Tune In
by Overtime Theater
Mar. 24, 2023
SAMANTHA ALBERT is a female psychology professor of a university conducting experiments on a new wonder drug, LSD. She studies its effects on mental health to prevent tragic deaths like that of her mother, LILY ALBERT. Samantha is bent on using the results of her study to propel her in the male-dominated field of psychology of the 1960s. Along with her loyal student assistant PHILIP HOFF, Samantha turns to KARL MELNITZ, the aging head of the department, to help her climb the academic ladder. But she’s also balancing a romantic relationship with DAN SHEPHERD, a fellow professor who's also married to her only female friend at the university, CORA SHEPHERD. Her stubborn persistence that LSD will be a medical breakthrough changes her and the people around her in ways she didn't expect.
The Overtime Theater proudly presents Tune In,an insightful new play written by television actor and playwright, Carlos Lacámara. He is most known for his TV sitcoms from the 80s including Nurses and Family Ties. A younger generation will remember him as the father on the Nickelodeon sitcom The Brothers Garcia which was set in San Antonio.
“This play addresses so many topics surrounding how women are treated in the workplace and contains beautifully written speeches addressing the universal female and non-binary experience, in the 60s and still today,” says Kat Farrell, the show’s director. “There are themes in this show that all audience members will resonate with and I am looking forward to hearing audience members react to the harsh reality portrayed on stage.”
Kat Farrell (they/them) is a new director to the Overtime Theater. They’re an educator dedicated to new play development and rehearsal processes that promote human thriving. They received their BA in Theatre from Trinity University and their MFA in Directing from Arizona State University. Along the way, they have directed over 15 new plays and developed an accessible rehearsal process.
“Often in directing you are told to look at previous productions of the work you are doing, but with a new play, you have to pull tiny pieces of so many things you've seen or experienced as a director to come up with a cohesive vision for the show,” says Farrell. “These actors have thrown their all into creating a world of play that not only hits home, but tickles your funny bone as well.”
Sam – Amanda Aguirre
Lily – Ida Steele
Dan – Nickolas Villarreal
Cora – Mo Rekel Sartain
Bob – Austin Escobedo
Melnitz – G. Lee
Philip – Cam Todd Mills
Henry – Daniel J. Calderón
Playwright Carlos Lacámara is a Cuban-born American actor and playwright who has had a long career on American television, making his first appearance in 1983 on the sitcom Family Ties and mostly played in roles as Paco Ortíz on the sitcom Nurses, and as Ray García, the family patriarch on The Brothers García. When asked why he decided to write a play about LSD, Lacámara replied that “the recent resurgence of psychedelic research at major medical institutions makes the topic very relevant, and the drug’s ability to free people from self-destructive thought patterns often leads them to understand the world in more profound and truthful ways. And the play has a lot of academic infighting, which is always a hoot.”
Dedicated to providing original, innovative, and accessible entertainment at an affordable price, The Overtime Theater is a nonprofit organization with the mission of bringing “theater for the people” to the San Antonio community through new and thought-provoking stage productions.
Tune In
by Carlos Lacámara
Overtime Theater
March 24 - April 15, 2023, Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm
Matinee Sunday, April 2 at 3 pm
Pay-What-You-Will Night RETURNS, Thursday April 6 at 8 pm
The Overtime Theater’s Gregg Barrios Theater
5409 Bandera Rd, Ste 205
San Antonio, Texas 78238
(210) 577-7562
theovertimetheater.org | theovertimetheater@gmail.com
Tickets are $18.00 general admission or $12.00 for SATCO members, military and students w/ID, available at the door or online at ShowTix4u.com. No refunds. Exchange only for other show dates. Distanced seating and masks are encouraged.
