UMD Intro to Theatre Reviews

Hummingbirds Review
By Gaoleah Thao, UMD Student

“Hummingbirds,� written by Jeannine Coulombe, was performed in the Dudley Experimental Theater at the University of Minnesota Duluth. On Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008, a rehearsal preview of the play was available for a limited amount of students to attend with no admission fee. The rehearsal preview on Wednesday, was a great chance for the entire cast and crew of “Hummingbirds� to practice a final time before the grand opening on December 4th.

The most unique thing about the entire production of “Hummingbirds� was the execution of the scenic design. The stage was a circle, with four levels of elevation, and a central platform in the middle, with the highest elevation. On the floors of the stage were a variety of paintings. The back walls behind the stage consisted of complimentary fabric. And, hung from the ceilings against the walls were four sets of connected, empty frames.

The abstract stage allowed no physical visual of a setting. Because there were so many different scene changes within the play, through flashbacks, and time changes, the scenic designer probably had a difficult time creating the perfect stage for the play. Although the challenge of creating the perfect stage seemed difficult, Alex Rugowski did an amazing job.

Rugowski was the scenic designer for “Hummingbirds.� He created a space for the performers to test their acting capabilities, and for the audiences to use their imaginative brains. Because the space for the production was very limited, and the stage itself was smaller than usual, the performers had to use their acting skills to make their actions believable, every time they had done a specific action or went to a specific place. The audiences on the other hand, had to use their imaginations to believe that the actors in what they were doing, or where they were going.

Overall, the uniqueness of “Hummingbirds� was how the scenic design was executed. Alex Rugowski did a great job combining Jeannine Coulombe’s work with the limited space, while allowing the performers to use their incredible acting skills.

Hummingbirds, written by Jeannine Coulombe, was preformed by a very talented cast in UMD’s Dudley Theater. Opening night was December 4, 2008 and the house was sold out for good reason.

Coulombe’s characters had such a vibrant color about them and the actors really captured the essence of story line; all the joy, sorrow and emotions that get muddled in between. Kinsey Diment really stood out in the small cast. Diment was able to capture the audience by bringing out emotions and giving a certain rawness to them. One could not sit through this play and not have sympathy, if not empathy, for Diment’s character. All siblings have a powerful bond and Ashley Kuske and Dimnet brought to “life� a bond that tends to be beyond words, but words found nonetheless by Coulombe.

Coulombe’s use of light in the story was brilliant. Just as no sunset or sunrise is the same for the light is always changing, the light we shed on our own life experiences changes every time we reflect because we have changed from those experiences. The burden that is carried by the one sister for the longest time seems to go unnoticed, but by the end it all becomes too much to carry, in the end the eagle (Diment) does notice the hummingbird (Kuske) hitching a ride on its wings and has had enough. What is so ironic about this situation though is that the hummingbird gets the eagle to where it is, but cannot seem to get herself there. And all the while Diment’s character is trying to make sense of all of this, which is reflected brilliantly in the set.

The genius of this set design lies in its simplicity. Through out the play we hear all about the perfect frame that can capture the story, the moments of the one sister’s life, and all around are empty frames, yet they are connected, echoing to the audience that no matter what is done, we cannot undo the past.

Overall, this was a very challenging play to do, but done very successfully. The actors really showed their acting abilities given the simplistic set, and the set really allowed the audience to become engulfed in the characters lives.

“I heard once that hummingbirds fly on the wings of eagles�. The opening line of the play fittingly titled “Hummingbirds� was a metaphor for the rest of the events of this intriguing and realistic drama. After seeing the play on its opening night, it was quite clear why this metaphor was used. The play was about the story of two sisters with a unique bond. From the opening scene where the two sisters, Charlotte, played by Kinsey Diment, and Brenda, played by Ashley Kuske, were playing in the snow as children it was obvious that they have a relationship that relies on one another. Through out the play, each girl becomes the “hummingbird� riding on the other’s back. Charlotte is the younger and more reserved sister with an intense passion for art and big dreams of becoming a museum curator. Brenda is the brutally honest, blunt sister who is a free floater without many goals. Although Brenda is the oldest, Charlotte seems to always be the care taker and is the “eagle� who supports Brenda. At times during the various events in the life of these characters, Brenda’s free spirit seems to fly Charlotte to her dreams and pushes her to be adventurous and pursue her goals. This was Brenda’s way of being the “eagle� and carrying Charlotte. After many seasons passing in the girls’ lives, it becomes obvious that Brenda is no longer flying and falls into a state of depression. Charlotte, after caring for her older sister for so long, can no longer bear the weight of carrying Brenda and leaves her to pursue her art dreams in Italy. In the end, Brenda can’t be without the symbiotic relationship of her sister and commits suicide. This is where the story ends, but Charlotte says she can still hear her “hummingbird� whispering to her and still pushing her to go out and live. This is the message of the show.
This was an impacting show with a strong message. The metaphor of the hummingbird on the eagle’s wings is true in many ways because sometimes in life we all are the little bird who just needs to be supported by someone else and sometimes we are the one carrying the ones we love. It all can change as the seasons come and go. The story of the two girls’ special relationship was touching and tragic as well. Jeannine Coulombe wrote a wonderful play with a message that can relate to many people’s stories of life and love.

On Wednesday night in the Dudley Experimental Theater at the University of Minnesoat Duluth a preview of the new play "Hummingbirds" was performed. The preview shows are really nice for students and the cast alike. The students get to see the play for free and the cast and directors get to see how the audience interacts with the production.

The play was very unusual but for that reason it was interesting. The structure was very unusual during the present the main character Charlotte (Kinsey Dimnet) would often drift back into memories of the past and her and her sister Brenda (Ashley Kuske) living together and several other events. The first time these simultaneous periods in time were both on stage it was a little confusing but as the play went on the distinction between past and present became clearer.

The best part of this play was it simplicity. The were a couple of props scattered through the productions but for the most part the play focused on the interaction of Kuske and Diment. Some of the dialog is litered with obscenties but it made the play very gritty and real, when the sisters were fighting it felt like a real fight, the two actresses felt like real sisters throughout the production.

Overall Hummingbirds was a very unusual yet interesting play. Its structure might confuse some and others may not like that it isn't very flashy. It simplicity and focus on the dialog are what make this play interesting and ultimetly worth seeing.

Hummingbirds was an outstanding play that really had a lot to offer. Jeannine Coulombe, the writer of Hummingbirds, had some very strong messages in this play that were projected in a very majestic and creative fashion. This play, although realistic in some regard, was very imaginative and wondrous. The main character Charlotte, played by Kinsey Diment, would talk directly to the crowd about repainting her picture and not just framing it. This presented not only her realistic actions, but also her deep down thoughts that could only be brought out in this way. The messages that Coulombe wanted to present are very important and are some major social issues of today.

One message was that guns can eventually by harmful to the ones around you. In the beginning of the play, the father Roger (played by Joe Heaney) and the mother Margaret (played by Kendra McMillan) got into a fight about Roger buying a lot of rifles. Roger thought they were a good investment and Margaret thought that he was only thinking of himself. Though this fight seemed to have no real purpose in the play, it was these very guns that were an aid to the suicide of Charlotte’s sister Brenda (played by Ashley Kuskey). Another message ties in with Brenda’s suicide and is that HIV can cause very deep emotions and can ultimately lead to suicide. Though in the play it is not directly said to be HIV, the events after her having sex with an unknown man suggested that HIV was the case. Also, HIV can happen to anyone, anywhere, and at any time making it a very real and scary disease. This truth is hidden by a society which thinks that it can never happen to them or it is only prevalent among drug users or homosexuals. This play puts this myth to an end by having a strait character contract HIV with no real suggestion of drug use. This is very important for our generation because HIV is a serious problem and many people do not fully understand it. Lastly, one message was that no matter how much a weight is burdened on you by someone you love, you should never totally leave their lives. Charlotte wanted a life of her own and wanted to be successful, but her sister was bringing her down. This is a good reason for her going to Italy and pursuing her dreams but not a good reason for her totally abandoning her sister. Brenda was begging for her sister to drop by and see her, but she made the decision not to, therefore not seeing her before her suicide. Though this is a dramatic way of portraying this issue, it is true and we should never abandon the ones who need us, at least not completely.

These are all just interpretations of my own experience of the play. There are many ways to interpret this play which makes it a very interesting experience. The ending of this play leaves the audience with many things to think about, with all of it up to their interpretations.

“Hummingbirds,� written by Jeannine Coulombe, performed at the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Dudley Experimental Theater. On Thursday December 4th, 2008 was opening night and there was not an empty seat in the house. The play was filled with a great cast who did an exceptional job conveying the plays messages. Accompanying the cast is a scenic design that cannot go unmentioned.

The stage and scene design of Hummingbirds is what made this play so unique. The stage didn’t really have many props just a few here and there. As for the stage itself it was very well designed, the scenic designer Alex Rugowski did a very good job. Being that the Dudley Experimental Theater is in such a confined space, you can really see that Alex put a lot of effort and time in to his overall design choice.

The play structure must have made it especially difficult to create the scenery because of all of the flashbacks that are in this play. The stage was based off a four level platform big circle with a number of different paintings covering the floor. The overall design created something quite simplistic, which for this play made it really work being that it focused on the interactions of the characters.

All of these elements combined really made for a great theatrical production. The simplicity combined with great acting really makes for an enjoyable production. I would truly recommend this production to anyone, it is a must see.

The UMD production of 'Hummingbirds', which opened December 4th in the Dudley Theatre, had a realistic style all of its' own that captured the essence of what's truly valuable in life: the relationships we share with others. This underlying theme isn't spoon-fed to the audience, either. Instead, the audience witnesses a series of events that take place between the characters, experiencing the many emotions right along with them. We (the audience) recognize the true bond that was broken between the two sisters and the pain that was caused by their separation. Not only does the sequence of emotional events hit many people close to home, but the talented actors performing brought a relatable aspect to the entire production.

The task of successfully capturing the essence of the two lead characters seemed to be a daunting task. Kinsey Diment, who played Charlotte, had a clear connection with her character that definitely impacted the realistic aspect of her performance. Diment possesses an undeniable talent for getting inside the mind of her character to experience true emotion. Diment’s performance is so audibly realistic and believable that the audience will inevitably forget their watching a play at all. Ashley Kuske’s performance as Brenda is a set to match her with Diment. Playing the awkward older sister, Kuske added a personal touch that set her apart with her character. Kuske has a raw edge about her that added passion to scenes of anger or distress. Based on the number of audience members left in tears at the conclusion of the play, it’s needless to say that both Kuske and Diment powerfully carried out their responsibilities for their specific roles.

‘Hummingbirds’ required a distinctive stage design capable of fulfilling the needs of several unique scenic situations. There were several platforms of varying height that reflected different scenarios. The uppermost level was mainly used for Diment’s character, who would frequently voice what was going through the mind of her character. For the most part, Diment’s character would discuss the events that happened between her and her sister in a way of piecing the overall puzzle together. The audience later realizes that what she was actually trying to do was figure out what had all happened to lead up to such a tragic event. Though Charlotte is only discussing this with herself, you later find that she’s doing it in a way of pleading with a greater being as to how all this could’ve happened. These scenes added raw emotion that the audience is able to relate to, making such sequences that much more of an impact on the entirety of the play.

The impression of the play may be difficult to decipher at first, but the second act pulls everything together to establish a deeper meaning that challenges the audience to recognize what’s really important in life. The relationship between Charlotte and Brenda was a special one – much like the relationship between a hummingbird and an eagle. The quality of the production can dedicate it’s richness to the array of talent presented. ‘Hummingbirds’ was truly a noteworthy experience for all.

“Hummingbirds� by Jeannine Coulombe is a fantastic play performed at the University of Minnesota- Duluth. The scenic design for this play was simple yet warming and comfortable. There were frames above the platform that consisted of many sizes but yet all the same shape. These frames were gold which brought out the significance of Charlottes’s monologues. In all of her monologues, Charlotte talked about how she wanted to frame her past but at the same time she could not figure out how to frame them. No matter how hard she tried the frames just weren’t right.

The designer, Alex Rugowski, did an excellent job coming up with the design of the play. He worked well with his space in such that it was circular. The entire stage had 4 platforms with different levels and a central platform in which rose the highest. Each platform had a different style of design from the bright yellow colors to the soft autumn colors of red and orange. Not only were the designs colorful but also very creative. The colors used on the stage represented the importance of the place and time of the play. The season was beautiful like Fall but cold like Winter.

The unique part about Alex Rugowski’s design is the fact that it was circular. The play “Hummingbirds� was written with a very circular or repetitive meaning. The images or flashbacks in the play came back in a circular motion revolving around the stage, allowing the audience to feel a sense of understanding towards Brenda and Charlotte’s relationship. No matter what happened to Charlotte in the play, Brenda would always be there for her.

“Hummingbirds� as previously mentioned, was an amazing play. The cast did terrific job at conveying the messages that Jeannine Coulombe wrote into her touching play.

However, what seems to be missing is the role in which the lighting played into the set, and more importantly, the story itself. The mother and Charlotte keep coming back to one common theme, light. We know when Charlotte has gone back into her memories by how the lighting changes, it turns almost golden, mimicking the frames hanging in the background. It lets the audience know that the past is in action, everything is crystal clear for Charlotte, but the if one looks closely at the edges it starts to become hazy, fading away, making it difficult to fit in to a frame.

Charlotte’s monologues were more powerful, apart from the outstanding performance, because of the hue of light on her. When she was excited about the memory it was a bright light, reinforcing her joy and excitement. But when she was sad or angry with what she remembers and struggled with what to make of it, the lighting became subdued, dim.

So, again, “Hummingbirds� was very successful and well worth the time to see. Its simplicity is made interesting by the lighting choices, complement the actors and connect the play on a whole.

I attended the December 5th showing of “Hummingbirds� by Jeannine Coulombe at the Dudley Experimental Theatre and was amazed on how a small cast can put on such a great show. The main character is Charlotte, who is played by Kinsey Diment, and her sister Brenda (Ashley Kuske) and the play goes through their struggles of growing up and living together. But after each episode that Charlotte and Brenda have together, Charlotte reflects on her own life in respect to her sister. The play goes from them making a snow castle to Charlotte graduating college to Charlotte finally studying in Italy. This play also has Charlotte and Brenda’s parents, Margaret and Roger, and how they live with their daughters moving away.
Things that stood out in the performance were Charlotte’s monologues and the way Ashley (Brenda) could continually be sad throughout the entire play while having some bright spots. Charlotte’s actress, Kinsey Diment delivers strong monologues throughout the play that make her performance top notch. She has some much power and force in her voice when she speaks that shows how much preparation and heart she has poured into this show. As for Ashley’s performance, it was all about the way she showed different emotions in such a short time. She could go from being extremely sad to amazingly happy in matters of seconds and her emotions were very believable to the audience.
These two actresses stole the show and with the help of the whole crew, this was a great show to go see. I would highly recommend to anyone who was thinking about seeing Jeannine Coulombe’s “Hummingbirds� to do that and go see it.

I will have to agree with one of the previous post, a production that allows the audience to connect on their own level and through their own interpretations are the ones that ultimately stick with the viewer after they leave the theater. Once the audience has an outlet to connect with their own lives the message or the ideas of the play touch them at a deeper level.
Because Hummingbirds is filled with multiple messages and theatrical commentary on life lessons, the viewer gets the chance to not only hear another opinion on subjects such as STI’s , friendships, relationships, etc they also get the chance to sit back and contemplate their own notions on the topics or how they have been challenged.
Productions that have a real life aspect to them are yet another way in which the audience is drawn in on a personal level. When the viewer has the opportunity to relate to experiences and live vicariously through the characters, the director knows that the production and the actors did what they set out to do.
In addition, the real life aspect of the production was given a creative twist so it separated the production just enough from reality but still kept it true to contemporary events and real life issues. This accounts for the entertainment value and making sure the performance is not like watching someone’s daily life. It also accounts for making this performance pertain to a specific person’s life and turns the viewer into a voyeur. Viewers enjoy being able to peer into others lives and sympathize or criticize their choices; this was a good element to add to the production, it makes it more modern.

Hummingbirds
By Ka Blia Lor, UMD Student

“I heard, once, that hummingbirds fly on the wings of eagles,� was the opening line to Jeannine Coulombe’s play. The cast of Hummingbirds performed in front of a live audience for the first time on Wednesday, December 3rd in what would be the beginning to many great shows.

One thing that caught my attention when I entered the theatre was the floor plan or essentially the scenic design. The stage was in the form of a circle (almost like a turn table). Although, a circle may have been seen as boring, the scenic designer Alex Rugowski created different elevation on this circle almost like a spiral staircase.

The floor of the stage was painted in a variety of colors and scenery. The one scenery that caught my attention was the Eiffel Tower that was painted on the stage toward the front. The twist to this painting was the Eiffel Tower just wasn’t painted on with just strokes; it was in the form of dots. And that was what it was like for most of the paintings on the stage. It wasn’t just plain old drawings; there were twist to each which made the one next to it different. However, even though the paintings were different, they blended in beautifully with each other.

I believed that this kind of stage brought out the play even more in comparison to just a plain black stage. This kind of stage seemed to give life to the production and made it livelier than it already was.

Toward the back was a variety of arrangements of picture frames hanging from the ceiling. This idea was great because it was like the paintings on the stage came straight out of those frames. Or it could be seen as framing every scene into those frames for remembrance. And who could forget the drapery as the backdrop. The black see through cloth definitely set the mood to the play. The black made it dramatic but that fact that you can see the creamy colored cloth in the background made it soft and mellow at the same time.

This stage was acceptingly great for this production. The objective of the play was really serious and the stage gave a funky but fun vibe to the production. Not only that, every bit of that stage was utilized by the actors and actresses which made it even better.

Alex Rugowski did a phenomenal job with the scenic design that brought out the play. The painting on the stage and the frames hanging on the ceiling embraced Charlotte’s love for art which was one of the main points to the play.

The December 5th showing of Hummingbirds by Jeannine Coulombe was an eye opening production that will leave your heart aching for more. The story of love and struggle between the two sisters Brenda, played by Ashley Kuske, and Charlotte, played by Kinsey Diment, is such a real life problem that many people face today and the audience really feels for the characters.

The main message to this play was that in relationships one person is the hummingbird and the other is the eagle. In the beginning of the play Charlotte states that hummingbirds fly on the wings of eagles. This is so metaphorical and is proved throughout the play. At first Charlotte is the hummingbird on the wings of Brenda because Brenda pushes Charlotte to do what she wants and have the career she wants. And then as they grow up together in their dump of an apartment, Charlotte’s drive to go to Italy and see all the paintings makes her become the eagle while Brenda quits her multiple jobs and relies on Charlotte to pay the bills. Then for the rest of the play Charlotte has to get away and feels like she can’t go back when Brenda probably needed her the most. She dreams about their life together in sadness but knows she can’t “frame it� or change it.

In the finally of the play when Brenda end up committing suicide Charlotte says she still can hear Brenda, her hummingbird, whispering to her and she will never forget their memories together, good or bad.

This play is definitely worth seeing because it shows the struggle between families and how you need to have that little hummingbird or eagle to keep you going. Even though Hummingbirds ends on sad note, it makes the whole play more realistic and gets the message across. And in the words of Kelly Grussendorf, “Who is the eagle? Who is the hummingbird? Are we ever sure?�

Performed in the Dudley Experimental Theatre at the University of Minnesota Duluth, “Hummingbirds,� written by Jeannine Coulombe, opened up to limited audience for a preview performance Wednesday night.
Every emotion was captured through this performance. The urgency of bold colors and ever changing light gave life to each character. The ups and downs of this plot were completely captured with the help of the scenic design. It was a great set up for the cast as well as the audience.
There were paintings on the stage floors, representing a variety of colors. The stage was a circle that included four levels of elevation. This highest part of the stage was in the center.
The cast did a great job distinguishing time, past and present was represented well and was easy to follow as the story unfolded. The focus on dialog and the simplicity of the set and design aided the focus on the characters and their dialog within the story.
Overall the strong messages from this performance stand out as it best quality. The design, lighting, and dialog opt to be the most important elements for the messages in the performance of “Hummingbirds.� The real life scenarios pulled at the emotions of everyone in the theater. The cast members played the role incredibly well and the audience was taken away by their delivery. This was a great experience and I would recommend this play to others.

