A play named Dorothy’s Dictionary would naturally grab my attention, and I’m so glad that it did. Now playing at Oregon Contemporary Theatre, this tender-hearted two-person drama by E.M. Lewis can juggle our emotions from laughter to tears in a matter of seconds.
Lewis doesn’t waste any time in getting to the heart of the matter. Surprisingly, the play is only an hour and 15 minutes long, but the plot is fully developed, and completely satisfying.
Dorothy, skillfully played by Katie Worley Beck, is an eccentric librarian with an endearing sense of humor, and a playful wardrobe. Gravely ill, she resides in a rest home where she receives medical treatment. She has heard about a troubled youth named Zan who is expected to be put in juvenile detention after beating up a schoolmate for no good reason.
Instead, Dorothy and the judge agree to let Zan come and read to her after school as community service. Gradually we learn how neglected the boy is, often living on his own for days at a time while his father, a single parent, is away. Teddy Skyler, who plays Zan, is a sophomore at the U of O but he’s such a good actor that he appears to be a painfully confused15-year-old.
These characters are as real and truthful as can be, and with the expert direction of Elizabeth Helman we believe everything they do or say, and we’re pulling for them all the way.
You might like to know that the author has gained considerable recognition with this and other plays, while living on her family’s farm in Oregon.
