Sirens, accompanied by the howls
of several querulous dogs,
signal the prosy catastrophe
of another neighborhood drama.
Maybe Uncle Vanya is shooting
at his relatives again or perhaps
Doc Astrov has acquired another
D.U.I. for his growing collection.
Usually, the local divertissements
avoid devices like pistols and cops,
more subtle modes of rendering pathos
being considered in better taste.
Our own productions, for example,
tend to use the lighter touch
associated with such effects as
passive aggression and quiet angst.
But it is community theater
and allowances must be made.
Anyone who has played this venue,
with its tired, recycled scripts
and hopelessly inept casting,
will tell you that the desire
to wake the yawning audience
can sometimes be more powerful
than the fear of ululating critics.