The number of talented individuals on and off the stage of UMD’s production of ‘Hummingbirds’ is a note to be mentioned. From the color choices of the scenic design to the lighting interpretation style, there’s no doubt that these individuals are exceptionally knowledgeable of the overall theatrical experience. Needless to say, the audience left Dudley Theatre that night feeling deeply impressed.

The costume design played a significant role in establishing the persona of each character. Erin Muhs, the designer, lucratively made each decision in hopes of bringing out certain qualities for each character’s personality. Although each actor required specific fashion details in order to successfully get into their role, Muhs proved to be fully capable of the task. Not only that, but she pulled each ensemble together with a mark of personal detail that set apart each personality from the rest. Her prominent talent in costume design shone brightly from start to finish.

Brenda (played by Ashley Huske) was the character that stood most apart from the rest of the cast. When we’re first introduced to Brenda, the mood is light as the two sisters’ play in the snow. For this scene, Huske wore a pear of black bottom-frilled leggings, a jean skirt, a black Mickey Mouse t-shirt, a flannel cover-up, and a large stocking cap. Brenda was the older, goofier sister. I felt that her attire for this scene was appropriate because not only did it make her seem eccentric and wild, but it also subtly suggested feelings of disorder and confusion in her life. This outfit screamed Brenda’s desire for attention and individuality. In this same scene, Charlotte’s (played by Kinsey Diment) character also revealed several characteristics about her personality. Wearing plain blue jeans, a purple tank top, and a red sweat shirt, the younger sister of the two appeared more put together than the other. Charlotte was the stronger sister with hopes and dreams that inspired her to go far in life. She was far more independent and confident than her older sister. The outfit in this playful snow scene brought out several of these differences between her and Brenda. Her look was plainer and more put-together, which may symbolize a lesser need for attention in her life compared to Brenda. Though she was the younger sister, this simple outfit made her appear older than Brenda.

Joe Heaney’s (who played the father of Brenda and Charlotte) overall look was amazingly realistic and impressive. His northerner-inspired appearance was completely realistic. For the most part, he wore flannel shirts, blue jeans, and boots with the exception of the scene where he insists on Brenda shooting the gun. The added oversized hunting coat informed the audience of the season and his outdoor activities. Muhs made the perfect choices for portraying such a distinct character.

The direction Erin Muhs took with the costume design of ‘Hummingbirds’ was definitely unique, but her decision to do so was necessary. She successfully pulled through her end of the deal and greatly impacted the audience’s knowledge of each character, an element of theatre not easily overcome.

Despite snowfall, the house was packed for Saturday’s performance of Hummingbirds in UMD’s Dudley Experimental Theatre, a play well worth braving the weather to see. Hummingbird’s is not a very well-known play because it has been written within the last 30 years and revised many times by the talented playwright Jeannine Coulombe.

Coulombe captures the essence of growing up in a household up north that is so close to many of the audience members in this area with references to walking in the woods and hunting, as well as the struggles of two sisters to get out of the town they grew up in and to move onto something bigger that pulls them closer and inevitably pushes them apart.

The program points out that the story of Hummingbirds is set in Charlotte’s mind, played by Kinsey Diment, as she reflects on the life she lived with her sister, Brenda, played by Ahsley Kuske and the processes that pushed her to move away that ultimately led to Brenda’s suicide. Although the setting was pointed out in the program, this detail was unnecessary, as the actors had no trouble clearly portraying the situation and the background. Kuske undoubtedly represented a young woman unsure of what to do with her life who wanted to have a good time. She carried out her character through her walk, in her speech, and in her dress. Charlotte was unmistakably a woman on a mission, with drive and stamina who followed through with her dreams, even if it meant leaving a sister that was holding her back. Diment made this evident by avoiding eye contact and facing away from Kuske as she mustered up the courage to move.

The set utilized the black box theatre set-up well, with a collage of pictures painted on the floor, clearly visible to the audience, and demonstrative of the pictures Charlotte painted inside her head that were revealed throughout.

After Brenda’s suicide, Charlotte sat with her mother, Margaret, played by Kendra McMillan and discussed hummingbirds riding on the wings of eagles, which was an important theme, as Brenda drafted off Charlotte’s success throughout her life.

Joe Heaney did an excellent job playing Roger, the stereotypical up-north father, who had lived in the same town all of his life and saw no reason to venture out into the world.

The show was thought provoking, yet easy to relate to because it had elements that many people in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan can relate to such as the dream to see something bigger and outside of the shelter of the north and also the struggle with vernacular specific to northern regions.

Though this play has only been performed a handful of times the artists from UMD who made this show possible will likely have a large role in making the play more well-known and spreading the word of the talent of UMD theater as well as that of Coulombe.

The metaphor “I heard once that hummingbirds fly on the wings of eagles� is an excellent representation of the relationship between Brenda and Charlotte. In the play, it is clearly shown who is stronger as a character and who is weaker of the two sisters. Brenda, is the older sister who is fun and adventurous but feels alone while Charlotte, is the innocent younger sister who dreams of working in an art museum and becoming an artist.

Charlotte struggles to achieve her dream of working in a museum while Brenda lives her life doing whatever she wants whenever she wants. Although these two are sisters, they have totally different view points on everything and also live differently. They may live together but they live two totally separate lives.

Brenda is like the Hummingbird in this play. Hummingbirds fly so fast that they need to rely on eagles to rest. Brenda is like the hummingbird in a sense that her character always needs to rely on her younger sister. She needs the emotional support from Charlotte to help her stay alive. Brenda’s character is outgoing and adventurous but at the same time she’s lonely and has no one to depend on. She takes her life after Charlotte leaves her.

Charlotte, on the other is like the eagle. She’s strong willed, smart and also works really hard. She is more focused on her dream of traveling and becoming an artist. All the money that she works for is saved for her internship to study in Italy. Although Charlotte is a loving younger sister, she soon learns that her dream is not to live with Brenda for the rest of her life. She wants to get away and make something of herself instead of staying in an old dirty apartment with bugs and rats. The day she leaves for her internship, she leaves her life with her sister behind.

The interesting thing about hummingbirds and eagles is that hummingbirds can only stay with eagles for so long. After a while they must go their own way and cannot depend on each other anymore. Charlotte, clearly states at the end of the play that Brenda was the hummingbird due to the fact that Brenda was always holding her back. Because she said this, the theme of this metaphor brought out the meaning of the relationship between the two sisters.

The performance of Jeannine Coulombe's Hummingbirds on December 4th was incredible. Above all, the acting was the driving force of this play, even though the mid-west accents were a bit over-exaggerated.

The majority of this play is presented in flashback memory with several scenes taking place in the present featuring their parents, Margaret (Kendra McMillan) and Roger (Joe Heaney), interwoven in the plot. The flashback scenes are emotionally driven by the dialog between Brenda (Ashley Kuske) and Charlotte (Kinsey Diment). All of these memories come back to the present via conversation between Charlotte, Margaret, and Roger on a frosty Michigan morning.

Brenda has a conflicted personality. She's laid back one minute and motivated the next. Always saying the phrases "just do it" and "who cares" back to back. The gradual build up of tension between her, the real world, and Charlotte parallel the pure build up of complex emotion in Brenda and Ashley Kuske portrayed this with immense energy and skill.

Charlotte is an eager, yet reserved character. She has dreams as big as the world, but throughout the play needs a little push from Brenda to pursue those dreams. Constantly in an emotional struggle between her love for her sister and her need to be her own person builds tension throughout the story. All the while bouncing back and forth between anger and excitement, sadness and joy as her relationship with Brenda become more and more copmlex. Charlotte's monologues put a definite retrospective, as well as introspective, viewpoint on the storyline. Kinsey Diment was exceptional when it came to these sudden shifts in mood. All the emotions conveyed by Diment were raw and extremely human.

The actors of Hummingbirds not only showed a great deal of skill, but showed a great deal of life-experience that truly made them into their characters, and their characters into them.

The set design for the UMD production of Jeannine Coulombe's Hummingbirds was symbolic, but lacking in visual appeal.

The play was executed very well and the dialog did an excellent job of showing the scene, but the set was very bland. Throughout the play there are "scene changes", but really they are just "mood changes". The story could have benefited greatly from additional props and backdrops.

Despite the lack of a descriptive set, there was a bit of symbolism. And the well placed storage compartments on the stage were very versatile. A collage of frames were used as a backdrop and paralleled the recurring theme that our memories are framed in our mind. The compartments on the stage were a good way to store props used throughout the play as well.

Hummingbirds was performed professionally and the dialog was executed with thought and emotion. Yet at the same time, the set left more to be desired.

The play "Hummingbirds" by Jeannine Coulombe, an UMD alumni, integrates the main theme throughout the entire production so well.
In the beginning of the play, Charlotte and her mother and father are sitting and drinking coffee on what is portrayed as a front porch. The mom looks up and sees a eagle carrying a hummingbird on it's back. They go through the entire play talking about how the eagle and hummingbird get along with each other and if the eagle knows it is carrying the hummingbird.
The thing that is intriguing about the eagle and hummingbird relationship is that it relates to how Charlotte and Brenda got along and lived there lives.
Throughout the play, Charlotte was shown helping her sister in anyway she could and as some would say, carrying Brenda on her back.
As said before by many others, this play was performed with tons of enthusiasm and it was very easily to know that the crew really enjoyed producing this play. For this being the first full production of "Hummingbirds" by Jeannine Coulombe and directed by Kelly Grussendorf, success would be an understatement.

It has now been three days since I originally saw “Hummingbirds� and yet, I’m still thinking about what the play meant to me as an individual and as a viewer.

In essence, that is exactly what a good play should do. The relationships between the characters are realistic enough to suggest that they are based on real people. The two sisters have a very complicated relationship with one another and throughout the play it is hard to say who the hummingbird is and who the eagle is. That role seems to shift from sister to sister; they have this amazing codependent relationship with one another. Charlotte depends on Brenda to push her to do the things she always wanted and Brenda depends on Charlotte to get her through, well, pretty much everyday. In the end, even with Charlotte’s monologues, you cannot tell, Charlotte herself does not even seem to know the extent of their relationship, all she knows is that she wants her sister back and feels as if she should have been there for her, even though she could not do it anymore.

In the end, this play is in every sense successful. It is well written, well preformed and leaves the viewer with a sense of wonder, a sense of realization.

Hummingbirds scenic design a huge success for their performance. The multiple platforms with different heights easily represented different scenarios throughout the show. The warm colors of fall, with rich yellows and reds and oranges gave way to the seasons.

Much credit should be given to Alex Rugowski, the scenic designer. The upper level was closely connected with Dimnet’s character. As she spoke throughout the story, flashbacks and change of time was nicely portrayed with this platform.

The bare necessities of the scenic design kept the focus on emotion of characters, as well as the audiences full attention to the unwinding plot and dialog. I also felt my imagination tie together emotions of the characters and help evolve their characters. The lighting and scenic design complemented each other very nicely.

Overall I felt that the simplicity of the design let my imagination create the rest and its powerful underlying connectivity established a deeper meaning with a circular story plot and the circular transformation of the scenic design.

Hummingbirds by Duluth alumni Jeannine Coulombe opened up on Thursday night December 4, 2008 at the University of Minnesota-Duluth's Dudley Experimental Theater. The opening line of the play was the underlying theme to the entire play. "I heard once that hummingbirds fly on the wings of eagles."

The story is about the life of two sisters and the trials and challenges they face while growing up together and being by each others side at all times. Charlotte, (played by Kinsey Diment) the younger and stronger sister of the two has an extreme passion for art and will stop at nothing to fulfill her dreams of moving to Europe and becoming a museum curator. With her older sister, Brenda, (played by Ashley Kuske) as Charlotte's best friend, she has to put up with much of the psychological behaviors that her sister goes through everyday. Although, it is not clearly stated that Brenda is mentally ill, you get a hint of it by the way she speaks and behaves. All the while Charlotte is carrying the burden of her sister's pain, wild shopping sprees, lost jobs, and long days of laying in bed on her back. This on top of all the challenges she faces in the real world in her own life. This play overall portrays these girls' life as very dramatic and describes the underlying difficulties families face in everyday life.

Hummingbirds was by far one of the least lavished scenic designs created. The viewer most definitely needs to have a creative imagination to get the full picture of the storyline.

Overall, the dramatic plot of the play created a very resentful and sorrowful ending.

On Friday December 5th, the Dudley experimental theater was filled with people for the second performance of Hummingbirds. Upon entering, the lights were dimmed and stage was something that caught a lot of people’s eyes. The stage was circular with different levels and a round platform in the middle. The stage was painted with several different pictures of abstract art, one of them resembling something like the Eifel Tower. There were 3 large pieces of fabric that were hung behind the stage as well that were either accented or toned down according to the mood that the scenic designer intended. The 3 large gold frames were abstract looking but as the play went on, it was obvious that it tied in because of Charlotte’s love of art and the numerous monologues that she had talking about “framing.�

The lighting part of the play played a large role in helping set the time and place and mood of each part of the play. One particular part that was really neat in the lighting aspect of things was when the two parents, Margaret and Roger, were drinking beers by the campfire and there was flickering light. It was very realistic of what kind of light and shadows that a real campfire would give off. Lighting was also used to highlight the performers that were important in a particular scene in the play such as when Brenda was lying on the stage, the lights dimmed on her while the focus was on Charlotte and Margaret who are in a totally different place.

Costumes were also helpful in helping set the time and place. The change in time was very apparent from the costume changes in Margaret. She was dressed in modern day clothing at certain points in the play, but times such as when Brenda was graduating from high school, Margaret was wearing leggings with stirrups which is very indicative of an older time period. The two sister’s clothes stayed the same throughout most of the play, with things such as sweaters and shoes being taken off and put back on throughout the play. This was a quick and easy way to indicate the transitions between seasons and to even show how the times were changing.

The play had many different aspects to it that was very well done. But one thing that I noticed was that the program stated the time and place, which may not have been needed. The play took place in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and throughout the play the performers tried to portray this by exaggerating their accents. Some of the time, it was well done, while other times it seemed that the “accents� faded into the background and became much less important. Along with the sometimes present “Yooper accent,� when Charlotte was a young girl she sometimes had a baby voice but sometimes she didn’t. It seemed like these few of little aspects were forgotten about or at least put on the backburner.

As always, the stage, costumes, and lighting play a vital part of making the performance of Hummingbirds a success, and for a play that has not been produced many times before, the cast and crew of the play Hummingbirds did seem to take off…. maybe even on the wings of an eagle.

Hummingbirds consisted of four great actors that did a great job at presenting characters that were believable and consistent. Their efforts were present in their performance and they seemed fully prepared for the show. There were no missed lines, no awkward pauses, and no obvious mistakes that made this a very professional performance that really showed what the UMD Theater Department has to offer.

In acting, one essential part is to be in character throughout the whole performance. The actor should create a personality for the character and keep that personality. These actors all had created personalities that fit their characters well and acted with them continuously to create a very realistic performance. There was one issue with the acting because even though the performers used accents common to the upper peninsula of Michigan, they forgot to use them in some sentences taking away the realistic aspect of the show.

Also with acting, to be believable and realistic, you have to be able to express emotions of the character well. All the actors did this well but the best was Kinsey Diment who played the main character Charlotte. She had scenes where she was talking to the crowd which symbolized her internal thoughts and emotions. In these scenes, she was talking about how she wished she could go back in time and not only frame the picture, but also repaint it. This symbolized how she wished she would have acted differently in her relationship with her sister. For these scenes, she needed to show that she was deeply sad and confused at what had happened to her sister. Diment did an outstanding job at this by projecting her voice, shaking, and even producing real tears.

Hummingbirds is a great story that Jeannine Coulombe deserves a lot of credit for. It is an amazingly beautiful story that can really touch the heart of its audience. The excellent acting which was done by Kinsey Diment, Kendra McMillan, Joe Heaney, and Ashley Kuskey really worked to make this play a memorable experience.

Hummingbirds portrayed the tale of two sisters and their relationship from birth to death. The relationship that Kinsey Diment and Ashley Kuske had with each other seemed very real throughout the whole play. It was an accurate and well performed interaction of how many sisters actually act. When the two girls were little, Brenda was “queen of the mountain� and that included being queen of her little sister Charlotte. Charlotte followed along in Brenda’s footsteps and basically did and said everything that Brenda told her to. As the two sisters grew older, the relationship seemed to even out more, however when Brenda gets sick Charlotte gives much more than she takes.

The relationship between Charlotte and Brenda really hit home with me especially because I have a younger sister and I could see so many similarities between our relationship and the one that was portrayed in Hummingbirds. Having a sister is like having a built-in best friend. A sister is someone you can always depend on, through the good and the bad and this was shown throughout the play by the two sisters. Charlotte and Brenda got along well as young kids and continued to be close through the years of growing up however towards the end of the play their relationship took a turn for the worse. After getting back from Italy, Charlotte refused to help her sister even after receiving numerous letters from Brenda. This was a very powerful part of the play and the audience couldn’t help but to be sucked into how difficult and painful circumstances like that really are.

Charlotte was the main support system in the play. She was a strong character, yet her weaknesses definitely shone through at certain points. She had big dreams of being a curator and an artist but she didn’t quite know how to pursue those dreams. That’s where Brenda came into the picture. Brenda helped guide her in a sense by giving her the nudge and convincing Charlotte that she was capable of making those big dreams of hers become a reality. Charlotte was always there for her sister, even as Brenda became sick and treated her in ways that no other human should be treated. She stuck by Brenda’s side through the thick and thin until she just couldn’t do it anymore. The feelings and emotions that Diment portrayed seemed so real and raw and that made her character very believable.

Brenda was a spontaneous and care-free individual. She was always the one who bounced from thing to thing and job to job. The part of the play where Brenda graduates from high school was interesting. For someone that seemed so independent, she certainly didn’t want to leave. She wanted to make sure that Charlotte would follow her and that just showed her dependence on her younger sister. Brenda had extreme highs but she also had many extreme lows throughout the play. It wasn’t obvious at first that she was sick, but it became more prominent later in the play although Jeannine Coulombe as a playwright never directly stated what disease Brenda had. Brenda showed symptoms of depression, but there seemed to be something more than possibly bipolar syndrome. Kuske did a great job of portraying this sickness and made it seem so vivid and real.

Hummingbirds was a play that needed well crafted characters and each person that was a part of the cast did a good job of portraying believable and realistic characters which made the play hit home with the people in the audience and make the play a success.

The circular shaped platform was an interesting add to this production. It had different levels and was not flat at all, instead it looked as if it were like a spinning top. The highest point was in the middle, like a miniature stage within a stage. There was an assortment of frames hung up in the background with no paintings or pictures in them. The paintings were “out of control� and pieces of artwork could be found right on the platform underneath the feet of the characters.

The attempt was to create a scenic design that would work well with the script. And it did, the entire set is a symbol just as the use of symbolism through out the play is apparent. The empty frames and the art on the floor foreshadows the theme of trying to frame this situation before us.

The invention of the small circle in the center of the stage for narration was a large part of the overall production. The lighting used and the platform in combination together helped the audience understand that these were flashbacks and that she was telling a story. The little compartments underneath the small circle platform was a neat idea. The actors could easily access props and costumes with ease, which helped them to ease into the scene quickly and naturally.

The benches were simple and plain but of great use. During the museum scene the bench helped the audience to visualize that they were in a museum. During the scene with the snow fort, the bench looked like a part of the stage, and so when Brenda stood up on the bench it was as though she was on a mountain of snow.

The porch chairs on the left were placed on a higher level platform of the circle stage, it made it seem as if it were look out point where you could see eagles flying. Though used only for one location, it was good because the story kept going back to that one place.

Overall the attempt was well achieved and well worth it. The scenic design worked very well with the script, though awkward looking at first it became easy and normal to the audience. The visual symbolism worked hand in hand with the other symbols seen in the play.

The preview performance of Hummingbirds by Jeannine Coulombe on Wednesday December 3rd was an exceptional performance! The play could not be portrayed the way Coulombe would have liked, however, without the scenic and lighting designers.

