Hoyle Made Things Happen
Dan Hoyle illuminated the stage with a handful of characters in his one-man show, “Tings Dey Happen” on September 11, 2007 at the Culture Project at Mercer Street, NYC. Hoyle, both the playwright and the sole actor, illuminated each character, clearly distinguishing expressions from one person to the next, be it a grin on one or the slight variation of an accent in another. That, in collaboration with the strong plot, vividly depicted the struggle of every-day life in Nigeria, where corruption stems from oil reserves and foreign involvement, which Hoyle witnessed through his own visit as a full-bright scholar.
The controversial subject holds both comical and serious tones that are keenly intertwined though out the play by the entrances of Sylvanus, the stage manager. His lighthearted remarks and sprightly voice allow the audience to engage in short giggles while simultaneously directing the dire aspects of Nigerian life to settle in their conscious.
Hand gestures, and body postures of each character were so developed that one could have sworn the existence of other actors. Even from the very beginning, no one from our IDC class knew that the play itself was a one-man show. Anxiously waiting for the rest of the actors to show up on the stage, we, the students, were surprised to see that the show had begun, and the rest of the actors had yet to show up.
A couple of chairs and a table were the sole props on that small stage which was dressed with black curtains. No visual of any sort were presented, the only tool used out of the ordinary set were the occasional pieces of music that aided with the transitions of scenes. Hoyle, himself wore only a black t-shirt with black pants, allowing his fair skin to stand out against the dark surroundings.
All the attention rested on Hoyle. The success of the play lay heavily on his performance. No intermissions. No breaks. Just a few moments for drinking water, which were incorporated into the scenes or took place in the transitions from one scene to the next.
Whether the short intervals of panting breath were part of the description for some of the characters, or an indication of exhaustion from the strenuous acting, Hoyle never failed to animate each individual in the play.
How did Hoyle manage to carry out the strong presence of each character for the whole 130 minutes and keep the attention of his audience with no intermissions? The answer: Passion. This is what Hoyle embedded in each action, gesture, wince, and grimace. His dynamic aura not only strengthened the performance but drew the audience into the play as well.