'Primitive' roles represent men, women throughout the ages
By Correspondent, ARGUS/DISPATCH -- November 26, 2003
Photo by John Greenwood

Playing the role of H in the play "The Primitive'' created an interesting challenge for Davenport actress Jamie Em Johnson. That's because H represents every woman who ever lived. "H is more of a concept than a character,'' Ms. Johnson said. "It's the hardest role I've ever had to play.''

"The play is a romantic comedy about relationships, but it's also about the evolution of civilization,'' said director Chris Jansen, who is also the founder of New Ground Theatre, the company staging the production. "It's an intelligent comedy with real ideas.''

"The Primitive'' by Todd Irvine will be presented at Rivermont Collegiate, 1821 Sunset Drive, Bettendorf, at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday. Shows also will be held Dec. 4-6 at 7:30 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on Dec. 6-7. The play is two hours long with an intermission, and admission is $12 for general audience and $10 for students and seniors.

Ms. Jansen attended graduate school at Brandeis University in Boston with Mr. Irvine. Years later, Mr. Irvine died of complications from diabetes, and Ms. Jansen found out about the play when an excerpt was read at his memorial service.

The cast consists of two characters: a man named G, played by Dan Hale, and a woman named H, played by Ms. Johnson. They represent men and women throughout the ages, from the Cretaceous Period to modern-day Manhattan.

"The role of H is especially challenging because I can't draw from past life experience to play her,'' Ms. Johnson said. "She is very conceptual. In this show, we are figuring out the world from square one, building it from the very beginning all the way to 2003. But at the core of this show is a little beating heart that's looking for love.''

Ms. Johnson’s first role in theatre was Amaryllis in "The Music Man'' at age 7. She is now 27 and counts among her favorite parts the lead roles in "Agnes of God'' and Catherine in "Proof,'' as well as Mrs. Drudge in "The Real Inspector Hound.''

Ms. Johnson works as a teacher at the Little Blessings Daycare in Davenport. In addition, she is a waitress at Chili's in Davenport and a performer with the Quad-Cities murder mystery troupe, It's A Mystery! "I like to keep busy,'' she said. "I'm always moving forward.''

What advice does Ms. Johnson have for aspiring performers? "The best thing to do in theater is to love what you do, and do it as much as you can,'' she said. "Do something self-sustaining and that will make you happy.''

For more information on New Ground Theatre, call (563) 326-PLAY (7529).

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