Alex Rugowski, the scenic designer, did an amazing job with this show. The stage was extraordinary. The round raised stage was painted with many different immaculate designs in a wide variety of color. The different color schemes represented the different seasons. One portion was painted with very cool colors, such as blues, greens, purples, etc., this represented the winter months. Summer was represented by very hot colors such as, reds, yellows, and oranges. Autumn was a variety of reds, yellows, oranges, browns, etc. , and spring was represented by an array of pastels. The stage gave the audience the perfect opportunity to use their imagination.

The lighting also made Hummingbirds come to life. The lighting designer, Noah Craft, used different color lights and different light intensities to portray different seasons and times throughout Charlotte's mind. The lighting was very apparent in the scrims in the background. During the different seasons the lighting behind the scrim was a color that could be associated with a season. This really helped the audience determine what the time frame was that they were watching.

Craft and Rugowski did a phenominal job with the scene design and lighting. They gave the audience just enough detail to let their imaginations run wild!

“Hummingbirds� by Jeannine Coulombe is a production that conveys a strong message that makes it easy for many of the audience members to relate to the characters. This story is about two sisters Charlotte, played by Ashley Kuske and Brenda, played by Kinsey Diment, and their various struggles in life.

The play opens with the line “I heard, once, that hummingbirds fly on the wings of eagles,� this one line represents the relationship between Charlotte and Brenda. Charlotte throughout the play is helping out her sister Brenda with everything she could, portraying Charlotte as the “eagle� in their relationship, and Brenda as the hummingbird. As the play progresses you see that in their relationship not only is Brenda dependent on Charlotte to help with things but Charlotte also depends on Brenda to really push her to achieve her goals in life. This is what makes it so hard to say who really is the eagle and who is the hummingbird in this production, which makes the play stronger by allowing the audience to really think and analyze the story and make their own decision during the play.

This play was executed perfectly the actors did a great job keeping the audiences attention the whole time. The message of the importance of relationships really showed through and leaves the viewer with some question, truly a great play.

The Dudley experimental theater viewed Hummingbird’s for an opening night on Dec. 5th. For the first time this play written by Jeanine Coulombe was put into production in a black box theater. With the number of actors involved with the production the black box worked exceptionally well with space and concepts they were trying to relay to the audience.
This production was based on two sisters named Charlotte and Brenda whom both had a deep relationship with one another. Throughout the play the setting is based through Charlottes mind and one of the things that the scenic design contributes to is the images painted on the floor of the stage that symbolize some of these thoughts. Scenic designer Alex Rugowski did a great job keeping the set simple using small amounts of props and storage compartments to keep the play moving smoothly without a bunch of clutter. This also gave the audience a chance to put imagination into their own hands and relate to the two sisters which is also convenient because of the similar northern region.
The lighting in this play was done well following the characters from platform to platform helping the audience follow the scenes with ease. The orange and red fall colors were also a standout once the lighting was focused. The combination between the different leveled platforms and the lighting and color helped to enhance the scenes keeping the audience attentive.
With the parts of the play that worked there were a few factors that needed improvement. The props and detail of the set were simple but needed more to give the audience a little more of the story through the set. For a college setting the story could have used a bit of a spark with a little more action. Again for this production being the first with nothing to compare it to it was done successfully.

“They say Hummingbirds ride on the wings of eagles.� There has been a lot of talk about UMDs recent production of Hummingbirds. Hummingbirds opened Thursday December 4th in the Dudley Experimental Theatre. The production was written by UMD alumni Jeannine Coulombe and also directed by another UMD alumnus, Kelly Grussendorf.

Hummingbirds grasps your attention right away with a flashback where the two sisters are playing outside building a snow fort. The characters go back to when they were young and really set you in the mood.

Charlotte, the younger but more independent sister is played by Kinsey Diment. Diment takes control throughout the whole performance and the play is actually told through her perspective. Diment is always in high spirits and tries to make her older sister appreciate life more.

Brenda, the older sister is played by Ashley Kuske. Kuske’s character has a sickness and comes off as bipolar. Kuske does a really good job at portraying the disease by being happy and wanting to do something fun and crazy and then the next minute wanting to lay in bed all day and feel sorry for herself. Kuske’s character stays really distant from all of her family except for her younger sister Charlotte who she depends on for a lot.

The parents of the two girls are played by Joe Heaney and Kendra McMillian. Both Heaney and McMillian did a great job portraying a serious older parent. Although both parents cared for each of their daughters, there was more favor to Charlotte.

There was a great metaphor that Coulombe represented throughout this whole story. “They say Hummingbirds ride on the wings of eagles.� Coulombe was representing the two sisters, Brenda the eldest hitching a ride on the back of Charlotte. Charlotte knew her sister was sick and felt so bad that she just let Brenda take advantage of her a lot of the time.

Coulombe also did a brilliant job with the flashbacks throughout the whole story. Coulombe and Grussendorf never left the audience lost throughout the whole performance. Noah Craft who was in charge of lighting really did a nice job portraying where the play was in time also.

You still have a chance to go out and catch the performance of Hummingbirds. You don’t want to miss it or the intense ending.

The play Hummingbirds was performed on a circular stage that had four separate platforms. Each of the four platforms symbolized a season of the year. The fact that the play took place over an extended span of time is brought forth by all of the seasons being in a circle. Time goes around in circles just like the stage. The stage designer brought this effect forward very nicely.
The center platform didn't represent a season but more of a place where she could be along with her thoughts and express them with us. It is vital that the center platform doesn't represent a point in time. It's almost like she isn't in the story's time frame so she can be out of her life and just talking to us without taking away from the story line.
The stage was also very functional with the storage compartment in a central location. The production crew was able to store all the props in this compartment for easy access for the actors during the play.

The play Hummingbirds open into a scene of mom,and daughter sitting outside and talking with each other. They are three main girl actress in the play, their names are Ashley Kuske, Kinsey Diment, and Kendra McMillan. These actress played two sisters and a mom, their names are Brenda and Charlotte are the sisters and Margaret is the mother of the two sisters. When each of these actress acted they make to sure they show emotions throughout their acting. The two sisters played by Kuske, and Diment knew how to express their emotions throughout their voices and appearances very well.The mom played by Mcmillan could of made her emotions more believable throughout the play. The actress in the play knew it was their job to show their emotion, it was just hard for them to make it believable.

When the sister Brenda come into the scenes she was either acting like a child or really depress. Most of the time when she would step into the scene and act like a grown up that never grew up. For example they are scenes in the play where she would be building forts made out snow. Brenda had so much joy in her life at times compare to her sister Charlotte. Brenda's emotions were always all over the place, it was hard to know what she going do next. Therefore when audiences watched Brenda audiences had to make sure they did not miss anything.

Charlotte loved art so much, she would even describe her feelings as if they were art. When Charlotte expressed her emotions she tired to describe it as if was a picture for the audience. Charlotte's emotions did not confuse the audiences compare to her sister emotions. The audience could always tell exactly how she was feeling,and how she was going react. Overall Charlotte's personality is very unique and interesting.

Margaret the mom had similar personality to her daughter Charlotte. The mom did not talk to much throughout the play. When the mom did talk it was hard for the audiences to believe her emotions. When Margaret would talk she was always trying to be nice to the person and show she cared. Therefore when Margaret was involved in the scene the audience was not sure she was always going talk when she was a part of the scene.

Each girl in the played had very different parts in the play.Emotions was a very permont feature within their personalities of the actress.The audiences could see their emotions through their appearance, and voice. The emotions helped with telling the story of the play.Overall emotions are the most important part in the play.

I had no prior knowledge of the play Hummingbirds when I went to show on the preview night. I was totally amazed with the storyline. The opens hearts and makes you think about your own decisions and the consequences the bring with them.

The main character Charlotte did a tremendous job. Never missing a beat, I was completely convinced the entire show that she was "real".

The show was in the Dudley Experimental theatre which was perfect for this performance, because you are right up close and can see the lines of the actor's faces. It turned out to work in their favor greatly. I am proud to say that I captured the first performance of this play at UMD. I would reccomend it to all.

The production of Hummingbirds, written by Jeannine Coulombe and performed at the Dudley Experimental Theater, was an interesting and engaging performance which really challenged the values of family importance and individual independence. The play showed the struggle of love, friendship, and loyalty between two sisters as they grew up together. It took place in many different times of the character’s life, and also in a wide variety of settings. While this is a challenge for most actors to portray, they did it with ease.

The stage of the play was a large circular floor that was slightly angled toward the house seating. It was a unique touch that allowed the audience to see the action onstage clearer, no matter where they were sitting. The circle also had a center compartment located in the middle to hold props that were used throughout the show. But what was unique about this compartment was how it was slightly raised above the rest, causing a type of focus or centering for the stage. This was used during Charlotte’s (played by Kinsey Diment) soliloquies and monologues. It really helped the audience members turn their attention to her, and it also represented importance. The insight presented helped the flow of the show, and it was a great addition to the scene design.

The porch chairs during the show were used as a consistent prop that represented the same place. Margaret, the mother played by Kendra McMillan, spent a lot of time sitting and contemplating in the background with the daughters engaged in active participation center stage. It was a reminder that the audience was witnessing flashbacks and also kept the serious mood flowing.

The benches were used for a wide variety of scenes and represented different things, such as chairs in an apartment and a large snow hill that one could look over. They blended in well with the rest of the set design, and were used with ease by the actors. Not once were they a distraction or seemed to get in the way of the main focus of the production.

Also, an added touch was the use of the picture frames set up in the background. This was an excellent idea and was a good representation of how life is like a picture that could only be captured in a frame. The frames gave depth and symbolism that is difficult to find in many other productions.

Overall, the set design was excellent and greatly complimented the performance. The beauty and the simplicity caught the attention of the audience even before the production started, and it something they will remember long after the show is over.

The stage of humming birds was one of the most interesting parts of the play. The stage was circular and was used to help physically move the storyline forward. The stage seemed like a clock that Charlotte (Kinsey Diment) kept using to go back in time and look at he events that lead up to the climax of the play. The memories started at the top, 12 noon, and seemed to rotate clockwise. The center platform was used by Diment to explain her thoughts and feelings and try to rationalize the events that lead up to her sisters death. It was as if Diment was the hands of the clock trying to resist the ever present and harsh movement of time. This was a strong and very interesting metaphor that seemed to drive the play and make it very unique.

Jeannine Coulombe’s Hummingbirds, the production of Dudley Experimental Theater at UMD, is a perfect example of what the theater is all about: collaboration of different elements in order to produce one harmonious piece. The director, Kelly Grussendorf, created a flawless cooperation of the main theater elements: scenic design, lighting, sound, and costume design.

Upon entering, the audience first sees the simple circular scene with several different levels and a center highest level. The floor was covered with various paintings, while the empty frames hang behind, against the walls. Some say that there is a lack of props on the stage, but that is where the strength of this play lays. Alex Rugowski, the scenic designer, made the stage so that each level represents a different season, and the whole circle symbolizes the cycle of life. The central, highest elevated part was “timeless� and a place around which the whole play revolved.

Lighting was used in such a manner that it emphasized either the moods of the characters, or the time. For instance, to represent the fall season, more orange hues appeared; bright light drew attention to Charlotte’s excitement, and dimmed light made reinforces her angriness even more.

Along with the scenic and lighting design, sound played crucial role in this production. Since there was no change in the scene for the duration of the play, the sound effects helped audience to distinguish different places: the quiet woods of the Michigan, and the loud streets of Chicago, with never-stopping strains and police sirens.

Last, but not the least, costumes tied the whole play together, as they made the audience perceive characters as regular people. By looking at their ordinary clothes, it was easy to relate to them. However, the costumes had other significant functions: they created the personalities, and they created a time period of the play. For instance, Charlotte’s clothes showed her independence and desire to succeed while Brenda’s carelessness and wild spirit were obvious in her style.

As a whole, the play was worth seeing for its artistic aspects, if not for anything else: the director managed to successfully tie together scenic design, lighting, sound, and costume to create one extraordinary production – a production nobody should miss.

Hummingbirds
By Gaoleah Thao, UMD Student

The uniqueness of the scenic design for “Hummingbirds� allowed the actors of the play to use their skills in becoming the characters they were meant to portray. “Hummingbirds� consisted of only four characters, a family of four; a father, mother, and two sisters, Brenda and Charlotte. Every character of the play were created and portrayed on stage with distinctive characteristics.

Probably the best performance on stage was Kinsey Dimnet, who played Charlotte, the younger sister. Dimnet was able to play Charlotte’s character and speak to the audience about the thoughts in her Charlotte’s mind, while reminiscing the memories of her sister, Brenda. Charlotte’s character, almost rarely left the stage. Charlotte built the dynamics of the plotline, and Dimnet successfully brought Charlotte’s character to the stage as intended by the playwright, Jeannine Coulombe. Dimnet’s ability to play Charlotte at different times during her life, from being a child to being an adult, proved her skilled acting capabilities.

Brenda’s character, played by Ashley Kuske, was solely the other half of the play. Kuske brought Brenda’s character to justice, making the audience see and understand the burden she brought to Charlotte. As distinctive as each sister were, the audience was able to see how much Brenda needed and depended on her sister, Charlotte.

The parents of Charlotte and Brenda, played by Joe Heaney and Kendra McMillan, completed the cast of Hummingbirds. The audience was able to see the kind of relationship the parents had with the two central characters. They, too, were important characters to the plot.

Overall, the completed cast of “Hummingbirds� did an excellent job portraying their characters. An actor’s main goal in a performance should be to make their characters believable. In the case of “Hummingbirds,� every actor succeeded.

The script is the foundation of any play. If the script is not written to present the play in its best light, the play has no chance. The script for Hummingbirds was written and rewritten to make sure that these standards were met, and the director, Kelly Grussendorf, did the rest.

Hummingbirds was a unique play because the performance at the University of Minnesota Duluth was its first production. Because of this, the director ended up supporting the playwright’s approach instead of the playscript supporting the director’s approach. Jeannine Coulombe, the playwright, actually worked on the production with the cast a few weeks before opening. She even did rewrites during this time. Grussendorf had to be very flexible to this, and she worked with the actors to make sure everything looked solid by opening night. She did an exceptional job with flexibility towards the script, which is something that director’s are not commonly asked to do.

The approach that Grussendorf took towards Hummingbirds was an excellent one. Hummingbirds focuses on the personality development of Charlotte and Brenda from children to young adults, and Grussendorf really brought this out. She made sure that during each flashback, Charlotte and Brenda became more and more individualistic and less like each other. Doing this brought out the conflict in the play, and it gave understanding to the end.

Grussendorf did wonderfully with the script of Hummingbirds, and the script itself brought the play to life. Even though it was the first production of this show, the script and the director gave it exactly what it needed: a great start.

The preview performance of Hummingbirds on Wednesday December 3rd was a wonderful performance that was a little bit confusing, but at the same time was very interesting. Everything from the scenic design to the costume and lighting was very important in this play because there were different seasons portrayed throughout the entire play. Lighting is the best way to show changes in seasons and such along with different costumes. All of the designers in this play worked hard to make this play powerful and they succeeded at it very well.

The scenic designer Alex Rugowski worked really hard to make the black box theatre become a whole new place full of life and color. Just outside the theatre there was also a box model of what the stage looked like to show the audience how he designed the stage. He made a circular stage for the actors to stand on and a small podium in the middle for Charlotte, played by Kinsey Diment, to stand on and reflect about life. The stage was very colorful and lively to express the ideas Charlotte had and how her emotions were so mixed on what to do about her sister Brenda, played by Ashley Kuske. There were also three windows as the backdrop of the stage and each of them used a scrim that was opaque. The stage was complex on the circular part of the stage and offered a lot for the audience to look at.

The costume designer Erin Muhs also did a great job on making the play go through the different seasons and made it obvious to the audience. There were parts were the actors would wear hats and mittens to show that it was winter time. Also in the summer time Charlotte and Brenda would wear less clothing to show that it was a change in season. The costumes really helped in making the scene and time changes obvious to the audience. The audience would have been really confused if the changes in costumes and lighting was not so obvious. The costumes also made the actors really become their characters. For example, Brenda dressed very unique and outgoing because that is the person she was and Charlotte dressed very modest. Charlotte was the more serious of the two characters and that is why she dressed in this way.

The lighting designer Noah Craft was also a very important person in making this play powerful. The lighting was crucial to show the differences in seasons and moods throughout the play. Since this play went through all the seasons it took an intelligent lighting designer to make the seasons appear so different. In the winter season it was dim and during the summer it was extremely bright on the stage. At the end when the mood of the play is sad the light is again very dim and when the girls are happy and having fun the lighting is very bright and lively.

The play Hummingbirds was a powerful play with a lot of different emotions throughout it. The actors that played these characters were very strong and worked hard along with the designers and directors to make an intense play. The audience was so into the play that anyone could have heard a needle drop and this proves that the play was done well and it was very inspiring.

Charlotte and her older sister Brenda are two characters that you will love and are both very enjoyable to watch. The play you can enjoy them together in opened Thursday night in the Dudley Experimental Theatre at UMD and is called Hummingbirds. This play was done by UMD alumni Jeannine Coulombe. It is also directed by UMD alumni, Kelly Grussendorf.

The play mainly takes place in the mind of Charlottes. Charlotte is played by UMD student Kinsey Dimet. Dimet does an incredible job at keeping the play exciting and makes the audience wondering what will be coming next. She is a powerful character because she is younger than Brenda, but Brenda looks up to her. Charlotte is like the parent to Brenda in this play and it makes it interesting because she is younger, but knows exactly what her sister needs.

The older sister Brenda is played by UMD student, Ashley Kuske. Kuske does wonderful job at playing a character with a mental illness, which is bipolar disorder. Brenda suffers from this illness and it causes her to always want her sister around because she knows how to keep her happy. The two sisters are very close, but Charlotte can only handle so much of caring for her sister until she breaks down to her parents. Brenda doesn’t know what to do with herself when Charlotte is not around and this shows when Brenda finally goes home and tells her parents how she feels. Then Brenda ends up taking her life because of her illness and she sometimes felt like there was no there to care for her. When Charlotte finally broke down and gave up is when Brenda decided that it was too much for her and her family to care for her, or so she thought.

John Heaney, played Roger the father, and Kendra McMillan, played Margaret the mother, are also UMD students and play the parents of the sisters Charlotte and Brenda. The parents are not a big part in the play and this signifies that they are not a big part in Brenda’s life. Charlotte seems to be the only one that cares for Brenda and since the parents are not a big part of her life is why they are not present in the play all that much.

Hummingbirds
By Ka Blia Lor, UMD Student

“I heard, once, that hummingbirds fly on the wings of eagles,� was the opening line and the essential theme of this production. “Hummingbirds� written by Jeannine Coulombe had many symbolic meanings that incorporated the characters to varies symbols. To play off these symbols and meanings even more, Alex Rugowski had many of the symbols in his scenic design.

The biggest symbol in this production had everything to do with that opening line. Charlotte (Kinsey Diment) and Brenda (played by Ashley Kuske) were depiction of the hummingbird and the eagle. At the beginning of the play, Charlotte can be mistaken for the hummingbird because the idea that hummingbird goes wherever the eagle takes it can a way of saying Brenda came up with the idea of leaving for Chicago and Charlotte came along. Brenda had been the one encouraging Charlotte to get out of the house and follow her dreams, which is why Chicago came up. However, as the play progress and the storyline become more developed, the roles were flipped. Charlotte soon became the eagle and Brenda was the hummingbird. “Hummingbirds fly on the wings of eagles,� had meant that Brenda had become dependent on Charlotte. The hummingbird would stir the eagle in every direction that it wanted to go and that’s what Brenda did. She wanted Charlotte to do things for her just like the hummingbird.

Another symbol that really incorporated Alex Rugowski’s scenic designs was the collage of empty frames and the artworks done on the stage. Charlotte was passionate about art especially art history. Even now and then she would talk directly to the audience about how she couldn’t go back. She just wanted to “frame� everything up which tells the story of the empty frame. The artworks on the stage show her passion and commitment toward art. However, it was almost like the story between her and Brenda was an artwork in itself. Brenda can be portrayed as the colorful paint on painting and Charlotte was the line that led the way.

