"(I)sland T(rap)"

Earlier this month I got the opportunity to see (I)sland T(rap), written and starring Austin Dean Ashford with direction by Cole Wimpee. The play was performed at Lubbock Community Theatre.

(I)sland T(rap) is a one-man show, and what a one-man show it was. Austin Dean Ashford is a doctoral student at Texas Tech University, so he’ll be in the area for at least a little while longer and I recommend that if you see his name on the playbill, do yourself a favor and go see the show.

(I)sland T(rap) is billed as “The Epic Remixology of The Odyssey” and it is epic. It starts off simply enough with Ashford playing a version of himself having a discussion on his cellphone when he gets knocked unconscious. When he wakes up, he finds himself on an island inhabited by talking crabs, trees, monkeys, snakes and I’m pretty sure there was a sexy fox lady at one point.

Ashford plays all the characters (I believe 14, but don’t quote me on that) and what was amazing to me was how I never got lost as to who was talking at any given point. He was able to use his voice and body to almost morph into them. There was one scene with three trees and Black Ulysses (the name Ashford chooses to call himself while on his trip) and even with four voices going, I never got confused.

The set was super simple, just an island backdrop, a chair, a small campfire, and a table with a few items. That’s it. But Ashford owned the stage. The space wasn’t huge, but was incredibly well utilized. He would wander around, moving his body differently depending on which character he was portraying at the time, and honestly it was hard to take your eyes off him.

And then there was the music. Early in the play Black Ulysses is handed a ukulele and with only that instrument and his voice, Ashford tells his story. The music for the show was a mixture of hip-hop and singing with a bunch of spoken word poetry mixed in for good measure. It’s hard to explain how funny and moving he was throughout. I hope that he puts a soundtrack out at some point because I would love to ride around with my kids listening to this.

I wish the show had been able to run longer than the one weekend because I think a lot of people missed out on seeing it. But it did do really well, especially for Lubbock. There were a dozen or so seats left on Thursday and Friday, but the word of mouth spread quickly so Saturday and Sunday sold out.

I’m really glad that it did well because I’m hopeful that he can bring it back again for another weekend or two. I’d love to go see it again. I know a few people who went twice this first go around. Ashford has at least one more play he has written and maybe we’ll get to see that one too.

(I)sland T(rap) has won a number of awards around the world and it is no surprise to me after seeing it. The energy Ashford brought is infectious and really needs to be seen to be appreciated. The show is funny, the music is great, and it’s also got some real touching parts (I did not go into it expecting to shed any tears!). It was a great way to start off theatre in 2020.

The next show at Lubbock Community Theatre starts at the beginning of February and also looks like a lot of fun, but with a notably larger cast! The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), directed by Dea Young Smith, is about a group of actors who decide to perform every play written by Shakespeare in one night.

I got the chance to sit in on one of their rehearsals and it is already looking like it will be a ton of fun. They were still a few weeks out from the show, so no costumes or lighting, but the jokes and the timing were great and will only improve as the show gets closer.

I talked to Young Smith and she said that they have had a really great time putting the show together. It is designed to have a lot of input from the actors and I can only imagine how much fun went into it all.

That show starts on the 7th of February and runs for three weekends so you’ll have plenty of chances to see it before it closes.

With both (I)sland T(rap) and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), Lubbock Community Theatre is bringing in and putting on some really cool shows and 2020 is looking pretty good for theatre in Lubbock.

More information about Lubbock Community Theatre’s upcoming shows ca be found at lubbockcommunitytheatre.org and be sure to check out our schedule for other arts and entertainment coverage here on PBS Texas Tech Public Media.