Area Voices: Kevin Cease takes the stage with new one-man show

BEMIDJI — One of the ultimate actors' challenges is performing a one-man show. Nearly two hours rest on the shoulders of one performer. That was part of the appeal for Bemidji's Kevin Cease.

His show is called An Evening with Kevin Cease... and His Dog Molly, and he considers it a look into his own mind.

“I just thought, 'I bet I just could tell some stories and maybe do a little poetry, maybe do some little singing, little dancing'... And then I thought, 'It would be very nice to have my therapy dog, Molly, with me.'”

Cease has always wanted to do a one-man show. He remembered an actor in the early days of the Paul Bunyan Playhouse who would get up on stage and just tell stories.

“I was just fascinated, like, ‘How can it just be you?’ And it's such a challenge to do that,” Cease said.

At 65 years old, Cease decided it was now or never. Luckily, the Bemidji Community Theater had a callout for directors for this season of productions. Cease decided to apply.

“I wrote a very droll letter just saying I could direct myself, and I think I was going to guarantee that I'd get like 85% of my lines... That's a pretty high percentage for me. And then I would just give myself my own cue line so I wouldn't have to worry about that.”

Cease has been working on this project for six years, writing down notes for potential stories he can share from his home and professional life and goofy stories about friends and family. He's also planning unscripted crowd work.

Some topics Cease will cover in his show are growing up in the small town of Bagley, his sobriety journey, inspiration from his wife, the importance of dogs in his life and little tidbits he likes to call “Kevin Cease life hacks.”

“Which are going to be really weird and [about] how to live your life in a lighter, nice, happy, joyful [way]," Cease said.

There will be no set, no assistant director and — if Cease has it his way — there won’t even be someone running the lights. Just him and his therapy dog Molly. He wants it to be a true one-man show on stage and behind the scenes.

“And the great thing is that I might truly bomb. This might not work out... But even if I really do terrible, I'm going to be fine,” Cease said. “My actor friends will tease me for the rest of my life about that.”

Cease’s love of theater began back in his high school days. As a junior, he was Perchik in Fiddler on the Roof, and he’s never looked back.

“When you're on stage, you feel truly alive. There is no other time element. You're not in the past anymore, because that's all done. You can think a little bit about the future, but you have to live in the moment," Cease said. "And I have just been blessed being in this community because I always say, they let me be me.”

He also loves the shared experience with castmates and talking about shows they’ve been a part of in the past, where things either went great or horribly wrong. For Cease, theater can be the true expression of human emotions. If done right, audiences can walk away changed.

Cease said the main theme of his show and what he hopes people take away is the love and connection in community. It’s about enjoying the little moments in life.

“That's my goal, is to be able to share that little insight that I have," he said. "Not that I'm great or wonderful or that I have all the answers, but I do have a little bit of skill in being able to enjoy what we have in the moment.”

An Evening with Kevin Cease... and His Dog Molly will be at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 12 and 13, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 14, at the Bemidji Community Theater. Tickets are available at the Bemidji Community Theater’s website or at the door.

Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.

Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.