In whatever way that one looked at Hummingbirds, there was some sort of meaning or symbol that followed. The scenic design embraced and enhanced the characters and made the whole play meaningful.

Hummingbirds was something you did not want to miss. This production opened Thursday, December 4th. If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet hurry and call in now! There are still a few days left to see this emotional capturing performance. Hummingbirds is written by UMD alum Jeannine Coulombe, and directed by UMD alum Kelly Grussendorf.

A very unique characteristic of the performance Hummingbirds was the stage and how it was set and used. The stage for Hummingbirds was a circle and it was very interesting to watch the actors use up all of that space.

There was a large variety of colors used on the stage floor for Hummingbirds. The floor also was layered and was all taken advantage of very well. It the middle of the circle there was a box where the actors could hold some of the props they needed for the next scene.

The scenic design of Hummingbirds was very interesting and it was really unique how they had so many locations throughout the whole performance and you felt like you were in each one when there was very little or no set changes. The locations of the performance ranged from the backyard, to the woods, to a college, dorm, and even to Chicago. One had to have an imagination to really focus on the location of the scene.

Hanging in the background there were different sizes of picture frames all collected together. It was like a collage of picture frames. That idea was really cool since during the play the younger sister Charlotte played by Kinsey Diment had a passion for art and referred to putting her life story into a frame so perfect. Throughout Hummingbirds Diment talked about this picture frame she would have that could support her family and how she wanted to make it so perfect and change some of the mistakes that had been made.

Overall, the whole performance of the play Hummingbirds was great. But the scenic design was so unique in its own way. It was a very important aspect of the performance.

Hummingbirds was something you did not want to miss. This production opened Thursday, December 4th. If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet hurry and call in now! There are still a few days left to see this emotional capturing performance. Hummingbirds is written by UMD alum Jeannine Coulombe, and directed by UMD alum Kelly Grussendorf.

A very unique characteristic of the performance Hummingbirds was the stage and how it was set and used. The stage for Hummingbirds was a circle and it was very interesting to watch the actors use up all of that space.

There was a large variety of colors used on the stage floor for Hummingbirds. The floor also was layered and was all taken advantage of very well. It the middle of the circle there was a box where the actors could hold some of the props they needed for the next scene.

The scenic design of Hummingbirds was very interesting and it was really unique how they had so many locations throughout the whole performance and you felt like you were in each one when there was very little or no set changes. The locations of the performance ranged from the backyard, to the woods, to a college, dorm, and even to Chicago. One had to have an imagination to really focus on the location of the scene.

Hanging in the background there were different sizes of picture frames all collected together. It was like a collage of picture frames. That idea was really cool since during the play the younger sister Charlotte played by Kinsey Diment had a passion for art and referred to putting her life story into a frame so perfect. Throughout Hummingbirds Diment talked about this picture frame she would have that could support her family and how she wanted to make it so perfect and change some of the mistakes that had been made.

Overall, the whole performance of the play Hummingbirds was great. But the scenic design was so unique in its own way. It was a very important aspect of the performance.

In the play “Hummingbirds� written by Jeannine Coloumbe, the play’s pivot point is the seasons. It was vital for this play to be able to portray each season individually so that the audience was able to see when the events were turning and moving on to something new. The way this play successfully accomplished these seasonal changes was by all the technical aspects of the play, including lights, costuming, and scenic design. “Hummingbirds� moved along gracefully through the seasons, without the audience having to struggle to know which time of the character’s lives it was. Even with the first seen, set in the fall, the costumes, the subtle fall colored lighting and the portion of the stage that the actors performed in easily portrayed the fall scene, even before the actors specified.

The first technical aspect of this show that was very impressive was the scenic design designed by Alex Rugowski. Although very simple, it held all the necessary aspects to make the show real and understandable. The stage was set on a circular platform with raised and lowered portions. The actors would perform on different areas on the stage in order to portray to the audience where they were in their journey. The center raised circular platform was especially useful for the main character, Charlotte, to tell her story to the audience in a monologue. It was the place where the audience would know that she was telling them her story, not just showing it. Another important part of the stage design was the painted floor. Each portion of the stage was painted with different colors and shapes, and when the lighting would hit that portion, the season was displayed. For example, in the fall scenes of Charlotte and her family sitting at their cabin, they always were in the same area of the stage and when the lighting hit the oranges, reds, and yellows painted on the floor, the feeling of fall flooded over the entire stage and it was easy to forget about the rest of the areas of the stage. This type of scenic design, although subtle, was crucial to helping the audience to follow the story.

Another great aspect of the show was the costuming. An especially important character used to display the time in the character’s lives was the two sister’s mother, Margaret. She was the character who changed her clothing the most, and the costume designer Erin Muhs was able to pinpoint the time just by her costumes. The mother’s costumes changed from wintery, small town outfit, to a proud mother ready for her daughter’s graduation. Each time Margaret took the stage, it was evident where the character’s were in their lives. It was a very interesting way to portray this.

A final technical aspect that was very impressive about this show was the lighting, designed by Noah Craft. This show was all about the seasons changing, and of course light is the most crucial part of portraying this. In the play, the main character Charlotte explains just that when she describes how a famous painter painted the same hay bail many times, just in different lighting each time, and it was a completely different painting each time. The lighting designer must have drawn inspiration from this because that is exactly how the play was. Each season had different lighting, and although slight differences, they were so completely different. In the fall, the light reflected off the colored stage to give off the perfect autumn feeling. There was something so cold about the winter scenes, with a slight hint of blue. Every time the characters felt new emotions, the lighting was also changed to reflect this. It was very easy to feel what the characters felt, because the audience was flooded with just the right light.

These aspects were all crucial to portraying “Hummingbirds� main theme of changing of the seasons. They greatly contributed to the main feelings and emotions being portrayed by this production.

The UMD Theater program delivered a wonderful performance of Hummingbirds, written by Jeanne Coulombe.

Throughout the play, tension slowly builds as the relationship between Charlotte (Kinsey Diment) and her older sister Brenda (Ashley Kuske) becomes unbalanced and unhealthy. As Brenda latches to her younger sister, Charlotte pulls away with dreams of travel and art. Eventually, the relationship completely dissolves when Charlotte has to cut herself off from Brenda, eventually leading to Brenda's tragic suicide.

Diment plays the part of Charlotte with amazing stride. As pieces of her life with her sister are revealed in the play, Diment leaves no loose ends. Motive, emotion, and expression are conveyed clearly in every scene. Diment's short monologues painted a great picture of Charlotte's frustrations with trying to capture the pure memory of her sister, and not what she turned into. Lines became more than just a recitation, and convictions of the character are never lost.

Ashley Kuske played the part of Charlotte's older sister as if it were all real. She convincingly drew the picture of her character's dark life as she became more and more dependent on her sister. Kuske effectively portrayed a struggling and desperate older sister with wonderful believability, and iced the cake with the classic northern accent.

Hummingbirds delivered. The play demanded acting, and there were certainly no shortcomings.

The December 4th Hummingbirds performance, directed by Kelly Grussendorf was an eye-opening production that left everybody with a lot to think about. It was a tale of family relations: love, struggle, happiness, and fitting in – themes every audience member could relate to, which is exactly what made the play so powerful and unforgettable.

The main message of the play was effectively outlined in the following metaphor: “I heard once that hummingbirds fly on the wings of eagles.� Two the sisters, Brenda (Ashley Kuske) and Charlotte (Kinsey DIment) proved this idea throughout the play: at the beginning, Charlotte was the one who needed the support of her sister; Brenda had to give her that “extra push� so that she can fulfill her dreams. Later, the older sister, Brenda proved to be completely dependent on her sister, and ended up taking her own life because she did not have such support. Their struggle is symbolic of the struggles every family goes through, in everyday life, or difficult times.

The play was worth seeing because it made each individual think about his or her experiences. The perception of the play was highly influenced by spectators’ background. It was easy to recognize oneself in the array of underlying topics: ability to be happy with small things (like the parents of the sisters); small town life vs. big city challenges; finding a place in society and fitting in; having dreams that seam impossible to fulfill and being held back by family, like Charlotte was; lack of family support that Brenda experienced, etc.

Jeannine Coulombe's play does not have a happy end, but this is what actually makes the message so much stronger: humans are not individuals, but are dependent upon each other. Every person, no matter how strong, needs somebody to hold onto.

On December 5th, UMD’s Dudley Experimental Theater production, “Hummingbirds�, roused the audience’s emotions with its gripping, family-oriented storyline. However, a key part of this play’s success should also be credited to the artists behind the scenes. The production’s subtle, but effective design really brought this play to its fullest potential.

Alex Rugowski, the scenic designer, literally set the stage for the production with a circular platform with multiple layers. The center of the stage featured a smaller circular riser that doubled as a storage compartment for the various props and costumes used throughout the play. This eliminated the need for most back stage changes and scene transitions, as they were simply done on-stage. This central platform also served as a symbol of a separate place, Charlotte’s mind, and made it easy for the audience to discern the events in the play from Charlotte’s monologues. Also, the picture frame backdrop solidified the common theme that ran throughout the play – encasing ideas by framing them at a specific time.

Lighting designer, Noah Craft, had been assigned a tricky task for “Hummingbirds.� Aside from the intermission, there were no scene changes throughout the entire play. This meant that Craft had to effectively design a lighting arrangement that separated three different settings: the family’s home, the sisters’ actions together, and Charlotte’s mind, in a matter of seconds. Not only did he accomplish this very fluidly, but the lighting also set the mood for how the audience should feel and react to certain events, like Charlotte reminiscing about her sister’s innocent past.

Surprisingly, one of the most unique aspects of this performance came through the speakers. It seemed as though this play invested more time in audio design than most plays, creating a very dynamic experience for the audience. Sound designer, Scott Dahl, cued various sound clips, like gunshots, to fit simultaneously with the performing actors. The rapid-fire sequence of phone calls towards the end of play, as well as Charlotte’s recollection of Brenda’s adventurous spirit, showcased the theater’s multimedia capabilities more than most plays could have. With dozens of sound files used throughout the play, the coolest must have been during the dream-sequence. With countless indistinguishable voices, whirrs, and effects, along with the almost completely absent lighting, it generated a sort of delicate intensity that the whole audience could feel. If you miss out on this one, you’ll be telling yourself, “I should’ve gone!�

Hummingbirds, shown on December 9, 2008, at the Marshall Performing Arts Center, was an amazing performance that touched the audience and had the ability to take them to a place where reality and imagination go hand-in-hand. The play, written by UMD alumni, Jeannine Coulombe and directed by UMD alumni, Kelly Grussendorf, told the story of a two sisters who were affected by life’s struggles and their fight for survival. Through the many struggles presented, the sisters used each other to lean on and later make decisions that would change both of their lives. Strengths and weaknesses of the sisters are shown in this dramatic performance that helps the audience relate to their own personal experiences. With the help of wonderful actors, the goal of this play was achieved and left much of the audience in tears.

Kinsey Diment, who plays the role of Charlotte, and Ashley Kuske, who plays the role of Brenda, worked wonderfully together in this performance and were able to add their own personal touches that helped to capture the emotions that were intended by Coulombe. Kuske plays the carefree older sister, Brenda, who is affected by a mental illness that leads her to low and hard points later in her life. Kuske leans on her younger sister Charlotte, once again played by Diment. Trying to support her sister, Diment tries to overcome her own weakness by moving on with her life. The lack of support due to this decision has life changing consequences. Hummingbirds, is a gripping story that will surely touch anyone who views it.

Overall, Hummingbirds was very well put together. The roles of the characters were convincing and helped to take the audience to a place where Coulombe intended for them to go. The end of the play is chilling, yet provides reassurance for a life living after pain and encouragement to do so. Hummingbirds, is a play worth seeing.

Hummingbirds, put on by UMD’s Stage II was terrific. The characters Brenda (Ashley Kuske) and Charlotte (Kinsey Dimnet) were very believable.
Being an Art History major myself it felt as if the entire story was taken from a page in my history. It was hard to admit at times that Charlotte was in fact me and she in fact had the same delusions and struggles that many Liberal Education college students face in their lives.
The character of Brenda was interesting to watch develop. She seemed to start of as the conscious of charlotte. She led the “fun�, adventurous and carefree life Charlotte could only dream of. It was if Brenda was the other half of Charlotte, where charlotte was the logical and pragmatic one Brenda was the free spirit, irrational one. Everything Brenda did was what Charlotte secretly hoped she could do but felt it would not better herself in the long run.
It was strangely uncomfortable to see where Charlotte’s practical thinking leads her. It’s every College students dream to graduate, get an amazing career of their dreams, travel the world and have lots of fun with no strings attached and all at the cost of nothing. Brenda embodied that dream; Charlotte embodied the reality of life.
The acting was so true to life that at times getting absorbed and wanting to join in the conversation with Charlotte’s thoughts or discus and elaborate on the art pieces, especially the Franz Marc ‘s “The Fate of the Animals�, was hard to avoid. This piece, possibly unintentional, evoked a precursor for the sisters’ fate.
This painting represents how humanity is destined to the doom of WWI, they have no way of avoiding it, it’s the course of nature taking it’s path and the consequence for peoples careless actions. In a like way this ties into the doomed and unavoidable relationship failures of the sisters; ignored until it was too late.
The characters in Hummingbirds were extraordinary, so truly based on reality it seemed eerie.

Stage II's performance of Hummingbirds was a dark telling of two sisters, one who carried the other throughout her life.
The show is based on a metaphor which is of the hummingbird, who cannot fly for long periods of time so it will hitch a ride on the wings of eagles to travel further.
The eagle in Hummingbirds is the younger sister Charlotte (played by Kinsey Diment) who has a passion for art since early childhood. Her vast knowledge of famous painters is enough driving force for her to pursue an internship in the field of art history in Italy. This, however, would not have been accomplished without the hummingbird herself, Brenda (played by Ashley Kuske) who encouraged Charlotte to get out of their small town and make something of herself.
Brenda plays a good cheerleader for Charlotte, but with a heavy cost. Brenda is clearly a troubled mind from a young age and it develops into a mental illness to that of bipolar disorder, making living with her nearly unbearable at times. She is happy one moment, attempting to get Charlotte to go out and have a good time and the next day it's Charlotte trying to drag Brenda out of bed to do something or at the very least, eat.

The show's mood is sometimes hard to follow due to the frequent flipping back and forth through time. With the true nature of bipolar disorder, the audience never knows what day we're going into until we see how Brenda is feeling. Charlotte's mood is more and more subdued by the end of the show, clearly feeling the guilt exuded by Brenda throughout, and the passage of time becomes less noticeable until the future and the past become the present.
The sisters' parents, Margaret (Kendra McMillan) and Roger (Joe Heaney) are burdened as it is with their dysfunctional marriage to even take the necessary time out to focus on Brenda's mental stability, further placing the responsibility on Charlotte to care for her and be there for her, always.

At times it felt scenes dragged with unnecessary dialogue which tended to repeat itself throughout, not leaving anything to the imagination or self interpretations. The message was loud and clear from the beginning and never ceased to express its true intentions for the shows' two-hour duration.
The monologues presented by Charlotte were strong and enjoyable transitions into new scenes, as well as the dialogue itself between any of the characters, who were all strong in their respective rolls, however it tended to have an awkward moment or two making the transitions into or from the dialogue and monologue.

The minimal cast kept the show from feeling over done and there was more opportunity to connect or repel against each character. Roger (Heaney) lived by the moto "ignorance is bliss", living only to see the next fall for hunting season to dawn in new hunting rifles with money the family didn't have. These traits he passed along to Brenda, who in time began the excessive use of credit cards without the ability to hold down a steady job.
Charlotte never appeared to connect with her parents on any deep level, always opting to spend time with her sister and take turns attempting to inspire the other into doing great things with their life.

Their mother, Margaret (McMillan) is a woman who avoids confrontation when possible, but who can yell when necessary. We learn early on that she tries to stand up to her husbands bad habits, but when things do not change over the years, they are distant, cold and talk as little as possible to one another, both choosing to talk to Charlotte (as yet again the girl to fix it all).

All of the acting was superbly done. It was a heavy story with a climax that had no unknown results or hidden surprises, but still an interesting look into a life that is not all far from many peoples lives.

Hummingbirds
Reagan Lee
Before I start here is my disclaimer: I know this script pretty well because I am a close friend to one of the cast members and helped her with her lines. I also saw the open dress rehearsal.
Hummingbirds was directed by Kelly Grussendorf and written by a UMD alumni Jeanine Coulombe. The show is being performed at the Dudley Experimental Theater. The show follows 2 sisters Charlotte (Kinsey Diment) and Brenda (Ashley Kuske). The show spends a lot of time inside the mind of Charlotte, but starts off with Char and their parents Roger (Joe Heany) and Margaret (Kendra McMillan). As the show progresses the sisters begin to fall apart and by the end of the show you can't help but fell the pain of both sisters.
Diment does a great job with her role. She is on stage the entire time and her energy level never dropped. It was quite impressive to see an actress so consistent. As she tells the story and lets us into her mind with each monologue we begin to see her helplessness that we all feel at sometime in our life. Kuske did a great job switching between emotion as the story progresses. Her ability to go from being angry to a stoic and even expressionless thought. McMillan has time on stage where she says nothing, but her face does all the talking for her. Her character is quite believable and the way she lets her character age is quite remarkable. We see how she grows as a mother as the show goes on. Heaney's character had very little to say and when he did talk there was not much emotion in him. I was quite sad, but he was quite effective when he's angry. Overall the cast was great and very consistent throughout the entire night.
The scenery was beautifully done. The paintings on the floor and the frames in the back-round really helps tie the story together. The lighting really helps tell us when and where we are, and the spot light on Kuske as Diment allowed herself to be lost in her thoughts made a great contrast to when all the lights came on and they were suddenly in their apartment. The sound was also a nice touch and really set the tone from the beginning. The delicate music really touches the heart as the show ends.

"Hummingbirds," written UMD alum Jeannine Coulombe, touches the hearts of the audience. The actors tell a breathtaking story about family relationships containing both the superior and terrible times in life.

Charlotte (Kinsey Diment) is a powerful character that has the issue of dealing with a beloved sister who is getting out of control of her life. Diment gives a beautiful portrayal of Charlotte. The audience could feel Charlotte’s passion for painting and framing, or life for that matter. Diment had the difficult job of switching emotions and ages from one scene to another but she did it smoothly. The audience can tell through Diment’s remarkable performance that she has a passion for acting that is for certain.

Brenda (Ashley Kuske) is a character who has many issues but she does not know how to handle them. Kuske also has the difficult task of switching moods and ages, and did it smoothly as well. Brenda is such a complex character with her drastic mood swings; Kuske did a marvelous job bringing those different moods to life.

Diment and Kuske created an extremely realistic sister relationship, with both the good and the bad moments. The audience could feel their connection pulsate off the stage. They fought, celebrated the good times in life together, supported each other, and loved each other. Even though their relationship fell apart near the end of the play, this also made the play realistic.

This play touches the audience because it shows every family has hardships. The actors did a superb job sharing this beautiful story about family and everything that come with it.

Jeannine Coulombe’s Hummingbirds was performed at the Dudley Experimental Theater in the University of Minnesota Duluth on Sunday December 7th, 2008. The play had a great cast and the scenic design was very unique.

The design of the stage was a big circle with four platforms at different levels, painted with various colors portraying the different seasons. One part was painted with blues, greens, purples etc. to make it seem like winter. The season of fall had some browns, oranges, reds and yellows while summer had some brighter reds, oranges, and yellows. The scenic designer, Alex Rugowski, did a very good job at making the stage unique within the limits of how small the theater is.

The cast did a good job at distinguishing the time periods throughout the play during the flashbacks and made the story easy to follow. The play didn’t have many props in it which helped the audience focus more on the characters and their dialogue and interactions.

Overall Coulombe’s Hummingbirds was a very good play and with the help of an interesting stage design and an incredible job by the cast, this is one play that really lived up to the hype.

