You wouldn’t think the stage at the Kirk Douglas Theatre would be able to fit a show about women’s roller derby. Of course, if you saw For the Love Of (or, the roller derby play) at Theatre of Note, you were both surprised to see how well it played on a stage of that size and how entertaining the show is. As part of this year’s Block Party, For the Love Of is the first of three local productions to get the chance to reach a larger audience through Center Theatre Group. For the Love Of… just opened and runs through March 17th at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.
The play tells the story of the Brooklyn Scallywags, a roller derby team. Lizzie Lightning is the star player. She’s in a relationship with her longtime girlfriend, Michelle. But the addition of a new player, Joy, brings new dynamics to both the team and Lizzie’s relationship.
For the Love Of… was written by Gina Femia. The show is directed and choreographed by Rhonda Kohl. In fact, most, if not all, of the key roles both on stage and backstage are filled by women.
Block Party continues March 28th with the Skylight Theatre production of Jon Brittain’s Rotterdam. That production is directed by Michael A. Shepperd.
The final production of this year’s Block Party is Native Son, an adaptation of Richard Wright’s classic novel. This production comes from the Antaeus Theatre Company. The play was written by Nambi E. Kelley and is directed by Andi Chapman.
Photo by Craig Schwartz/Courtesy of Center Theatre Group