The front half of the shoe store was lit as people were filing in and purchasing tickets. The back half of the store was dimmed behind the rows of 20 folding chairs filled with audience members surrounded by dozens of shoes on display. Thursday, July 21, Bellingham Theatre Work’s production of Quality: the Shoe Play, written by Elaine Avila opened in 12th Street Shoes at 1204 Harris Ave in Fairhaven, Thursday, July 21. It closed Saturday evening, August 6. Quality is a dark comedy about two women's struggle for power in the world of art and buisness; particularly in the world of women's shoes. The play features two actresses: Brie Turoff Mueller and Jacki Campbell. It is directed by recent Western Washington University graduate Kayla Adams. Run time is approximately one hour and 20 minutes without intermission. Rather than performing the play in a traditional theatre, they are taking an approach known as environmental theatre, theatre where there is little to no distinction between the audience and actors space. In this case, it is performed where the plot is taking place, in a shoe store. The stage is the front section of the store, feet away from the audience. The sound effects and transition music is played on a small speaker behind the audience. The actresses use the store’s actual door for their entrances and exits, and use the store’s cash register, computer, and shoes on display as props. The outside of the store is their backstage area, complete with costume changes and scene transitions. “Jody[Finnegan], the owner and the staff [of 12th Street Shoes] have been nothing but welcoming and accommodating,” Adams said. Elaine Avila, the playwright currently lives in Vancouver but this past year she was a playwright in residence at Western and taught Advanced Playwriting substituting for a professor on maternity leave.