The performance of Hummingbirds, by Jeannine Coulombe, in the UMD Experimental Theater was a very unique production in many ways. The whole scenic design, layout, and structure was new to many.

The stage itself was laid out like a giant circle with “pie slices� of pictures painted on the surface. The pictures changed from the snow the two sister played in when they were young, where Brenda, played by Ashley Kuske graduated, all the way to Paris where Charlotte, played by Kinsey Diment went to further her career. Then in the middle there was a raised circle where Charlotte went when she was dreaming and explaining her life. She mentioned not being able to “frame� these memories. The paint just wouldn’t dry, or stay in the frame and she was so good at framing that it frustrated her. She couldn’t change her past or frame it just right. So in the background of the set there were collages almost of gold painted picture frames hanging from the ceiling. This supported the plays style well because the frames Charlotte was talking about weren’t always a physical frame, but an imaginary one. So having the floating picture frame collages showed that well.

The set of Hummingbirds was also very useful and practical. The actors had props in two small cubbies hidden in middle circle so they were easy to get at since the stage was so open and imaginative. If the actors had to go off stage to get the props it would have been distracting.

The circle set itself was also very open to the imagination and made the audience think. There weren’t actual scene changes so whenever the new scene was proposed they had to look at the section they were at on the circle and make up the rest. This was a new way to watch a play that many obviously enjoyed. It made the audience really get into the play and the scenes and the story. They had to imagine Brenda making the snow fort and putting on her graduation cap everytime Charlotte dreamed about it. So that was fun for the audience.

Lighting in this production was also a very clever and necessary to the flow and style of the story. The light moved around the circle wherever the scene was taking place, which helped the audience picture the scenery.

Hummingbirds is very unique play with it’s circular set and simplified props, that will let the imagination run wild and allow one to make it whatever they want it to be.

Hummingbirds is a touching tale of two sisters who from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan who go through a some what troubled childhood to eventually move to Chicago and live together.
What really brought me into this setting was the way the characters spoke, and how they sounded when they spoke. Kendra McMillian was Margaret, the sister's mother. Her dialogue was very convinencing and sounded like a mother of Michigan with her accent and how she would draw a conversation away from a touchy subject or try to interrupt other characters who may be engaged in a fight. Kinsey Diment's character Charlotte realizes how her dialogue can come back to haunt her at the time when we she repeats the line "I could of gone. I could of gone. I could of went." She realizes, I think, that Michigan and how she talks is aways going to be part of her, and she can not break away from that.
Joe Heaney's character Roger, the sister's father, was very much like father's and men from that area of Michigan, with how he sounded. His accent was very rural and had that sense that he was from a small town.
All the characters protreyed the Michigan accent very well and help me drift into that area between reality and the play production. if you are from a smaller town in Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Michigan, you can relate to the dialogue. This element of the play really makes the production realistic and worth seeing.

Humming birds is the emotional journey of a family of four, told almost entirely in the memories of the youngest daughter, Charlotte (Kinsey Diment). The story opens with Charlotte, and her mother, Margaret (Kendra McMillan), and her father, Roger, (Joe Heaney) mourning the suicide of their oldest daughter, Brenda (Ashley Kuske). For the first line spoken, it is apparent that there are some significant and deep emotional issues between all members of this family. As the play continues these issues become even more apparent.

Roger is a gruff “typical� display of an undereducated, overly masculine father. Emotional words being absolutely out of the question, he is left with little to offer the women in his life besides putting the food on the table, and teaching them how to shoot. We see the least of Roger throughout the play, but his effect on these three women remains obvious. Joe portrays Roger’s gruff manly characteristics with ease. The effect of his back woods ways only amplified by his characteristic shaggy hair and beard.

Margaret is a sad, yet “typical� display of an undereducated, overworked mother. Her obvious resignation to the cards life has dealt her grows with each passing memory. In the end, she has succumbed to the point where she seems content to sit outside and watch life go by as she remarks on the weather. Kendra’s portrayal of Margaret was flawless. The complex emotional state of Margaret was written all over Kendra’s features. Although her line delivery was compelling, she truly shined when she was not speaking, simply sitting while Charlotte relived her memories; her actions spoke far louder than her words.

Brenda is a psychologically ill, overly dependent young woman. Although her psychological illness is never addressed, she shows characteristic signs of a bipolar disorder, as we see her range from an utterly depressed state, to a manic energized state. Interestingly enough, her dependency is focused on her younger sister Charlotte, who seems to be keeping her alive, in more ways than one, throughout the story. Ashley depiction of Brenda’s two extreme mental states, is not only very fitting to the bipolar disorder characteristics, but also to the emotional state of Brenda. She did a wonderful job depicting the emotional state of Brenda separately from the mental state of her disease, while keeping them together in the same character.

Charlotte, is the most relatable character for the typical audience. Her selflessness for her sister is inspiring, while her selfishness in leaving her is only human. The audience is both inspired by Charlotte as she works her way to a better life, and intrigued by the almost maternal bond she has for her sister. Yet her human moments bring her down just enough for the audience to relate to her. The audiences attachment to Charlotte is heightened by the fact that most of the story is told from her memories. Kinsey’s portrayal of Charlotte’s emotions was exceptional. She brought the audience in with her tears and fears, frustrations and passions.

These four actors worked seamlessly together to create a stunning performance moving from memory to current time, to memory again. Each character offered a deep emotional history to the story, creating a compelling dramatic story. Of course these performances are only as good as the play itself, and they could not have been successful without the sound, lighting and directing assistance. However if their performances are a reflection of the other aspects of the performance, one could not say that every aspects of this play was not only successful, but also stunning.

Jeanne Coulombe's Hummingbirds tugged at the heartstrings of the audience at Stage II tonight. This play followed the lives of sisters Charlotte (Kinsey Diment) and Brenda (Ashley Kuske) who spent their childhood and early adulthood years with one another. The timeline of Hummingbirds isn’t entirely linear. Scenes are made up of different seasons; winter, spring, and fall. Diment’s character, who was on the stage for almost the entire play, often moved from the present into her memories of the past. The whole story is based on a metaphor about how hummingbirds ride on the backs of eagles, and the two sisters represented the two birds. Charlotte, who always knew that she wanted to pursue her passion for art, shoots for her goals, even though she grew up in a difficult household. Brenda never really knew what she wanted, but adored her sister, but was sometimes too proud to show it. Throughout the storyline, we notice that Brenda is becoming more dependant on Charlotte as Charlotte is longing to break away. We can feel the weight of responsibility that burdens the younger sister as she graduates from college, and pursues her dream career while trying to entertain and support her college-dropout sister. The tension between them finally comes to a peak, and Charlotte turns to her parents (Kendra McMillan and Joe Heaney) to help her. She goes to Italy to follow her dreams, and is worried about leaving her depressed, angry sister behind, but is too fed up of taking care of her. While she is gone, Brenda drives herself crazy, getting angrier at Charlotte, and finally begging her to come back. Charlotte’s struggles with her mixed emotions are very powerful to watch, and she ends up regretting her decision to ignore her sister’s cries for help.

Hummingbirds was set up very differently from many other plays. The set was very minimal, but effective. It didn’t matter to the audience that there was nothing to see of where the story took place, because the acting was so strong that we could imagine everything around them from the woods they were hunting in, to the snow forts, to the art museums, and to the crappy apartment. It was also very strange that the costumes hardly changed throughout the play, but that was also easily over-shadowed by the intense plot and acting.

Each actor played their part in Hummingbirds wonderfully. They really grabbed the audiences attention, whether with the few bits of humor or the heartbreaking drama. It was a wonderful play to see, and done so very well by all involved.

"Hummingbirds" debuted with an outstanding performance on Wednesday night. The Dudley Experimental Theatre opened its doors to their second production this year while the audience created an open mind for a symbolic show. The set was unique and each character was influential while every piece warped reality. The small cast revolved throughout one characters mind during three seasons in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Jeanine Coulombe wrote a piece that brings you throughout the past and into the present, bringing forth a great deal of bliss.
The setting of the stage creates a three dimensional atmosphere for both the actors and the audience. Each piece was artistically painted to correspond with ones imagination. Picture frames flew in as they overlooked the stage creating a source of symbolism. Props were also hidden beneath the stage and randomly taken out for quick scene changes. Other pieces, such as the two lawn chairs, were used to sit or hide behind. There were also costume changes to define the certain seasons or represent the era of the past. Alex Rugowski simplified the setting without removing the appearance of the overall production.
Ashley Kuske plays the role of Brenda, who is the sibling of Charlotte, played by Kinsey Diment. Both are found helping each other throughout the troubles that are created with time. Several scenes are dramatized to exert the essence of a relationship. This connection forms a leader and a follower, relying on the support of one another. Both actors understood the characters and portrayed an unbelievable performance.
Jeannine Coulombe and Kelly Grussendorf worked together to make this metaphorical masterpiece mean something. Every aspect brought forth a new thought, adding one more piece to this symbolic puzzle.

Hummingbirds, shown at the Dudley Experimental Theatre, was a fantastic performance put on by UMD. The play that was directed by Kelly Grussendorf and written by Jeannine Coulombe, was able to grasp the attention of the audience through its wonderful scene and stage design, lighting effects, and character dimension.

The stage had few props, but scene designer, Alex Rugowski, was able to work well with the stage space available, creating different levels among the circular design. Each level seemed to be designed slightly different from one another. This later helped to make importance of the time periods that were taking place along with the different paintings and backdrops provided. The overall design was executed and left plenty of room for the imagination to take flight.

The lighting effects in the play helped to reflect upon the sisters’, Charlotte and Brenda’s, lives. The many flashbacks that were shown throughout the play seemed to have the same lighting effects used and this initially helped eliminate any confusion the audience may have had by helping them realize the different time periods. When the emotions of the characters were to be taken lightly, one may have noticed that the lighting went right along with this, staying somewhat bright. When there were serious moments, the light would become dim, informing the audience of the severity that was taking place.

The main characters who were also sisters, Charlotte and Brenda, were play by Kinsey Dimente and Ashley Kuske. These two women, together, delivered an awesome performance. They held strong to their character’s emotional side, always reassuring the audience of who they were, weak and strong. The way that they spoke their lines with such emotion made the play seem very realistic, almost to the point where one could feel the same pain, happiness, and confusion of the relationship and relate it to their own lives.

Lighting effects, scene and stage design, and the character dimension all played an important role in Hummingbirds. With the help from such elements, audiences were able to more easily grasp the concepts and messages that were intended for the play.

In the play Hummingbirds they only used one set throughout the whole entire play. During the scene changes they would use different props. Actors and the audience both had use their imagination during the scenes of the play. The play is incorporate with a lot of imagination and props used for the scenes of the play.Overall this play has a lot depth build into even though it only has one set.

The Hummingbirds set is a platform with different of shades of pain all over it. There is a space in the middle of the platform used for storage. There is also gold frames hanging around the platform. The frames symbolize how Charlotte can frame any picture perfectly. They use the platform outside and inside scenes.When Charlotte is narrator she speaks on middle part of the platform. There is two chairs that are used for scenes where the mom , daughter and dad communicate with each other.Therefore the set of play along with the props is used for a lot different elements for the play.

Hummingbirds is a play done on one set with a lot of depth. The set of play represents the main elements of the play. There is a lot of imagination incorporate with in the play.Props are used a lot throughout the play. Therefore there is a lot incorporate within this play.

Do humans feel the weight of loved ones on their shoulders? Is there a breaking point where a person just can't carry the burden any longer? With the help of an excellent cast, UMD's Stage Two portrayed Jeannine Coulombe's "Hummingbirds," a play directly involving these questions, with great emotion, realism, and passion.

Kinsey Diment, who played Charlotte, the younger, optimistic, and driven sister did a wonderful job of giving a sense of deep love for her sister but also a feeling of impatience with her that ultimately led to a sacrifice of her sisters relationship. Diment did a fabulous job dealing with many different life situations from childhood experiences, career challenges, and reflecting back on choices that leave feelings of guilt, all with a great feel of her characters own personal strength.

Ashley Kuske played Brenda, the older, dependent, and troubled sister. Kuske did a great job of portraying the two extremes of the human emotion, complete gratification and utter depression. Sometimes Kuske had to switch on an instant from feeling happy right to feeling sad and she achieved it with great crediblity.

Kendra McMillan, who played Margaret, and Joe Heaney, who played Roger, were the parents of Charlotte and Brenda. They did an outstanding job of creating a feel of warmth to Margaret but disappointment to Brenda. Watching these two perform gave a real sense of smalltown low-middle class people who are introverted and use the outdoors to reflect on past events.

All-in-all UMD's Stage Two pulled off another fantastic show with "Hummingbirds."

Jeannine Coulombe's, Hummingbirds was a production that one should not miss. The play followed the life and inseperable bond of two sisters, Charlotte (Kinsey Dimmet) and Brenda (Ashley Kuske).

Dimmet did an outstanding job in her performance. She played Charlotte, the younger, strong willed, happy-go-lucky sister. In the production Dimmet hardly ever left the stage and had to jump from a one range of emotion to another on a dime. One second the play would be in the present, and Dimmet would have to have emotion full of sorrow and remorse while mourning the loss of her beloved sister. The next second Dimmet would be full of passion and soul while speaking directly to the audience about how she can frame anything perfectly, besides her memories of Brenda. Then, in the next instant she would have to switch her emotion to being bubbly and optimistic as she went back to her memories of spending countless time with Brenda. Dimmet's acting skills really shined in this production.

Ashley Kuske played Brenda. Brenda's character was very dependant on her younger sister, Charlotte. She was also very moody, pesimistic, pushy, and depressed. Kuske did a phenomenal job with Brenda's character. It was always so easy to tell when Brenda was happy or depressed not only by the way the Kuske used her body language, but also by the passion in her voice. When Brenda was depressed and laying around, Kuske would lower her voice and be very snappy. When Brenda was happy or excited, it too was also heard in Kuske's voice as well as seen on her face.

Together, Dimmet and Kuske, made Hummingbirds an unforgettful play, embelished with emotion.

“They say hummingbirds fly on the wings of eagles�

Hummingbirds, by UMD’s own Jeannine Coulombe, utilizes this phrase to epitomize the relationship between its two main characters. In fact, this phrase becomes more than just a symbol, but rather the main theme that drives the characters. The second driving symbol throughout hummingbirds is picture frames, as the main character tries to figure out how to contain the paint strokes of life on a tidy little frame.

After reading through some other reviews, I wanted to delve further into the relationship between Charlotte and Brenda, or that of the eagle and the hummingbird. The first question I asked myself was who is the eagle and who is the Hummingbird? It is not until the end of the play that this is revealed, although there are hints along the way.

Before explaining who is who in this relationship, it is important to understand what the relationship between the eagle and the hummingbird is. The Eagle is the strong flyer. It soars the skies for hours, seemingly never tiring. It is the hummingbird is the fast flyer, receiving huge spurts of energy, yet tiring quickly from its fast flight. It is the eagle that carries the hummingbird for long distances that the hummingbird cannot make on its own. But does the eagle know the hummingbird is there? Can the eagle feel the weight of his passenger? Does the hummingbird secretly direct the eagle? Or can the eagle subconsciously sense the hummingbird’s plans? These are some of the questions that torment the relationships in Hummingbirds.

Throughout the play we see that Brenda’s manic ways are the hummingbirds short flight. Her huge bursts of uncontrollable energy are the driving force behind the actions of the sisters. Charlotte is the eagle, the strong and supportive flight that carries them both. When Brenda’s manic episodes slow, and her depression sinks in, it is Charlotte who carries Brenda’s flight. Thus is the relationship of the hummingbird and the eagle.

After the relationship between the hummingbird and the eagle, the second driving symbolism behind Hummingbirds, is picture frames. As we find out through Charlotte’s memories, her passion is art history, and the beautiful paintings. Growing up all she wants to do is visit a real museum and “touch them.� Slowly, with the sudden boosts of energy from Brenda, Charlotte does go to the museums, and follow her passions with art. She tells us she is a framer, and we watch as she tries to frame her memories the way she wants them to.

The purpose of a frame is to enhance the beauty of a picture, and to hide its flaws. As Charlotte recalls her memories of her sister, Brenda, she tries to frame them in this manner. All Charlotte wants to do is push the flaws behind the scenes and remember the beauty of her memories. The play builds as she moves towards her most painful memories, and realizes that no matter how hard she tries, the picture is already painted, and the paint is not going to stay within the neat limitations of her frame.

The University of Minnesota-Duluth's Stage II performed Jeannine Coulombe's Hummingbirds with great stride.

Hummingbirds takes place in several different time periods and settings, ranging from childhood, adolescence, the present, and the mind of the main character, Charlotte. The stage design was successfully used to distinguish these differences. Being fairly small, the stage was circular and had several tiers which were all used to indicate a change in time and setting. Alex Rugowski pulled off a stage design for a small space that helped give the audience a clear indication in set changes.

Between the superb acting, Rugowski's set design and the lighting design of Noah Craft, changes in time and place throughout the play created were made crystal clear to the audience. Craft's lighting also gave a wonderful aesthetic quality to the production, namely in the subtle differences between seasons and Charlotte's inner thought narration. Mood was clearly articulated at any given point in the performance through the lighting.

In addition, the simplistic, yet effective costume design of Erin Muhs added to the play's character development. Personality and identity of characters were complimented by Muhs' costume design, such as the tasteful dress of Charlotte, who is the motivated and sensible younger sister. Brenda's costume was generally more of a careless looking attire, which added to the dependent, attached, and somewhat mentally unstable character.

The technical production elements of Hummingbirds were important to its script. Lighting, set, and costumes were successfully and brilliantly executed in Stage II's performance.

The costume design for Hummingbirds was very simple and brought out many unique qualities of each character. Charlotte’s costume design brought out a very intelligent and good girl. Her purple sweater and jeans brought out the lightness of her character when she was younger. During her one costume change scene, she changed into a green sleeveless dress that made her look very sophisticated and grown up. Although she was the younger sister, this dress made her look older than her sister Brenda and proved that she would do well without her sister.

Brenda’s costume design was very childish. She always wore layers with her clothes that mismatched much like her personality. She didn’t care about the way she looked or how she dressed. She never really dressed up because whenever she went out, her accessories such as shoes or purses were always more important. Throughout the end of the play she didn’t really have a costume change because she was always sick. Her costume design made her look very unprofessional, lazy, careless and foreshadowed her feelings about herself as well as her death.

Margaret’s costume design was very momly. She wore sweaters with scarves, plain jeans and simple black shoes. She always had her hair pulled back halfway and always drank coffee. Because it was cold where they lived this costume design matched her personality. It showed that she was hard working but that she never really aged much.

Roger’s costume design was very fatherly. Because he grew up as a hunter and enjoyed being in the woods he was always dressed like a hunter. He wore white t-shirts with a big hunting jacket and jeans with big boots. He is only interested in his collection of guns which proves his love for hunting. This costume design definitely brings out the sternness and strictness of his personality.

Hummingbirds� written by UMD alum Jeannine Coulombe was a wonderful play that was full of life. I saw this show on December 4th. The cast was very impressive. The actors brought the characters to life in a such a way, it was mind boggling. The took you through every emotion, happiness, sorrow; and left us completely convinced of what was happening on stage. “Hummingbirds� is a story of the bond between two sisters, and how they support each other in different ways, their roles as “supporter� and “support-ee� switching back and forth throughout their lives. Mimicking such a special and intense bond is no easy task for an actor, but Kinsey Diment (as Charlotte and Ashley Kuske (as Brenda) captured the audience and made us feel what they were feeling.

The sect was very unique; the stage was circular, with four different levels. This rather abstract design was complimented by a back wall hung with fabric and sets of picture-frames hanging from the ceiling. The picture frames were perhaps a metaphor for “capturing the moment.� however strange, I thought the set worked very well with the content of the play. The many flashbacks in the script could have called for lots of moving pieces, a stage littered with props, but the simplicity of this set made everything flow.

The script was great. The dialogue between the sisters was very real, and the hard-hitting topics grabbed the audience. The suggestion of HIV and the eventual suicide that occurs can be interpreted a little differently by everyone. I think this is great, because then everyone walks out of the theater with a different experience, taking their own emotions and thoughts home with them.

