T.K. Lee’s “Paper Thin” unfolds its first-ever official performance in Ocala

Danuta Jacob as Lucrece, left, and Joshua Plante as Charlie, rehearse a scene from Paper Thin at the Ocala Civic Theatre in Ocala. Fla. on Monday, Oct. 11, 2021. The play runs from Oct. 14 to Oct. 31 2021 at the theatre. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2021.

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Posted October 14, 2021 | By Julie Garisto

What do you get when you serve Southern-fried sass with a side of 21st-century angst?

You get T.K. Lee’s Paper Thin. The 2018 dramedy makes its world premiere (yes, that’s right) this weekend at the Ocala Civic Theatre (OCT).

If that weren’t exciting enough, the play’s award-winning poet and playwright will also be in town for the play’s public stage debut.

Described as a “listening play” with witty, insightful dialogue, Paper Thin centers on Lucrece (Danuta Jacob), who makes off with a bottle of whiskey and announces from the rooftop that Gerald (Daryl Champine) should make good on a premarital agreement — that she could leave him whenever she deemed the time was right.

That time had come—even though Lucrece got what she thought she had always wanted “on paper” with her loyal husband and dear son Charlie (Joshua Plante).

The 90-minute play delivers both funny and tender moments that sugarcoat a big dollop of truth serum.

Influenced, no doubt by another famous “Tom”—rooftop allusions et al. — Thomas K. Lee won the Tennessee Williams Award for Loose Hog, and he won the Algonquin/ITAP Award for On How to Accommodate Marlo’s Frying Pan.

Paper Thin already has some buzz; it earned Outstanding Contribution of New Dramatic Work at the Southeastern Theatre Conference.

As the MFA-Creative Writing Instructor at the Mississippi University for Women, Lee certainly has the chops to pen a thoughtful but entertaining script that deals with feminism, LGBTQ/sexual identity, divorce and family matters.

Speaking of someone with the goods: Lee’s baby opus couldn’t be nursed to life by a more expert theater mom than OCT Artistic Director Katrina Ploof.

“Several days before rehearsals were to begin on Paper Thin here at OCT, I gave in to a certain amount of anxiety,” Ploof writes in the program’s Director’s Note. “Now in my defense this is a pretty big deal—producing the world premiere of a new play in its final form, and my pre-rehearsal jitters were in my opinion totally justified at the time.”

Since Ploof took the reins as the theater’s artistic director two years ago, she expressly sought out newer, more contemporary works to add to the season roster.

“You’ve heard the saying, a rising tide floats all boats,” Ploof says. “When a new play can be supported by a top-notch production staff; a creative, skilled and collaborative design team; and a community who is curious and open to hearing and seeing something new, it’s a win-win for all.”

Of Lee’s writing, Ploof has praise for his work and their friendship: “I’ve been passionate about producing his work for several years, so this was the end result of neither one of us giving up on the other. It was bound to happen.”

According to Ploof, there’s a joyful satisfaction in seeing a cast and crew at work on something new. “The production staff gets to support new work with all of its tremendous skill and energy, the designers get to design the ’first!’—the first set design, the first costume and lighting design —and, as is the case with this show—write original music to score the production.”

Indeed, Philip King, the Winter Haven-based music director, pianist and OCT all-star, wrote new music for Paper Thin.

“It is the beauty of community theater that we get to see our friends and neighbors and fellow citizens when we come to a play,” Ploof muses. “These aren’t strangers. These are people that shop at your Publix, walk in your park.   So there’s a deep personal connection that comes with that.”

Bearing witness to “a work of art actually being born— that’s both a privilege and a responsibility,” Ploof affirms.

“New plays take a long time to get to New York or London, but we can be the place where they start that journey.”