Circle Of Characters Addresses Addiction Cycle

Writer/actor Tim Wagoner (left) portrays one of 28 characters affected by the problems caused by various addictions in his performance "Support."

PLATTSBURGH CITY, NY - Wednesday, March 13, 2013

One character faded away, soon replaced by another.  Male, female, young, old, contrite, hopeful, angry, sad – a flow of stories told by addicts and those affected by their addictions, two overlapping circles.

Through his theater-in-the-round performance entitled "Support" actor/writer Tim Wagoner portrayed a cast of 28 people this evening at the Plattsburgh Public Library.

Held in the second floor auditorium, the center stage for his one-man play was a circle of chairs in a support group setting.  The chairs were a jumble of styles and types, each one was picked out to reflect the personality of the character who sat in it.

Tim Wagoner portrays someone with a food addiction.  Props to be used to bring to life other characters wait for him in nearby chairs.

Tim slipped into each character with a quick change of clothing items, picking up garb and props suited to the individual.  Scarf, knitting needles, tie, cowboy hat – all were used to bring the characters to life.  A monologue by a father struggling with alcoholism would segue into the viewpoint of his young son.

Tim initially created the performance with just three characters as part of his Scene Study course at Plattsburgh State.  His cast of characters grew as he worked on his play, personalities that came forward as he explains in his play's brochure.

After his performance Tim sat down and had a talk back with his audience, discussing the issues raised by his work.  One woman stated she had problems in the past with addictive behavior and now was concerned about her child.  For a moment a support group was created, allowing people in the audience to share their own stories.

The event was sponsored by AmericCorps.  Tim says he hopes to bring "Support" to other venues.