On December 9th, the play “Hummingbirds� was shown at the UMD Dudley Experimental Theater. The play, written be Jeane Coulombe and directed by UMD’s own Kelly Grussendorf was very unique, very entertaining, and much different from almost all other plays.

The personalities of each character were portrayed brilliantly. Charlotte, played by Kinsey Diment, was happy, upbeat and optimistic. The way she changed her tone when the time period changed was very impressive. Brenda was moody, pessimistic, a real downer. Actress who played Brenda, played by Ashley Kuske, did a great job of changing her voice to present her mood at a given time. She also had to switch her acting tone immediately from happy to sad, and made it very believable.

The message in the play was set by the first line. “I heard once, that hummingbirds fly on the wings of eagles,� meant that Brenda had become almost entirely dependent on Charlotte. It almost seems like the two characters switch roles of the hummingbird in the play.

Roger, played by Joe Heaney, played his part very effectively and used a very good accent to illustrate his character. They demonstrated him to have a love for hunting, and his ignorant personality really gave me the impression that he was from a very small town in Michigan. Overall, Heaney played his part very well and his time on stage was thoroughly enjoyed.

Kendra McMillan, who plays Brenda and Charlotte’s mother, played her role very well, even though she wasn’t in much of the play. I think her lack of stage appearance symbolizes that she and Roger really didn’t have a huge part in either of the girl’s lives.

All in all, “Hummingbirds� if definitely worth seeing. The characters were portrayed to near perfection, and really had a captivating effect on the audience. You will be very happy with your decision to see this unique play. Catch it while you can.

The play Hummingbirds, performed at the Dudley Experimental Theater, had an exceptional performance with gripping scenes and dramatic insights. It followed the development of an unbreakable bond between two sisters that each in turn helped the other through hardships, dreams, and reality. The chemistry between all the actors felt very real and created an unforgettable show.

Roger, played by Joe Heaney, is an interesting stock character only focused on hunting and the woods. His presence gave the impression of superiority, pride, and self-confidence. The demanding words and quick reactions gave no room for lighthearted teasing or even a smile. Though he wasn’t seen much, his character held a prominent attitude when in the spotlight and helped accent other personalities in the performance.

A distressed and concerned mother could not have been played any better than Kendra McMillan, who had the part of Margaret. Margaret was member of the family who made sure that necessities were met, everyone was fed, and that communication continues, even if others protested. As hardships unfolded through the show, her reactions were portrayed through her tone of voice, facial expressions, and posture. Her character kept consistency, and she always would remind the audience the symbolism and the beauty in watching eagles and hummingbirds.

Next, there was Brenda, played by Ashley Kuske. She had a great performance! Her appearance showed audience members how the environment affected development and also the many things one can value. From the first moment we meet Brenda, we understand how her character holds a caring and protective personality over her younger sister, but at the same time could be self-destructive. As the story unfolds, hints of her mental instability come out and we see how Kuske begins to portray two very different characters. From being overly excited, eager, and demanding to the lonely, upset, and angry women, we come to understand the emotional range needed to be played. Kuske gave an excellent performance with this challenging character.

The last character of Charlotte, played by Kinsey Diment, gave a shine throughout the performance with her monologues, insights, hopes, and desires. This character had the driving force of the play, as audience members would sit on the edge of their seats in hope that she would go and pursue her dreams of working in a museum. When trouble sets in with her sister, the tangled web of despair and desperation takes over and we see the true colors of the performance. Diment did an exceptional job in showing raw human emotion when decisions must be made for what is best.

Overall, the acting of the show had a flow and serenity difficult to find in theater. Chemistry between all the characters stayed very alive, which made the show one step higher and helped everyone give their greatest performance.

After seeing this show again, I walk away from the show just as moved as I was the first time I saw it. I have helped with lines for weeks now that to see the show live and to see it done so well makes me very happy. The only difference is that this time the show moved more smoothly and the actors seemed to be more connected to their characters. Hope you guys have a great finish and I hope this show goes to Kansas! You have deserved it!

The set for “Hummingbirds� was simple but worked well for this show. This show depends on the dialogue to tell the audience where each scene is taking place, so a large set was not needed.

The circular platform was decorated with beautiful seasonal paintings. The show moves from season to season so it was fitting for the stage to be painted this way. The different levels of the platform give the actors more area to experiment with. The center platform has two hidden cupboards, which come in handy when Charlotte (Kinsey Diment) and Brenda (Ashley Kuske) have changes on stage. These cupboards allow them to get props and costumes without leaving the stage.

The furniture pieces for this play include two deck chairs and two benches. These are used to help set the setting. The benches are used to create beds and the deck chairs are turned into a fort for one scene. The audience can use their imagination to turn the bench into a bed, instead of bringing an actual bed on stage.

Having many different size frames glued together was a very unique choice for a backdrop. The backdrop makes the audience wonder why the set designer would choose this but is explained later by Charlotte. She has a passion for studying painting and framing pictures. The backdrops emphasize this passion Charlotte has.

The set, furniture, and backdrops create a superb atmosphere for this beautiful play.

Another piece of the play that I would like to elaborate on is the cast of a whole and how they complimented each other. The dialouge flowed freely and imitated a northwoods family. It was clever and clear, with no holding back. People swear in real life, life is not pg-13 and I really like the fact that nothing was held back.

The parents of Charlotte and Brenda reminded me of a family I knew growing up, almost too much. This just proves that the characters are realistically portrayed and presented to perfection. Bravo!

Another interesting angle to look at Hummingbirds is strictly the visual aspect to the show. The set's designer, Alex Rugowski, brilliantly paints a beautiful picture upon a round stage with several different popular paintings by various artists in a collage-like manner. The colors are warm and inviting and as soon as we learn more of the characters, especially Charlotte (Diment) who is infatuated and immensely moved by art, we begin to appreciate more and more the colorful portraits under their feet.
The stage is circular, yet has many levels for the actors to work with. The set is simple, with two benches that are able to be moved around, two wooden lawn chairs that are only used when the parents, Roger (Heaney) and Margaret (McMillan) are on stage.

The beauty of doing a show in the Dudley Experimental Theater is the freedom to make the space look completely different from show to show. In this the tasteful lighting choice behind white fabric with black lace in front gives an over all beauty that sets a calm mood which the characters, more often than not, are.

The set was, aside from beautiful, resourceful as well. The very center of the stage is a high circular platform from which Charlotte presented her monologues, and doubled as a storage area for costume accessories, appropriate for the needed scenes.
At one point, Charlotte or Brenda (Kuske) could open one of the hidden cabinets within the circle and retrieve scarves, hats, mittens, or new outfits.

The concept of the show and its tragic story of a girl who, for many years, gave up her dreams in order to look after her sister, was very true look into what many people must deal with in the world. Although it felt at times that the symbolism was not only thrust in the audience faces, but repeated again and again for the duration of the performance.
The climax of the show being very clear from the first couple of scenes and then, not being as climactic once it ran its course. However, it may have been the Jeannine Coulombe's intent to sacrifice any surprises in order to send a message that she felt was not necessary to present with bells and whistles.

The conclusion of the show being Charlotte's decision to live her life without the hummingbird (Brenda) on her shoulders was a fantastic message that many people could benefit from. A strong and clear message that one must never sacrifice their dreams in order to fulfill those of someone else.

As an original play the play "Hummingbirds" is written in a very original way. The plot is very episodic and is made to feel a little stressful for the audience. The audience is supposed to feel the stress from Charlotte's life. Stress brought on from her sister's piggy back riding life style. When Charlotte is talking to her mother about the hummingbirds riding on the eagles and asking if they feel it, Charlotte may have been a little optimistic about the eagle not even feeling the hummingbird.

This metaphor is brilliant for these two peoples life styles. Brenda is just flittery fluttery and shoots all her energy out at once. she doesnt need to go out and do something with her life she is very content just hanging around one place and living like that. Charlotte is strong and looking for the long run type of person. She needs to get out of her nest and see the world swoop down to Italy to see her art. The hummingbird relies on the eagle to take her away on long hauls. It's important for people to understand that the eagle isnt just taking the hummingbird to new places for different things. It's that the hummingbird relies on the eagle for life. When the eagle flies away the hummingbird falls apart. In the end Brenda kills herself as proof that the hummingbird needs the eagle.

The two sisters from their childhood became established this heavy one sides dependency. Charlotte was always the peace keeper the strong rock for Brenda. During their parents fights Charlotte would try to protect her older sister from the fights. When the father was trying to teach his daughters how to shoot the gun Charlotte was a peace keeper and offered to do it first and help Brenda do it as well. Brenda was scared to go off to college and didn't want to go because she knew she wouldn't have her sister there. Brenda made Charlotte promise to move in with her and of course Charlotte agreed because she felt she needed to.

Hummingbirds was a tale that utilized flashbacks and memories. As stated by a previous post, these flashbacks and time shifts in the play were fairly tricky. At first, it was a bit confusing to figure out what was in the present and what was in the past, but after the first scene with the two girls playing in the snow it was obvious that it was a memory. The lighting wasn’t as obvious at first, but after figuring out what was present and past, the lighting and good performances by the actors helped leave the audience with little doubt as to what they were supposed to be paying attention to or what the time and setting was from there on out.

Dealing with psychological issues is a complicated thing and the playwright Jeannine Coulombe did a good job at showing the progression of Brenda’s disease. It was known going into the play that something depressing and bad happened to one of the sisters, but it wasn’t really obvious until a good chunk of the play was performed that a mental disorder would be the case.

Black box meaning seats, lights, platforms; everything is flexible and moveable. Black box stages can be arranged in a variety of ways, but for this production the stage was backed up against the wall of the Dudley Theater while the audience was in an almost semicircle around the stage. This type of set-up allowed for the audience to be really close to the actors which helped in relating to the actors. It also helped the audience feel more connected to the performers making it seem as if they were real people.

The space that this play was performed in was very limited, but the actors utilized the small space pretty well. Minimal props were used which kept the stage clutter free and that was essential for this performance. Also for a production like this, props don’t need to be used as much such as when the girls were outside playing the snow. It was obvious to the audience that they were building a fort with a bucket or pail of some sort and that was completely fine to leave out props such as those things.

The scene where the father, Roger, took them out hunting was interesting. It was quite apparent to the audience that even from a young age, Brenda didn’t really get along with her father, and also her mother for that matter. Charlotte had to be the one to “keep the peace.� It is also ironic that for Brenda hating guns so much and thinking they’re “stupid� that it would be the one thing that brought her life to an end.

Once again, many different aspects of Hummingbirds were successfully completed which showed that the artists achieved their goals of making believable, relatable characters and it was well worth their attempt.

On Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008 a preview for Hummingbirds was performed in the Dudley Experimental Theater at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Hummingbirds was written by Jeannine Coulombe and was performed by a cast headed by Kinsey Diment who played the younger sister Charlotte and Ashley Kuske who played the older sister Brenda.

Anyone who watched Hummingbirds sat in awe of the brilliance of Alex Rugowski’s scenic design. But Hummingbirds proved to be a play that left you feeling that it lacked something. The storyline was legendary if you were looking to put your 2 year old to sleep. Before watching Hummingbirds the next best thing to fall asleep to was Flipper the movie.

It wasn’t the acting that was lacking because Diment and Kuske did a great job getting the best out of their characters. But it seemed as though Hummingbirds lacked the storyline to deliver a punch that would last in your mind for a while. No matter how well the scenic design was or how great the acting was, without a solid storyline Hummingbirds faltered where other plays like Stop-Kiss excelled.

Hummingbirds spent the whole time building up the relationship between Charlotte and Brenda going from their childhood memories through their adulthood. This process took forever and offered very little substance other than the constant memory of Brenda playing in the snow as a child. If the storyline provided better material to work with Hummingbirds would have actually been a play worth watching.

The preview performance of Hummingbirds on Wednesday night delivered a tale of family, dreams, and choices. Serious topics like depression, suicide, and responsibility to family were conveyed through the small cast.

Ashley Kuske and Kinsey Diment brought out the storyline of the show through their display of a sisterly bond that could never be broken. Although there were some slip-ups with the accents throughout the show, the words of the two actresses conveyed a bond that could not be broken. The younger sister, played by Kuske, brought a sense of responsibility to the production. However, this responsibility had negative implications on her. She began to feel weighed down by her older sister, who is similar to a hummingbird on an eagle's back.

The storyline weaved an intricate tale of one person's dependency on another. This was conveyed by facial expressions by Diment when she was laying on the floor sick, and by Kuske when she was at a loss for words at how to deal with her sister's problems. This production played with the audience's emotions by causing them to be drawn into the storyline up until its bitter ending.

All in all, Hummingbirds was a mature, believable production. This storyline is similar to something that happens often in real life-tension in the family. However, the tension was brought too far, causing a guilt that can't be outflown by the eagle who now has nothing to carry on its back.

~Samantha

THE SOUND IN HUMMINGBRIDS WAS AMAZING.

The play "Hummingbirds" opens with a group of people (a mom, a dad, and two daughters) relaxing on a porch and watching eagles. We learn that hummingbirds are creatures that fly on the backs of eagles - at first you have to wonder how this is relevant to anything at all, but later on you get it. It's foreshadowing.

We also learn the backstory of the characters - the dad is an angry man who likes to hunt, and the mom gave up her dream of being an artist to raise her kids. Brenda, the older daughter, is spontaneous, extroverted, and loud. Charlotte, the younger daughter, is quieter, more introverted, and passionate about art. I noticed that Charlotte was more mature than Brenda. This seems to be a pattern among a lot of people who are younger siblings. (Supposedly older siblings get to do everything first, so they get into more trouble, and so for the second kid the parents are more protective.)

The play takes place in Michigan and the costumes worn in the first scene reflect this - layers, hats, boots. It reminded me of my hometown. Which is not in Michigan.

Throughout the play we get a look at Brenda's behavior and figure out that she takes a lot of stupid risks. There's one scene where she comes out with something like seven bags from Macy's. Charlotte had been doing calculations in her head for paying bills at the exact moment Brenda walked in the door.

Everything about the play was awesome except for the monologues done by Charlotte. They were worded funny and seemed to be extraneous.

The UMD Dudely Experimental Theater was the perfect site for Hummingbirds. With Charlotte having monologues every few scenes, and with the jumps through Charlotte's life there was no way a set could have been made for every period of time. The stage that was used was very unique. The circular stage had multiple levels on it, and was painted to symbolize the seasons and the locations the sisters were living in throughout the play. The center of the stage was also interesting, in that it severed as a storage place for props, and also for Charlotte to preform her monologues. The stage was very well designed and very well used by all the actors in the production of Hummingbirds.

To continue on with the scenic design, I thought the floor plan of this production of “Hummingbirds� turned out great. Alex Rugowski, really put a lot of thought into this design. It really set the tone and fit each scene of the play because there were so many flashbacks. There were different levels for each scene; which also helped the viewer to understand the flashbacks in time. Furthermore, the floor paintings really connected the viewer to the plot as well. Although there was not extravagant props and scenic design in this production, it really gives the audience to create their own imaginative story. Because the scenic design was so simple, it really put the focus on each character’s actions in the play. Which I believe really made this play so realistic because the viewer had to rely on the characters acting skills, motions and behaviors.

Due to the fact that the viewer had to rely on the character’s actions, I believe that the four actors Kinsey Diment (Charlotte), Ashley Kuske (Brenda), Joe Heaney (Roger), and Kendra McMillan (Margaret) all portrayed their characters very well. There were many scenes in this play that had much emotional drain, such as, anger, sadness, etc. At the beginning of the play I really felt like I was in Kendra McMillan’s shoes when her character Margaret and Roger were fighting about Roger getting a new gun, while the kids were outside listening. I could really feel the pain and anguish in her voice. Also, when Charlotte and Brenda are older, they often fight, but the viewer can feel the pain in their voices when they are screaming in each other’s faces. Overall, I believe the scenic design and the great acting skills are what really makes this play unique.

While watching Hummingbirds at the Dudley Experimental Theater, the set, costumes, and lighting all stood out. All of these theatrical aspects contributed greatly to this unique play.

One set used throughout the entire play. The fact that they could pull that off was very impressive. They had a few props in the center of the stage, but not many. Alex Rugowski did a spectacular job of working with the small space he was given. The stage really left a lot up for interpretation and imagination. The 3D characteristic of the stage was very interesting. The paintings that surrounded the black box set was extremely well done, it was one of the coolest sets I’ve ever seen. The stage as a whole had 4 platforms, and was in a circular design. The props being in the middle of the room were also very interesting. It was extremely useful because the actors didn’t have to run off stage to get each new prop, they just needed to go to the middle of the stage. Alex did a phenomenal job of using the space that the Dudley Experimental Theater gave him. The effectiveness of the stage was surprising, as they Rugowski did so much with so little, and he really made the stage his own.

The lighting really helped the audience determine which time period we were viewing. The lighting perfectly complimented each of the actress’s moods at any given time in the play. The light brightened with Charlotte’s excitement, and dimmed when she became upset. The lighting also showed the changes in seasons that were necessary in the play. The part that was most impressive about the lighting was that the audience could easily distinguish between the seasons and character moods in the play.

Erin Muhs designed costumes that were extremely effective in this play. The costumes were nothing out of the ordinary, but that in itself was very effective. The audience viewed them as normal people, so the costumes didn’t have to be anything spectacular. The costumes helped develop the time of the play, and also the characters personalities. The transition of the seasons was also made evident by the costumes. The costumes complimented the characters very well, and the characters really dressed to their personality.

The scene, lighting, and costumes designers were really at the top of their game in “Hummingbirds.� The combination of these aspects made the play enjoyable for the entire audience, and really made the play what it is; an entertaining play that should not be missed.

Jeannine Coulombe’s Hummingbirds, performed at UMD’s Dudley Experimental Theater, delivers an intriguing view of the dark side of family relations. Love for a sister quickly turns to dependence, turns to a desperate need for assurance and companionship.

Alas, the audience is left with no clue as to the purpose of the play until the bitter end. A clue is given that something is wrong at the beginning, though what is wrong is to remain unknown. Throughout the performance, the question where the play is going rings through the mind, though, somehow the writing draws the attention to figure it all out. Through the main character’s short monologues and the present day snippets, the conflict remains a blurry picture and conclusions are left to be drawn. As more is learned about the nature of the story, the picture becomes clearer, but the conflict remains frustratingly unidentified. Increasing tension between the two sisters somehow keeps the audience drawn to the action, eager to find out more, hoping to piece together the puzzle.

At the final resting place of the play, the conflict was revealed. It wasn’t really even a conflict, so much as a resolution of the audience’s curiosity. Suicide was the problem, only there is no resolution. The unfulfilling yet fantastic satisfaction granted by the play was the revelation of a tragedy… nothing but an answer.

Hummingbirds requires a bit of an attention span, but, it all becomes worth it at the end.

The play Hummingbirds written by Jeannie Coulombe, and directed by Kelly Grussendorf was an amazing performance by all the actors. They were all UMD actors and they all worked extremely hard to make the performance a good one. The two stars of the night were Kinsey Diment and Ashley Kuske who were sisters in the play. These two had great chemistry on the stage and were strong in the individual characters they played. Diment played Charlotte the younger, stronger, and more independent of the two sisters. Kuske played Brenda the older sister who suffered from a mental illness much like bipolar disorder and she was very dependent on Charlotte. The opening line of the play is, “they say hummingbirds fly on the wings of an eagle� and this directly relates to the relationship between Charlotte and Brenda. Brenda is always looking up to Charlotte although Brenda is the older one and you would think it would be the other way around. Brenda needs Charlotte in her life because she cannot do things on her own and she needs the stability in her life that Charlotte gives her. Since Brenda suffers from a mental illness Charlotte is the strong person she needs to help her get through her life. Charlotte is always there for Brenda no matter what and this gets to be hard for her because Charlotte is trying to live a life of her own and she can’t do that when Brenda always needs her. This results in a fatal ending and dramatic ending that the audience did not see coming at all since Brenda was such a happy person sometimes.

