Vize-Willey presents “Bonnie’s Diner”

Friday, Nov.  14 and Saturday, Nov. 15, the original one-act play ‘Bonnie’s Diner’ will be performed in Dibden Center for the Arts.

The play was written and directed by theater arts major, Heather Vize-Willey 24.

“I thought if I’m going to do something, I should do something big,” Vize-Willey said.

This is the first time in twelve years that a student has both written and directed a play on the stage.

However, the responsibilities don’t end there.

Besides being the writer and director, she also selected her cast by holding auditions and choosing the actors herself, as well as deciding the crew, and set designer.

The ads around the Johnson State campus don’t give away much information besides who wrote it, what it’s called, when it’s happening, and where.

They’re vague for a reason.

“I didn’t really want to be like ‘this is a play’, or ‘this is a drama’ or just ‘a comedy’. That’s why I wanted people to be like ‘what is this? I’m going to go check it out’.”

‘Bonnie’s Diner’ is a play about Vize-Willey’s experiences in the restaurant business.

Since she was 14, she’s worked in many different establishments, and managed to perform every position in a restaurant besides bartending and management.

“I decided if I was going to write, ten years of restaurant business is probably the best place to start,” Vize-Willey said.

All of the characters are based on people she knows or interesting people she’s met, and their names have been changed so not to reveal them completely.

Long before the cast was decided, she had put up audition notices as Help Wanted ads.

“I have a really great cast and crew,” Vize-Willey said, “People will find all of the characters relatable in some way.”

Throughout the act, there’ll be college level humor, swearing, smoking, and drug and alcohol use.

According to Vize-Willey, she says she’s been selling it short and telling people that it’s just about life in the restaurant industry, when really there’s a deeper moral.

“There’s a lot more to it than just food and what not. It’s about the people and their lives too.”

‘Bonnie’s Diner’ is both a comedy and a drama, including concepts of life such as loss and regret with humor in between.

The entire process, starting from the script to the rehearsals took about 8 and a half months of work. And with only a $250 budget, she and her theater family made it work.

Only $112 remain, which is all going to go to food. Not as a banquet backstage for the people involved, but directly on the set.

The characters will be eating the food while acting, coffee will be brewed, along with pies and more. Bonnie’s Diner will nearly be real, aside from having an audience and being on a stage.

Although the performance is not a Creative Audience, it’s a free show, and open to the public starting at 7 p.m.

“I want people to come because they want to, not just cause they have to.”

The play was named after her late grandmother Bonnie.

“She was a big interest in the arts and a really good cook,” Vize-Willey said, “I figured if I was going to do something with the arts and put my heart and soul into it, she had to be a part of it.”