When Emily Loberg picked up the script of “Boy Gets Girl” at the Salem Public Library four years ago, she knew she’d found something special.
“I was just browsing the script section, and read it in one day because it was just so well written,” she said. “The issues it covers are just so relevant, and done in a way that feels realistic and compelling and taps into really important social issues.”
On Friday, June 7, “Boy Gets Girl” will open at the Pentacle Theatre. It’s the first in-person play Loberg has directed. Shows run through June 29, and tickets start at $19, with students and Oregon Trail Card holders eligible for a 50% discount. The theater is located at 324 52nd Ave. N.W.
It is recommended for people over age 16, and Loberg said people under 18 should probably check in with a guardian before watching.
The play, described as “a chiller,” tells the story of Theresa Bedell, a successful reporter in New York, who goes on a blind date with a mutual friend. When she ends it after the second date, the man becomes obsessed and dangerous.
“Ultimately, Theresa must fight to save herself from being erased by Tony’s actions—actions that call into question the assumptions at the very heart of romantic pursuit,” a Pentacle description reads.
Though the play came out in 2000, Loberg said its themes are still relevant. The cast of seven actors spent a week discussing the script, and everyone could relate to parts of it.
“The script is really analyzing and commenting on a lot of romantic comedy tropes, and behaviors that really get romanticized that may or may not actually be things that should be romanticized in those films,” she said.
Loberg has been involved at Pentacle since 2007, and has acted in six productions. In 2021, she directed a play for the first time which was performed over Zoom.
Since it was during Covid, it was an unconventional first experience. The play was Loberg’s adaptation of “An Ideal Husband” by Oscar Wilde, and actors were given instructions when to turn their cameras on and off to ensure they’d be in the right spots on people’s screens at home. They also had copies of the same props to pretend to pass to each other.
“Boy Gets Girl” has been in rehearsals for over two months.
“Dealing with blocking in three dimensions is very different,” she said, and laughed. The stage depicts six different locations, including a magazine office and a restaurant.
Even though the play is a “chiller,” Loberg said it’s not over the top or creepy just because. She also directed it so that the staging and tone begin upbeat, and darken as things grow more sinister.
“It’s really a realistic story about real people,” she said. “So it’s really showing those issues more than trying to scare the audience for thrills.”
Loberg said she hopes the audience will leave talking about the multifaceted characters in the story.
“I just hope it sparks up a lot of discussions about how romantic pursuit is viewed and framed and society and the movies we watch and the media and what that means for our real lives and people’s own experiences,” she said.
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251
A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE.
Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