The other two characters in the play are the parents of the two girls, but they are not a big part in the play. Kendra McMillan played the mother whose name was Margaret, and Joe Heaney played the father Roger. These two characters were not a big part in the play and they did this to signify that the parents were not a big part of Brenda’s life. It seemed in the play that Charlotte was the only one that took care of Brenda. Brenda did not seem to get along well with her parents and her parents didn’t seem to make a big effort to get along with her. The play was mainly about the two sisters and how Charlotte was the one person that Brenda always knew she could go to for help or anything she needed.

Hummingbirds provided a setting for a strong play that was indeed powerful and interesting to watch. At times the play may have seemed confusing, but in the end everything pulls together and the audience realized what a great play it was. The actors deserve a great applaud for their work in the play because they are the ones who made it so powerful and good to watch.

There were minimal flaws in UMD's production of Hummingbirds on Tuesday evening. The only thing that could have been improved was the few slow and repetitive scenes and lines. Hummingbirds was still one of the most powerful plays I have seen in a long time. I think it really made a difference to me that out Intro to Theater class got to meet and speak with the playwright,Jeannine Coulombe before we saw the play. Some people I talked to after seeing Hummingbirds said that they thought the script was poorly written, but having met her and heard her reasonings and thought process brought me to her defense. I liked how risky this play was. Profanity and other possibility offensive parts just made the story and characters more real to me.
I could from the beginning that it was going to be a new way of watching a play, the way the scenes flowed from past to present and back again. In every scene we would learn just a little bit more, another little piece in the puzzle of Brenda and Charlotte's relationship. The thing I loved the most about the two main characters was how much they relied on each other, though one more-so than the other. They're early childhood days actually reminded me of my sister and I growing up, which made the sadness of the end more emotional for me.

To follow up my first two reviews of Hummingbirds, I felt I should address some of the more technical aspects of the productions. Though I have already expressed the well-done technical parts of Hummingbirds, a more specific analysis of these aspects seems wanting. The following review will focus on the technical aspects of Hummingbirds, such as the sound, costuming, set, and lighting.

Fitting to the unique shape of the Hummingbird stage, the set was quite beautiful and unique as well. A circular foundation centered the stage that branched out into a semi circular shape, each piece taking different heights, for an effecting leveling system. The size was quiet small in comparison to the typical stage, yet its size was very fitting to the small set and intimate style of this emotional performance. Aided by only two wooden chairs and several well-crafted benches, the simple set just enough of the mood for the actors to complete their intimate story. By far the crowning beauty of the set was the elaborately painted stage. Complimenting the artistic themes of Hummingbirds, the multicolored top was bright, without over powering. Divided into three pieces, the warm colors of fall, bright colors of summer and cool colors of winter the stage and set doubled as scenery for the story of Hummingbirds.

Due to the small size of the auditorium, the sounds of this performance were far easier to pick up than in a larger auditorium. The lines were for the most part easy to pick up. The only reason some of the lines may have been difficult to hear was due to the actor’s back woods accents. The background sounds and music not only complimented the story line well but also added information to the set, scenery and location.

Although the costuming was simple in design, the many changes, several on stage, added a complexity to their design. The flexibility of the costumes aided the in the setting and characterization of the characters. There were also several accessory’s, such as hats, shoes and purses, that emphasized the character’s location, time or place.

The lighting was used very effectively to aid in scene changes throughout the story. This was extremely important because of the many changes in time and place due to the string of memories. This continuously changing of time and place could have easily confused the audience, but the lighting and characters worked together seamlessly, so the audience was never wondering as to what time or location the characters were in.

The combined technical application of these arts created a flawless backdrop for the story of Hummingbirds. Each aspect of the performance worked together to create a believable world that easily transported its viewers into the memories of Charlotte.

First ever to be performed onstage, ‘Hummingbirds’ is now showing in the Dudley Experimental Theatre at UMD. A brand new play requires the cast and crew to start from scratch— exercising their imagination to produce an innovative work of theatrical art. There were many decisions to be made in all aspects of the play. The lighting and sound design both conveyed a more in-depth approach that influenced the interpretation of the play.

The lighting design was dexterously positioned by Noah Craft. The stage consisted of several platforms of varying height. In the middle of the stage stood the highest platform used for when Charlotte was expressing her monologue sequences. Designed with these scenes in mind, Craft hung four fresnel (type of light) above this focal platform to accentuate the idea of being inside the mind of Charlotte. ‘Hummingbirds’ is a story told the way Charlotte remembers it. Therefore when Charlotte is standing on that platform reminiscing about the old times with her sister, all attention is on her. When these lights are on Diment, the light and dark contrasts are the distinction that isolates her from anything else on stage.

Craft used warm, autumn tones to signify present time and season. This helped the audience to recognize when we were looking back at memories before Brenda’s death. During these scenes, the lighting also brought on a feeling of despair and anguish that both the audience and actors felt.

Scott Dahl’s talent in sound design is certainly evident when looking deeper into his design structure. The idea being that the audience would hear things through Charlotte’s interpretation, Dahl sought to arrange the speakers in such a way that would effectively pull off such a difficult maneuver. He wanted to make each audience member feel as if they were wearing headphones, with sounds being heard in every direction. At the same time, he wanted things to sound realistic. With that in mind, he had specific sounds come from certain directions to establish a lifelike interpretation of anything happening onstage. Dahl’s creativity in sound effects were truly impressive.

Every creative decision in the play has someone behind it. It’s great to see a newly produced play become so artistically complex. The cast and crew of ‘Hummingbirds’ has true talent that I’m sure we’ll see in many productions to come!

The Dudley Experimental Theatre has been privileged to welcome the return of two UMD alumni for the production of “Hummingbirds.� Jeannine Coulombe is a unique playwright who is the author for more than ten full-length plays while being a Minnesota native. Her plays have been seen at many theatres across the nation but UMD holds the premier for “Hummingbirds.� Coulombe has received her MFA from the University of Iowa Playwright Workshop and graduated with a BFA in theatre and a BA in History from the University of Minnesota Duluth. Coulombe has arranged a piece that resembles symbolic reasoning that forms many connections throughout the audience’s mentality.
UMD also welcomes back Kelly Grussendorf, the director of “Hummingbirds.� Grussendorf had the flexibility in directing a play that has never been produced. She had no reference to other versions of this particular play, yet made a memorable mark in the theatre this year. Grussendorf has a history on Broadway and a solo album out on lease. She grew up in Hermantown, a small suburb of Duluth, and made her way through the tough life of an actress. Kelly was lucky to be successful and eventually settled back down with her high school sweetheart in her hometown.
In this case, both the playwright and the director came together to premier an outstanding production of “Hummingbirds.� The cast and crew worked together to set high standards for this play and completed their masterpiece with success.

“Hummingbirds� written by Jeannine Coulombe was a great, yet tragic story about the deep connection between two sisters, Charlotte and Brenda. Brenda was the carefree, free spirited sister who’s emotions seemed to have many ups and downs. Charlotte was the younger, yet more responsible sister who had high hopes and dreams for herself and her family. Although the story itself was fantastic, the actresses playing these two main characters brought the story to life with raw emotion and feeling. Both characters were very complex, and the actresses who portrayed them were very impressive.

A very notable performance of this production was from Ashley Kuske playing Brenda. Brenda was a very complex character whos emotions seemed to spiral out of control at times. Brenda’s emotions seemed to give the play its mood throughout the entire show. When Brenda was happy, like in the first snow scene where Brenda and Charlotte are making a snow fort, the mood was happy and the audience could feel those emotions radiating from the character. When Brenda became sicker and sicker with depression, the mood of the show got darker and darker and happiness was hard to come by for the characters. Kuske’s portrayal of Brenda was very impressive and difficult, and she did the character justice. She had a daunting role to play, to go from easy going, free spirited Brenda to sad, depressed Brenda in a matter of a few scenes. She played this role very well and the production was very successful.

The most impressive performance of the show was from Kinsey Diment who played Charlotte. Charlotte was a much more predictable character to play, her emotions didn’t change as much as Brenda’s, but it was so inspiring to see Diment portray the raw emotions of Charlotte, who had so many feelings, goals and regrets. Not only did Diment portray her character well through acting out scenes from Charlotte’s life, but her monologues were the most inspiring part of her character. She looked the audience members in the eyes and told them her feelings, her needs, and her sadness. She wasn’t afraid to be raw and put all of those emotions out there. It was a great performance. At one point in the show, Charlotte was so overwhelmed with her sister and her feelings for her that she just needed to strip down her life and start over. To portray these feelings, Diment stripped off her clothing, without even a pause in her lines. It seemed to come straight from her heart, the emotion that Charlotte was feeling. Diment brought passion to the character that really brought Charlotte to life.

Without these two talented performances, Coulombe’s story wouldn’t have been told with such character and realism. This was a great show that truly portrayed the bond between two sisters.

The uniqueness of the play, “Hummingbirds�, gave the audience a sense of ideas rather than events. The entire play is set within Charlotte’s mind, which provided a single-perspective view of the lives of the characters. Instead of following a string of linear events in a set period of time, this episodic play was unique because it only had four actors that spanned over years of time.

The playwright, Jeannie Coulombe, wanted to show the trials and frustrations of a single character by showing how the ever-changing world around her affected her actions and goals. This approach to the production made it easily accessible for audiences of all ages.
The openness of her script made it possible to jump from inside Charlotte’s thoughts, to her memories of her sister, to times she spent with her family, without seeming abrupt or fragmented.

The director, Kelly Grussendorf, took Coulombe’s ideas and set them on a stage. With no scene transitions, this play relied heavily on symbolism and the audience’s imagination. This method of constantly changing environments without changing the setting made it easy to retain one’s attention throughout the entire play.

Overall, the format of the play created a different way of expressing, or framing, ideas that made it much more enjoyable to watch. Had the production been executed in the standard climactic style, typical for plays with small cast sizes, it wouldn’t of had nearly the same impact that it did. Kudos to those that helped make the creative foundation of this play. From this structure, the rest of the performance’s elements flourished.

Depression affects 18.8 million adults in America or about 9.5% of the population. Of this amount 15% of people will commit suicide. Indirectly, depression also affects the families of these depressed individuals, through the losses and emotional tolls the disease can impact. The play, Hummingbirds, by Jeannine Coulombe incorporates the tragic effects that this emotional state can have. However, this play also involves the human emotion involving one family member trying to aid a loved one. This person is committed, but to a limited amount. This is a story of two sisters, tragically mourning a loss of something they clearly loved. The older sister, Brenda, played by Ashley Kuske, is depressed, pessimistic, and shut out to the world. The younger sister, Charlotte, played by Kinsey Diment, throughout the beginning of the play is there to be the shoulder to lean on and the anchor to the world for her older sister. However, as the play develops Charlotte becomes sick of how her older sister continues to be pessimistic and continually depressed. Finally, she cuts all contact with her sister, and goes off on her own path in life. Brenda eventually commits suicide, sending a whirlwind of grief through her sister’s emotions. Charlotte fights with her emotions wondering if she could have done more to possibly save her sister. In conclusion the play was very well constructed. The story has a lot of emotional involvement and showed a spirit all its own. One would recommend you see it.

UMD Theatre presents Hummingbirds

By: Mark Eagan, UMD Student

Hummingbirds, by Jeannine Coulombe was in every aspect, captivating. A wide use of artistic choices made this a very unique play. From the stage to the actors every idea was molded to make Hummingbirds a beautiful performance. Kelly Grussendorf, the director, also did a superb job of making Hummingbirds come to life.

To start off, the acting of Charlotte, played by Kinsey Diment, blew me away! She acted flawlessly as the whole play revolved around her. You were able to feel what she felt and warm your heart to her persona on stage. Her sister, Brenda, played by Ashey Kuske, grew further away from Charlotte every scene of the play. The play was viewed from Charlotte’s point of view and was done so by having her do monologues. The monologues were of what Charlotte was feeling were a great artistic choice by Grussendorf. Diment, also was very convincing in the monologues to make the performance more enjoyable.

Brenda, the sister of Charlotte, was more of a mentally unstable character due to the way she presented herself. She had frequent mood swings and binges. Brenda was also very afraid of being alone and by herself. She would cling to anything that moves as Charlotte just stood back and watched her fall apart. This signified Jeannine Coulumbe’s, the playwright’s, idea of the hummingbirds soaring on the wings of eagles. As humming birds need eagles to fly, the eagles need the humming birds to get them going.

Hummingbirds was a very artistic play. The concept is not easily grasped to the incompetent sort. Also the imagery between the two sisters was very well done. Superb acting by the sisters made the play very believable, and in the end more entertaining to watch. Good Job to Everyone!

“Hummingbirds fly on the wings of eagles.�

When you think of hummingbirds flying on the wings of eagles you imagine a mutual relationship that no others share like they do. This is the symbolic relationship between Brenda and Charlotte. Because Brenda and Charlotte are sisters they must always stay close together. Sisters have a bond where they both understand and help each other through any obstacle no matter what it could be. They are best friends in a sense, yet so different, in their own ways, but what happens when one can no longer be with the other.

It’s like a bird trying to fly with one wing and the struggle it endures trying to cope with the fact that they have lost a part of them. Brenda lost what meant the world to her and when she did, she felt lost and confused, unsure of what to do with her self. From there she slowly dug her own grave until her threshold broke. The day came when she visited her parents for a final farewell to the unstable life she led without Charlotte. It was the day she left her eagle.

Although Brenda left Charlotte in such a tragic way, Charlotte kept the memories of Brenda alive, reminiscing about the past. She remembered the great times they had in the snow, in Chicago, and enjoying their life together. She remembered them so well she could not figure out how to frame these beautiful images in the right way. Without a frame, the images Brenda left behind would never disappear for as long as she lived. Although the eagle may have left the hummingbird initially, the hummingbird eventually left the eagle in the end.

The set design for Hummingbirds was what stood out the most. Due to the extremely limited space, this would obviously pose a challenge, but Alex Rugowski overcame the obstacles with absolute grace. His exceptionally creative vision for the set was so simplistic yet functional and at the same time also visually appealing to the viewer.

The stage was overall circular and consisted of various heights. The highest elevation was the center most platform. Rather than a realistic looking floor, it was instead covered in multiple paintings which added to its somewhat elegant charm.

The background was draped with fabric that enhanced the stage's adornment. Also there were "picture frames" suspended from the ceiling. They were all connected together and all empty. The vacantness of the structures added to the visual appeal and drew attention towards them. Throughout the play, your mind instinctively filled the frames with various pictures from the story, which is part of the excellent design of the set. It left so much to the illusions of the audience, that it was depicted in a different way for every single person in its presence. Since it was based so much on imagination, it helped the actual play become that more flexible to interpretation therefore making it that much more relatable for the witness.

So altogether, the inventive set design really helped to transform Hummingbirds into a wonderful performance.

UMD’s production of Hummingbirds, at the Dudley Experimental, was a fantastic performance that will strike a chord with anyone who experiences it. The play, written by UMD alum Jeannine Coulombe, and directed by another alum, Kelly Grussendorf, begins slow, but by the end is worth every second.

Younger sister Charlotte, played by Kinsey Diment, provides a captivating and emotional performance, accurately portraying her character’s vibrant personality. At the same time Ashley Kuske plays her older sister Brenda ‘s awkward, bi-polar personality to a “T�. The chemistry between these two actresses is unmistakable. Their onstage interaction and verbal conversation is deceptively real, which creates an amazingly effective result when things begin to fall apart later in the play. Although the play begins slowly and some scenes seem to be unnecessarily long and drawn-out, the captivating acting of the two sisters keeps the audience’s focus and desire to see what will eventually happen to their relationship.

Much of the play takes place in Charlotte’s mind, whose memories are vividly filled with the strong Midwest-accented bickering of her small town parents, and the emotional highs and lows of her sister. Her parents, played by Joe Heaney and Kendra McMillan, do a great job of creating the uncomfortable tension that foreshadows terrible events to come. One of the most effective is the reoccurring image of her sister making blocks of snow for a fort. Brenda’s character is perfect accented by the lighting of Noah Craft, as her reoccurring vision rotates around the stage. The only acting difficulties that hinder this play’s realistic quality occur during the gunshots and the physical and visual reactions that result. Otherwise, this play is an excellent production that is definitely worth seeing for its talent, as well as the messages and feelings it evokes.

On December 3rd, 2008, a preview for Hummingbirds was performed at the Dudley Experimental Theater at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Hummingbirds was written by Jeannine Coulombe and directed by the great Kelly Grussendorf. The leads Brenda and Charlotte were played by Kinsey Diment and Ashley Kuske.

Watching Hummingbirds it was hard not to notice the amazing scenic design masterfully created by Alex Rugowski. The scenic design not only provided eye candy to the audience but it also proved to correlate well with the storyline of Hummingbirds. The paintings on the raised canvas were done very well, especially the dotted structure of the Eiffel Tower which was painted with neutral colors to match the dark setting. The blank picture frames hanging in the background was confusing to the audience in the beginning but as the play developed and Charlotte explained the significance of frames the meaning came together well.

In Hummingbirds there were hardly any breaks for scenic changes as most props were placed under a circular box in the middle of the stage. This proved to be very useful and can only be credited to the constructors of the setting.

The scenic design for Hummingbirds was brilliantly set up and was something that most audience members have not seen before. It added an element of creativity to the play, as the cast seemed to be pointed toward the audience with the stage tilted forward. This allowed the audience to right away think outside the box of the play and start using their imagination to fill in the holes that were not physically there.

Rugoski did an amazing job designing his set to match up wonderfully with Hummingbirds. Hummingbirds was a play that would’ve been a bit blander without the creative thinking from Rugoski. The audience enjoyed the circular stage as well as the amazing paintings portrayed on it. The scenic design itself is enough to warrant a trip to see the play Hummingbirds.

The preview of Hummingbirds was one that would benefit it's entire audience. The issues of suicide and depression could have affected the entire audience. They were addressed tastefully.

The depression of Diment reached into her whole family. Everyone in the audience has a family, although they all have different types of families. This means that everyone is affected by each other. This drama dealt with the reaching tension that can intertwine with a healthy mentality and break it down. This is not something that the playwright incorporated into the play for tragedy's sake, but for reality. People need to see their lives pictured in a different manner sometimes, and Hummingbirds successfully but sadly accomplished an analysis of a family who has issues that led to the extreme consequence of death.

I figured out what Charlotte meant by her monologues and am now updating to give my interpretation.

The part where Charlotte laments her inability to frame what's going on around her has to do with her desire to keep life as it is, like a picture, frozen in time. Because pictures don't move. People move. Until they stop moving.

The part where she talks about her heart pumping is the part I haven't figured out yet. Okay, your heart's pumping. This is good. But what's the point of telling the audience that? Is this new information?

The play didn't have very many props, which means the audience had to fill in the blanks on their own. There were some sound effects to help out though. Examples of sound effects used in "Hummingbirds" are: a piano in the background before the show started, gunshot noises in the hunting scene, train noises on the way to Italy.

It wasn't evident why Jeannine Coulombe picked the title "Hummingbirds" for her production until the line, "They say hummingbirds fly on the wings of eagles." This single line became a great metaphor for the show.

IN the begining of the play Charlotte (Kinsey Diment) was Brenda's (Ashley Kuske) little pet. Metaphorically Brenda was the eagle and dominant one in the relationship, while Charlotte was the hummingbird, the one that depended on the eagle. Charlotte would do whatever Brenda wanted her to. As the two girls matured the roles were reversed. Charlotte had dreams and goals, while Brenda had no ambition to do anything. Brenda lived off of Charlotte and Charlotte supported her and tried to push her to do something with her life. Charlotte became tired of carrying all of Brenda's weight financially and emotionally. She went home to try to get her parents to help Brenda. While talking to her mother the two sat outside and watched eagles. Charlotte then said something like, " do the eagles ever get sick of the hummingbirds?" This also refered to her and Brenda's relationship. Charlotte wanted her own life and didn't want the responsibility of "babysitting" Brenda anymore. Charlotte begs with her parents to help Brenda, but it is eventually too late.

Jeannine Coulombe couln't have picked a better name for her production.

The play was wonderful. Hummingbirds, which was written by Jeannine Coulombe, opened Thursday, December 4th, 2008 at the University of Minnesota Duluth in the Dudley Experimental Theater. I was able to preview it on Wednesday, December 3rd because it was a preview rehearsal and had no admission.

