San Diego playwright Craig Abernethy's "State of the Art" has been kicking around for some time as a one-act. It has proven to be an audience hit in that form, so Mr. Abernethy has added a second act and is self-producing the new version on Friday and Saturday evenings through October 24 at the Green Room at Twiggs Coffee House, 4950 Park Blvd., University Heights. As a 75-minute warm-up to an evening out, it's a great conversation starter.

Act I presents three young people who are engaged in the creative process. They talk to each other in fits and starts, and, as the creative process goes they put out ideas, drop them, then circle back to pick them up again. They multi-task during this process (getting in a work-out, releasing aggressions on a punching bag). One of the group takes responsibility for writing things down (even though the three agree that writers are not only unnecessary but also get in the way of the creative process). They form alliances and at one point two tell the third that they need less of her in the process. They worry about deadlines and what others (potential backers, directors, and audiences) will think of their ideas. There is a lot of angst going on, all of it quite humorous. Of course, with all of the inner and "inter" turmoil on display, not much gets done, and much of what is accomplished is banal. But, the characters themselves think that it is brilliant.

In Act II the three are gathered again. This time, they are pitching their ideas to a director (who is only heard, not seen). The director, of course, starts to muck about with the ideas in much the same way the group worried about in Act I. There is more concern with what potential audiences will think on display in this act, including appealing to specific demographic groups (who, interestingly enough, seemed to be represented in the audience on opening night), dealing with people who are looking for a good time and nothing too challenging, as well as those who are most concerned about where they will park their cars (also a substantial concern in the neighborhood where "State of the Art" is being produced).

Both acts are written in a jumpy, jerky style that incorporates short phrases and much repetition. It is a style that might be used by Harold Pinter or Luigi Pirandello (both of whom are referenced in the text), but it is a style that is probably most associated with Samuel Beckett, who is not referenced. Once audience ears get used to this style (and it doesn't take long to figure out what is going on), it can be (and is) quite funny. There's also a lot going on beneath the surface, from examinations of not only the creative process itself, what drives and blocks it, to considerations of how relationships among the creative team shape the finished product. Act I is much more fully formed at this point than is Act II, where the gags still aren't quite sharp enough and the points made become a little too repetitious. But, Mr. Abernethy and his cohorts should learn quite a bit from audiences about how to fix those problems, and the play is in good enough shape that audiences will enjoy it despite the "work-in-progress" feel.

Director Robert May has been associated with this play for more than six years, and he knows it inside and out. He has trained his young cast (Calandra Crane, Charles Peters, and Danielle DeCarlo, along with David Kelso as the Act II Voice) well in the rhythms of the text--the humor comes through loud and clear. But, Mr. May seems also to have directed his cast to "indicate" what they are doing, and the result feels like overacting. A more conversational, less stylized, tone would also work with this piece and would provide it with an even greater texture. After all, Beckett sometimes put his actors in urns and spread oatmeal across their faces so that they would work mostly with the text and the voice.

Mr. Abernethy is true to his text in the production. The setting is the writer's mind. The set is a bare stage with black boxes, used as needed. The uncredited lighting probably mostly uses what was already in place in the Twiggs' Green Room space. The folding chairs are close together and there's not a lot of them. But, for those who are adventurous, there are psychic and other satisfactions to be had. And, afterward you can go next door, have coffee and some dessert, and find that there's plenty of play to discuss.

DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM HERE