{"id":14247,"date":"2024-03-22T12:08:17","date_gmt":"2024-03-22T19:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/?p=14247"},"modified":"2024-03-22T15:47:26","modified_gmt":"2024-03-22T22:47:26","slug":"garage-theatres-lola-binks-unveils-dark-comedy-the-hatbox-during-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/?p=14247","title":{"rendered":"Garage Theatre’s Lola Binks unveils dark comedy ‘Hatbox’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Correction: A previous version of this story contained an error, referring to the play as “The Hatbox”. The article has been changed to reflect the correct title. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding inspiration in the unlikeliest of places, Lola Binks of Long Beach\u2019s Garage Theatre, makes her directorial debut with, \u201cHatbox\u201d, a show that she wrote during the pandemic while pondering the complexities of plural marriages, also known as polgamy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring the pandemic, I lived in a house in Salt Lake City that was actually overflow housing for polygamists in 1910\u201d,  said Binks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Binks is no stranger to the world of polygamy. Growing up in Utah, she was made privy to the unspoken secret world of plural marriages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Binks, writing the play was a way to fulfill the need for live theatre during a time when it was non-existent due to the world being shut down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wrote it with love to show the strength and resilience of women who have experienced similar experiences,\u201d Binks said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The play centers around four women who share a husband whose idea of matrimony has little to do with wedded bliss and everything to do with narcissistic control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Binks said she formulated the characters in \u201cHatbox\u201d with some of her Garage Theatre castmates in mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In particular, she wrote the leading role of Helen for LBCC alumni, Craig Johnson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Johnson attended LBCC in the 1980\u2019s and credits his time at the college with providing him with a solid foundation in theater. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
LBCC alumni, Craig Johnson stars as Helen in “Hatbox”, now showing at the Garage Theatre in Long Beach from Mar. 15-23 and Apr. 5-20. The show is Lola Binks’s directorial debut and her first, ever play. (Lolita Mojica)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When he learned that Binks had written a role for him as a woman, Johnson\u2019s initial reaction was mild skepticism but he lept head first into bringing the character, a stern matriarch, to life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had to go in with an open mind, for sure,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI think the immediate reaction is to assume that polygamy is like a cult but it\u2019s more complex than that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHatbox\u201d marks Johnson\u2019s first ever time playing a woman.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel like I grew to understand her (Helen) beyond gender,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI felt like I knew her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The characters in the play are relatable to anyone who has ever experienced something like being entrenched in high-control religion or having dealt with a controlling romantic partner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
LBCC alumni, Craig Johson stars as Helen in “Hatbox”, now showing at the Garage Theatre in Long Beach from Mar. 15-23 and Apr. 5-20. Set pieces include photoshopped images such as this one which features the faces of the cast superimposed onto vintage photos. (Lolita Mojica)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The show is a dark comedy with a heartfelt commentary on the lives of the many women who still experience being in situations in which they may feel as though they lack control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through her words, Lola Binks looks to give a voice to the voiceless.
\u201cHatbox\u201d is now showing at the Mar. 15-23 and Apr. 5-20 at the Garage Theatre. Tickets are available here<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Correction: A previous version of this story contained an error, referring to the play as “The Hatbox”. The article has been changed to reflect the correct title. Finding inspiration in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133,"featured_media":14250,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[74,29,1263,5011,5196,142,68,5012,81,5200],"class_list":["post-14247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-lac","tag-lbcc","tag-lifestyle","tag-lolita","tag-lolitamojica","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-city-college","tag-mojica","tag-students","tag-thehatbox"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3Skgy-3HN","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lbccviking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Lifestyle_20240316_HatboxGarageTheatre_LMojica_2170-scaled-e1711133910841.jpg?fit=1924%2C1386&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/133"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14247"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14261,"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14247\/revisions\/14261"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}