The scenic designer Alex Rugowski provided a great work area for the actors. All the colors involved in the circular platform on the stage were helpful in expressing the different seasons and moods in the play. All the frames in the background of the stage symbolized Charlotte’s love for the painter Vincent Van Gough which she talked about constantly throughout the play. There was a smaller elevated platform that Charlotte stood on when she was expressing her emotions during the play. The platform was useful in the play because it made the audience realize that Charlotte was in the spotlight at that point in time and she is the one to be paid attention to.

The lighting design which was done by Noah Craft played a very important role in this play. The play went through the seasons of the year so the lighting needed to show how the time was changing and how the seasons were changing. From winter to summer you could always tell the difference between the scenes really well because of the lighting designer’s skills. It also was important for the mood changes that took place during the play. Since Brenda suffered from a mental illness much like bipolar disorder she had mood changes that happened very often. The lighting was important during her mood changes because it helped the audience understand what was going on with Brenda and why she could from really happy to really sad. The lighting designer did a great job in this play.

The costume designer Erin Muhs made the costumes perfect for each actor and the character they played. All the characters in the play had costumes that suited them excellently. Brenda had a unique costume that showed she didn’t care much about how she looked. Charlotte had a costume that was more sophisticated and proper. The mother and father of the girls had costumes that were very modern and down to earth. Overall, the costumes were modern day and looked just like how people would dress today.

The play was very interesting and had a great message behind it. It had a good bunch of actors that did a great job at making the performance exciting. They kept the audience on their feet making them wonder what is going to happen in the end.

UMD Theatre presents Hummingbirds

By: Mark Eagan, UMD Student

The playwright, Jeannine Coulombe’s, intentions were very evident upon viewing Hummingbirds. Cloulombe’s idea was also fulfilled in Hummingbirds. The whole idea or imagery of the production is the idea that hummingbirds flew on wings of eagles. For the hummingbirds to get anywhere they needed the eagle for long distances. This was the metaphor for the relationship between Charlotte and Brenda.

Brenda, played by Ashley Kuske, seemed to be going nowhere in life though she always wanted to go out and do something. It was Brenda that encouraged Charlotte, played by Kinsey Diment, to go out and become anything in life. As the Hummingbird would guide, direct and encourage the eagle. Though you could tell by good acting that Charlotte was getting tired of caring around Brenda (the hummingbird) on her shoulders (wings). In the end it was as if charlotte abandon Brenda to fly on her own. Charlotte knew that letting her fly on her own was the best thing for Brenda.

The tragic part about the play is that Brenda could not fly on her own. She was completely dependent on Charlotte to go anywhere. To the extent of Brenda taking her own life. This is the imagery that the Coulombe intended to display. It is very tragic though somewhat beautiful, beautiful in the way that you need to find your own wings.

Charlotte knew that she had to let Brenda go. She knew that she could have done something but decided to leave her to her fate. She had to fly on her own.

UMD Theatre presents Hummingbirds

By: Mark Eagan, UMD Student

The playwright, Jeannine Coulombe’s, intentions were very evident upon viewing Hummingbirds. Cloulombe’s idea was also fulfilled in Hummingbirds. The whole idea or imagery of the production is the idea that hummingbirds flew on wings of eagles. For the hummingbirds to get anywhere they needed the eagle for long distances. This was the metaphor for the relationship between Charlotte and Brenda.

Brenda, played by Ashley Kuske, seemed to be going nowhere in life though she always wanted to go out and do something. It was Brenda that encouraged Charlotte, played by Kinsey Diment, to go out and become anything in life. As the Hummingbird would guide, direct and encourage the eagle. Though you could tell by good acting that Charlotte was getting tired of caring around Brenda (the hummingbird) on her shoulders (wings). In the end it was as if charlotte abandon Brenda to fly on her own. Charlotte knew that letting her fly on her own was the best thing for Brenda.

The tragic part about the play is that Brenda could not fly on her own. She was completely dependent on Charlotte to go anywhere. To the extent of Brenda taking her own life. This is the imagery that the Coulombe intended to display. It is very tragic though somewhat beautiful, beautiful in the way that you need to find your own wings.

Charlotte knew that she had to let Brenda go. She knew that she could have done something but decided to leave her to her fate. She had to fly on her own.

Hummingbirds was a well directed, well written and well performed production. All of the actors filled their roles to the fullest, and made their characters believeable in that they reminded you of someone that you may know. The character of Roger was life-like in that he reminded me of my father in both how he walked, and in how he sounded when he spoke. His wife Margaret, was like most people's mothers in that she was always a little protective and easy to frighten. Brenda seemed like most young adults who go through a rough and troubled past, they tend to get angry at little things, but then realize that they needed the one thing they were upset at, and they forgive and forget. Charlotte's was the typical young grad out of college. They are not sure what to do with thier life,and in some cases they do move away to a "big city" from their home, and try to establish themselves as independent. Coulombe hti all of these small characteristics, and in a way made them the main quality of the characters in the porduction. I believe that this attention to the small details made the characters believeable, and helped you make a connection in some way to every one. All of this made Hummingbirds a joy to watch.

The use of climactic structure is often times an interesting format for a play that can be misunderstood, however the use of climactic structure in Jeannine Coulombe's play Hummingbirds greatly added to the performance of the play.

The uses of climactic structure in the play added an interesting twist to the style of acting. The use of only four characters really added to importance of the plot. Instead of focusing on complicated subplots and character development for multiple characters, the audience gets a chance to divert all attention onto four continuously occurring characters, and figure out the connections between the transitions between Charlotte's memories.

The transitions of memories themselves seemed to promote an almost surreal affect. Each memory revealed more and more about the characters, in a way that was interactive with the audience, allowing them to put the pieces together. Each memory took place on a different part of the stage, so each memory was identified as a different time and place, which the play benefited from in a considerable manner. The different lighting also helped identify each scene, and even show a different view on the scene, something Charlotte mentioned in the play. The lighting was a great way to connect the performance of the play to the symbolism.

Another great adaptation to connect the performance to symbolism was the stage. The different colors and shapes not only entertained the eyes, but also allowed for many uses and different views for each memory. An example of this would be the scenes involving the lawn chairs. That area was colored in a fall like manner, which works well because that area of the stage seemed to contain memories of home.

The performance of the play entirely resembled the content of the script. It was shown in a manner that symbolically showed the significance of each detail, and how it related to the story. Not a lot of plays put forth that much effort to conform to the needs of the script, but this performance was extraordinary in its details.

The realistic performances in Hummingbirds, at UMD’s Dudley Experimental Theatre on December 10, was such a moving play because of the great performances of the actors, and the other elements of the production that allowed the primary focus to remain on them.
One of the elements that best complimented the performance of Kinsey Diment, as the younger sister Charlotte, and Ashley Kuske as the older sister Brenda, was the lighting by Noah Craft. From the beginning of the play, lighting helped highlight the actors the audience should focus on. As the play switched from scene to scene, a soft yellow lighting followed the characters around the stage and helped re-establish the setting. Another major focus of the play was Charlotte’s flashbacks. These depicted her sister Brenda circling counterclockwise around the stage in a soft, yellow hue, while another remained focused on Charlotte. With many of the play’s long-winded scenes, the lighting helped the audience focus on the admirable acting of the cast, and not on some of the unnecessarily long scenes
Some of the flashbacks also featured sound bytes of Brenda and family members repeating echoing phrases that haunted her memories. The effect over the voices is kind of distracting as it transitions speakers from left to right, and kind of seemed awkward. It was obvious to the audience what was happening without the aid of the sound effect voices. The actors in this play are definitely capable of conveying the messages without audio enhancement, but the play is still just as enjoyable with them.

Hummingbirds, written by UMD alumni Jeannine Coulombe is a story about two sisters filled with symbolism and deep issues and emotions. The line spoken near the beginning of the play “I heard once that hummingbirds fly on the wings of eagle� is one that makes more sense as the story unfolds. Younger sister, Charlotte, played by Kinsey Diment, plays the stronger eagle roll in her relationship with her older sister, Brenda, played by Ashley Kuske. The two sisters rely on each other early on as an escape from both their parents, who are constantly arguing, and the boredom that living in the middle of nowhere can bring. As the girls go through childhood, college years and finally adulthood together we see Charlotte playing a practical, almost mothering, role. While Brenda, on the other hand, is spontaneous and at times difficult to deal with. It starts to become clear that Brenda is not well and seems to be suffering from some form of depression with extreme highs and lows. Charlotte does her best to cope with Brenda’s detrimental decisions but can only do so much. Brenda is constantly encouraging Charlotte to follow her dreams including a move to Chicago, getting a job at a museum, and traveling to a foreign country to continue school. Brenda herself doesn’t have any goals or dreams to follow and instead hitches a ride on Charlotte’s flight through life. Brenda’s problems are eventually too much for Charlotte to handle and she realizes she needs to fly solo to be truly happy. Charlotte completely cuts Brenda out of her life. This is too much for Brenda to handle and results in her committing suicide. It wasn’t Charlotte’s fault that her sister died but feelings of guilt and remorse are inevitable. Brenda’s problems were ones much greater then Charlotte should have had to deal with on her own. The sister’s parents were less then supportive and no professional help was ever sought. Coulombe’s writing was incredibly beautiful filled with symbolism and a focus on a bond of sisterhood that could only endure so much. I would highly recommend this play to others and would love to see more of Coulombe’s works.

“Hummingbirds,� written by Jeannine Coulombe, was performed in the Dudley Experimental Theater at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Their sell out opening performance on Thursday, December 4th was an incredible one. The small cast did an excellent job of bringing each and every character to life. The dialog that Coulombe created set a very realistic and emotional appeal to the performance.

Kinsey Diment really made herself stand out amongst the small cast. She put a lot of heart and emotion into her character of Charlotte, and the audience could not help but feel sympathy for her. Her monologues about frames and framing her thoughts was so powerfully performed, she had the audience hanging out to her every word. She brought that strength and independence to her character that Coulombe was trying to create. Diment did an absolutely fabulous job Thursday night with her performance.

Ashley Kuske also gave a great performance Thursday night and her and Diment together did an excellent job of creating that sisterly bond and making it believable. Kuske did a great job of making the audience dislike her character Brenda to some degree. Her characters foul language and poor attitude and outlook on life made the audience not feel sorry for her. Kuske did a great job of bringing color to this character, even though the characters color was dark and depressed. She also brought a lot of emotion to the stage especially with her facial expression and body movements in the scene in which she takes her life, and the scenes just before that.

While Joe Heaney and Kendra McMillan played the two minor characters of play the still managed to bring life to them. McMillan’s character of the mother had the privilege of saying on one of the most important lines in the play when she talks about how hummingbirds ride on the backs of eagles. She did a great job of making it stand out and giving it deeper meaning than that of which it implies. Heaney also gave a great performance, he sold his character as being a rugged, hyper-masculine, unemotional father, which is exactly what Coloumbe had in mind. It was obvious that he put a lot of effort into his performance.

Overall the characters of “Hummingbirds� did a great job in their performance, and it was definitely a must-see show. Director Kelly Grussendorf did a wonderful job casting these actors and she can be very proud of the show she created.

All of elements that go into a play need to be well timed, versed and maintain even flow to make sure a play is well received, Hummingbirds more than delivered! As a whole the piece stood it's ground and displayed expert acting, marvelous stage design, and magnificent lighting technique.

The entire cast was wonderful! Not one actor seemed out of place. Each played themselves to the part. For example, Brenda seemed to take on those psychological problems as the actress opened herself up to that part on stage. Another great scene was when Charlotte was dressing and undressing on stage. Albeit, it didn't seem necessary but the actress just stood in front not ashamed at all. Her confidence in her manner was definitely noticable. The part played by the father even seemed believable when he would fight with his wife.

Another great thing the play did was arrange its stage! The colors seemed to flow well with the memory transitions. It also utilized a creative space to work with, for example the multi use of the front stage as a bed and a memory, or the table being used as a bench in the museum and as a table in the girls apartment. The stage was definitely eye catching!

The lighting was also intricate! Each part of the stage seemed to be lit in a different way, almost as if each memory was a different view, like Charolette talked about with the paintings. It definitely added symbolism as well as look pleasing to the eye.

All in all the final product was exquisite. Each aspect of the play was carefully maneuvered and calculated. Being the first to be produced, Hummingbirds put on a great show, and will definitely be a precedent for future shows.

The cast of “Hummingbirds� gave a great opening performance on Thursday, Dec. 4th at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Director Kelly Grussendorf did a great job casting students of their roles and all the performers did a marvelous job. Kinsey Diment and Ashley Kuske touched the audience’s hearts with their portrayal of their sisterly bond. This play was not only well performed and well directed, but it was also great because it was well written and because of its unique scenic design.

Scenic designer Alex Rugowski did a spectacular job designing the set of “Hummingbirds.� He utilized the small space of the Dudley Theatre, despite all the scene changes and flashbacks. His set up of the stage made the play unique and also allowed for scene changes and flashbacks to occur and make sense. The stage consisted of a circular platform with different levels of elevation, and the center of the stage was placed at the highest elevation. This allowed for the different levels to be used in many different ways, as indoors and outdoors, past and present, or even different rooms of the house and apartment. This is was a great idea by Rugowski.

The backdrop for this play was my favorite part of its scenic design. The background consisted of a bunch of gold frames of all different sizes that we stuck together in an overlapping manner. This tied into the play so great. In the play Charlotte is studying art and talks about artwork and their frames. She also has several monologues in the play, in which she talks about framing her thoughts, and memories of her sister. She talks about framing them and moving on from them as they haunt her throughout the play.

“Hummingbirds� writer Jeannine Coulombe is an extremely talented playwright. The opening line of play reads, “I heard once that hummingbirds fly on the wings of eagles.� This play was written around this one line. Coulombe wrote this play with such emotion and thought. It’s no wonder it touched the hearts of the audience who watched it. She portrays the idea of a family, independence, and sisterhood in a breath-taking way. The title comes from the opening line and is symbolized by the weight that is carried by the Charlotte, played by Diment, throughout the play, and by the end it becomes to much for her to handle, so Charlotte represents the eagle and Brenda is the hummingbird (Ashley Kuske).

“Hummingbirds� is a must see play. Jeannine Coulombe’s fantastic writing combined with great dialog execution, great acting, and a unique scenic design made this play shine. Director Kelly Grussendorf and her cast can be proud of what they put together.

The Dudley experimental theater viewed Hummingbird’s for an opening night on Dec. 5th. For the first time this play written by Jeanine Coulombe was put into production in a black box theater. With the number of actors involved with the production the black box worked exceptionally well with space and concepts they were trying to relay to the audience.
This production was based on two sisters named Charlotte and Brenda whom both had a deep relationship with one another. Throughout the play the setting is based through Charlottes mind and one of the things that the scenic design contributes to is the images painted on the floor of the stage that symbolize some of these thoughts. Scenic designer Alex Rugowski did a great job keeping the set simple using small amounts of props and storage compartments to keep the play moving smoothly without a bunch of clutter. This also gave the audience a chance to put imagination into their own hands and relate to the two sisters which is also convenient because of the similar northern region.
The lighting in this play was done well following the characters from platform to platform helping the audience follow the scenes with ease. The orange and red fall colors were also a standout once the lighting was focused. The combination between the different leveled platforms and the lighting and color helped to enhance the scenes keeping the audience attentive.
With the parts of the play that worked there were a few factors that needed improvement. The props and detail of the set were simple but needed more to give the audience a little more of the story through the set. For a college setting the story could have used a bit of a spark with a little more action. Again for this production being the first with nothing to compare it to it was done successfully.

Hummingbirds is an emotionally deep drama. During this play it is impossible not to reflect on one's own life. The play is about how one person can affect another in very small ways, but over time they become immense. It paints a picture of how a person's memories are frames for their past, and how difficult it is to view one's memories from a different perspective.

The play shows the importance of this type of reflection by showing the events leading to Brenda's (Ashley Kuske) suicide through Charlotte's (Kinsey Diment) narrative memories. As one watches this play it becomes easy to get lost in the scene, and to forget that Brenda is dead. Between every one of these scenes is a reminder of this, and it almost comes as a surprise every time.

The build up of emotional tension between Brenda and Charlotte adds intensity to the message. As the relationship between the two becomes more heated, so does the emotion of the play. It grabs the audience and captivates the mind.

Hummingbirds is an amazing dramatic work that grips the viewer and reaches deep into their soul. The dialog, and monologue, drive this play with energy and emotion. It truly causes one to reflect on their past.

The Dudley Experimental Theater on the University of Minnesota Duluth campus viewed the show “Hummingbirds�, and what a spectacle it was for the audience. There had been a lot of good thoughts and reviews going around about “Hummingbirds�, but the audience can’t really know how good it is until they find out for themselves. Everyone involved with the running of the show pulled together and made it a magnificent performance, but there was really one are that stood out the most…the acting. The actress with a stand out performance was Kinsey Diment who played one of the more important roles as Charlotte. Diment’s performance is very closely followed up by supporting actress Ashley Kuske who plays Brenda, the frail, ill-minded sister of Charlotte. UMD alumni and director, Kelly Grussendorf, had to be absolutely pleased by the performance of these two.
Diment finds herself in one of the, if not the, most important role in the whole production, as it basically is set in the mind of Charlotte. Although such a small cast in this Black Box theater, Diment really stood out and performed at a very high level throughout the entire performance. She was able to create great aesthetic distance with the audience, so that they could get into it and not feel like they were watching an actress but as if they were watching an actual life progress over time. It had to be very tough, speaking as an audience member, for someone not to have commiseration and compassion for Charlotte. The audience could tell that Diment spent many a time on her character, which completely paid off, because there was a recognizable believability that she was able to transcend from her character to each and every member of the audience. Overall, it seems as though everyone is very pleased, rightfully so, with the performance of Diment, but she couldn’t do it alone. Kuske also shined with the tough role that she was assigned.
Kuske was handed a pretty difficult role as a mentally handicapped woman that had pretty obvious signs of some sort of bipolar disorder. Handed such a role would take someone hours upon hours to study and practice, and it was very apparent to everyone that Kuske gave a knock out performance to such a monumental task. Everything was working for Kuske as she was able to portray her character with every physical and emotional state that she may find herself in. All in all, Kuske was given an ambitious role, and at the same time was able to impress everyone in the theater. Without these two portraying their characters it would have been difficult for “Hummingbirds� to have been such a huge hit by the eyes of the audience.
By and large, Grussendorf was trying to achieve a certain level of aesthetic distance between the audience and the actors/actresses, so that there would be a strong connection between the two. She did a very good job at finding the right people, making the right decisions, and basically running a fantastic show for anyone who came. It was very much worth the attempt, the time, the effort and everything in between that everyone put into the production.

The preview production of "Hummingbirds" in the Dudley Experimental Theatre at UMD touched on intense emotions of its characters. This isn't a play for all types of audiences: some people will be uncomfortable with the words used and subject matter addressed. The play has a strong focus on depression, which affects millions of people worldwide. This production personally helped connect depression with the family, and depression with solitude and feeling alone.

In this world, we all have someone who cares about us. Ashley Kuske played a girl named Brenda, who's younger sister cared about her to the extent that she seemed to be helping manage her life. In my family, my mom cares about my brother to this extent. He has depression, and she watches out for him to the point that her own well-being is sacrified. In the play, Kinsey Diment's character, Charlotte, seemed to be holding her fmaily down. It's interesting to see how someone can "drag down" the people they need most in life-only to find that they will be left with no one in the end. Diment's steep slope of depression landed her at the bottom with no one-but the audience didn't just see her downfall. It saw the effect she had on her sister. This play should be honored because it forced us to empathize with the sister who was doing the unthinkable-turning down her own flesh and blood in a time of need.

Plays that cause empathy for multiple characters are plays that are so well-written they address multiple perspectives. This play had a strong effect on me personally because I realized family will do anything for each other, until their own well-being is affected. Then, some family members may stop making these efforts. This play opened eyes to parallels in my own life, and caused me to see the situation through two different sets of eyes-a feat for any playwright, and for any talented group of actors to perform.
~Samantha