer for the last 40 years. “I’d used puppetry in various projects before, but never tried creating the ventriloquist illusion,” he said. “Finally, in my 60s, I realized I’d better go for it now. “Revenge of the Dummy” picks up where ‘The Dummy’ left off. The ventriloquist’s struggle to regain power is what the show is really about. Then there’s a surprise twist at the end. . .”
“Book Talk,” the second performance of the night, was created and will be performed by Audre Budrys. It tells the story of Brunhilde, or Hilde, a recently fired librarian who struggles with her own identity amidst the book bans occurring across the country. “Hilde realizes she has been directly affected by the book bans,” said Budrys, but her focus is keeping control of things, of managing her life, until she realizes that she is actually out of control and must submit to something greater than herself.
Budrys is also a drama teacher in Chicago. She developed the character for this show while navigating the challenges of COVID-19. The character “was born when I received an anonymous note scrawled on a newspaper, addressed to W.I.P.G. (we assumed it meant Woman in Pink Glasses). The name stuck, and the character emerged. I had discovered a creative outlet for myself during those terrible COVID times.”
“Revenge of the Dummy” and “Book Talk” will be performed at Phantom Theater at 8 p.m. on July 21 and 22. Tickets are $20, and can be purchased online at phantomtheater.org, or at the door on the evening of the performance.
