‘DMV’ world premiere opens August 9 at Lab Theater
The world premiere of D.M.V. opens August 9 at The Laboratory Theater of Florida.
After 30 years of working at the Fort Myers Department of Motor Vehicles, Bernice has one last day of work before retiring with a full pension. She’s already sold her home, packed her belongings, and celebrated, rather heavily, with her co-workers the night before. Unfortunately, things go slightly awry. What follows is a laugh riot of what happens every day at virtually every D.M.V.
“It’s always a special treat to work directly with a playwright on a new play,” says Artistic Director Annette Trossbach. “It’s a wonder to see that play leap off the page and come to life before your eyes, and to be able to perfect moments and characters with the creator him- or herself. In this case, I am delighted to once again collaborate with my friend, playwright Zalman Velvel, with whom I’ve shared some of the most thoughtful conversations over the years on topics such as theater, religion, economics, world history, and storytelling. And I thank the talented Carmen Crussard for signing on to helm this comedy that was born of Mr. Velvel’s many visits to the DMV and his interviews with staff members at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Fort Myers and elsewhere.”
“Working at the Lab is always a welcome adventure,” adds Director Carmen Crussard. “I appreciate the opportunity to be creative and to collaborate with a great team to build characters whom the world has never met before (unless they happened to be at the DMV that day). It is really nice to work with an original script and have access to the playwright who is flexible so I can really bring my vision and this story to life.”
Gerrie Benzing, Sam Bostic, Stacy Stauffer, Todd Lyman, Mike Dinko, David Cooley, Art Keene, and Margaret Cooley star.
July 17, 2019; revised July 31, 2019.
About the Author
Tom Hall is both an amateur artist and aspiring novelist who writes art quest thrillers. He is in the final stages of completing his debut novel titled "Art Detective," a story that fictionalizes the discovery of the fabled billion-dollar Impressionist collection of Parisian art dealer Josse Bernheim-Jeune, thought by many to have perished during World War II when the collection's hiding place, Castle de Rastignac in southern France, was destroyed by the Wehrmacht in reprisal for attacks made by members of the Resistance operating in the area. A former tax attorney, Tom holds a bachelor's degree as well as both a juris doctorate and masters of laws in taxation from the University of Florida. Tom lives in Estero, Florida with his fiancee, Connie, and their four cats.