…a moment in the life of Willa Dee Arvis

Mark-Brian Sonna’s newest play …a moment in the life of Willa Dee Arvis takes place in Dallas during the summer of1942. Two seemingly ordinary women, Willa Dee and her cousin Emily await the mail. National Geographic is doing a pictorial about American enlisted men training in the Bahamas, and they’ve gotten word that their husbands are featured in the photos. The arrival of the magazine and the viewing of the photographs opens a Pandora’s tinder box of memories, revelations and family secrets. As they reminisce, a mystery begins to unfold about a fateful evening. Willa Dee and Emily each possess different information of the events of what actually transpired. The arrival of family friend Euel, who holds the key to the mystery, sets ablaze their emotions which forever alters the course of their lives. Touching, bitingly funny, and ultimately tragic, this play will move you and at the same time comfort you as you discover how each life, regardless of how mundane, is special.

What the critics are saying:

“It’s been said that everyone is the star of the story of his own life, and Mark-Brian Sonna’s new play A Moment in the Life of Willa Dee Arvis sets out to prove that. Inspired by an actual obituary, Sonna constructed a story about the key event 60 years past that forever altered the trajectory of a woman’s life…if ‘Willa Dee Arvis’ seems a bit familiar, it is intentionally so. The audience figures out the Deep, Dark Secret well before the characters do, which adds a tragic layer to Willa and Emily’s ignorance. You feel for them…they are not villains, but victims of social conventions… the story succeeds in being genuinely affecting… The interaction between Emily and Willa feels lived-in and authentic, and when the truth of their husbands’ lives begins to take root, their pain spreads throughout the audience…Wood’s hysteria…tugs at emotional chords. Spaniel delivers a dignified, fragile performance, while Bunn…easily becomes the woman you love to hate…Sonna, who also directed and plays a small part, conveys a strong sense for the period…” — Arnold Wayne Jones, Dallas Voice

“…One nice thing about …A Moment in the Life is the way Mr. Sonna arranges the flash-backs to scenes from the past that the various characters have been hiding from one another. They flow smoothly in and out of the present action. Also, Mr. Sonna as director has helped his actors give the emotional climax of the play a suprisingly heavy weight of agony…Caryn Spaniel…eases into a very believable Willa Dee…Designer Alejandro de la Costa has found period furniture and props that suit the Stone cottage and the era of the play perfectly.” —
Lawson Taitte, Dallas Morning News

“. . .a clear and unerring reminder of how superior theatre art not only entertains an audience but invites reflection and inspires introspection. . .The audience members find themselves immediately and intimately drawn into sharing the joys and sorrows of the female protagonist. Her path of discovery leading to a startling, life-changing revelation is elevated from maudlin to universal level by masterful playwriting, realistic, crisp direction and sensitive, believable acting.”
— Alexandra Bonifield, Independent Arts Writer