Issues of stereotyping, judging confronted in ‘cowboyily’ at BPP

It has been over a decade since Steven Cole Hughes last visited Bloomington, but this time he will not be sitting in a classroom. Instead, he will be relaxing and watching his play “cowboyily,” opening tonight at 8 p.m. on the Bloomington Playwrights Project stage. \nHughes, a playwright and IU alumnus, created “cowboyily,” a play that shows the clashing of two different characters: the “city mouse” and the “country mouse,” and examines how they coexist. \n“Cowboyily” is a look at clashing cultures through characters that seem to have nothing in common. When young playwright Will (Mike Carey) takes a bus ride, the bus driver’s statements fascinate him so much that he decides to write a story including the “redneck’s” view. The bus driver, Travis (Joe Gaines), is thought by Will to be “a hyper-talkative hillbilly hack,” according to a BPP press release. Hughes uses these two characters to show his views on the culture wars of a divided nation.\n“There’s nothing overtly political, but I think the play speaks to issues that divide the so-called red-staters and blue-staters,” Hughes said in the press release. \nHughes modeled his play after an actual bus ride he took a few years ago. Although he wrote the first draft of “cowboyily” in only two or three weeks, he had been dreaming up the play for much longer. After completing his first draft, he felt like something was missing, and eventually he dusted off the play and decided to finish it. However, Hughes was still dissatisfied with the ending of the play and worked on it up until the night before the show first opened in 2006 at Creede Repertory Theater in Creede, Colo.\n“We were in the theater the night before we opened and everyone shouted out different ideas for the ending until we finally found one that worked,” Hughes said. “That was both stressful and exciting.”\nThe name of the play, “cowboyily,” is a word Hughes invented to mean having certain aspects of a cowboy. Hughes said that the cowboy was the hero and myth-maker of the old days, and he is fascinated that they no longer exist. He decided that “rednecks” are one group that can be described as “cowboyily.” \nA book Hughes read while living in Chicago also inspired him to write this play. The book, titled “The Redneck Manifesto” by Jim Goad, investigates the “redneck” stereotype and led Hughes to ponder the ways many people are overgeneralized and stereotyped all too soon, he said.\nHughes originally starred in the play while it was running in Colorado, and is eager to see how it runs with a new spin on it.\n“The actor (Mike Carey) in Bloomington will be approaching this part as simply a role, so it will be interesting to see his interpretation,” Hughes said.\n“Cowboyily” is Carey’s first time in a full-length play, and although he does not entirely relate to Will, he does see similarities in the details, such as his character’s “obnoxious speech patterns” and the way he trails off mid-sentence, Carey said.\nDirector Jennifer Loia Alexander hails from the University of Indianapolis, where she is an associate adjunct of theatre. Although “cowboyily” is predominately a male play, Hughes said having a female director will bring a different sensibility to the show. Alexander is also pleased to be part of the production. \n“Having a chance to direct this play not only gives me the opportunity to work with great people, but also to spend more time in Bloomington,” Alexander said. “I really like the college atmosphere and its eclectic feel.” \nIt is not Alexander’s first time directing a play with only two characters, and she says there are both positive and negative aspects to a two-man play. \n“It’s intense to work with only two people because no one gets a break while you work with other cast members, like in most shows,” Alexander said. “But, we are all on the same page, so you get a really tight ensemble.” \n“Cowboyily” opens today and will run every Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. until Sept. 15. Sunday matinees will be at 2 p.m. on Sept. 2 and 9. BPP is located at 107 W. Ninth St. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $12 for students and seniors. Student rush tickets will be available five minutes before the show for $5.