The Makeover Extra

By Donna Madamma
March 22, 2008

The recent writer’s strike affected TV fans in big way. We were subjected to re-runs, bad filler shows, altogether missing shows, and a wake up call to just how many so called reality shows are really on TV these days.

These surreal reality shows are on almost every channel now. The only thing that seems real about them is how many people are willing to subject themselves to complete humiliation just to be on television. So many people line up to be on these type shows with the complete intention of being the meanest, most vicious person on air. After all that is what viewers remember. It isn’t the nice people on the show who get remembered or even called back. What we can’t get enough of is the cruel back stabbing players.

There is a different side to reality television that we tend to forget about. We forget about the real people who get caught up in the fake world of reality TV. However, one local woman has not forgotten. In fact she has taken the concept of the real person on reality TV and turned it into an almost reality play.

Patsy Hester Daussat, a Grapevine resident for the past sixteen years, has written a play called “The Makeover”. Her main character, Melanie Barnsworth, is a real person who is unwittingly sucked into the surreal world of her favorite reality show “Facing Facts”. Although her husband Mike means well, he has no idea the turmoil he is putting Melanie and their marriage into when he secretly gets Melanie on the show.

Between the abrasive and egotistic show host, the cameraman who has a knack for catching Melanie’s every bad angle, and a well meaning but truly clueless husband, life at the Barnsworth house becomes anything but reality. Miscommunication and misconceptions lead the characters, their son and friends on a great misadventure. “The Makeover” is an endearing look at the lives of people touched by the bizarreness that is reality TV. With its comedic undertones and at times in your face dialogue “The Makeover” is a play not to miss.

Patsy has been a member of the Dallas/Fort Worth theater community for many years. Her resume includes roles of Claire in Rumors, Sister in Damn Yankees, Suzette in Don’t Dress for Dinner and Bonnie in Anything Goes and her most recent role as Patsy Price in Dearly Beloved all at the Runway Theatre in Grapevine. Patsy has stepped off stage as the role of costumer for Urinetown, and director of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Chapter Two and several murder mysteries for the New Years Eve Gala at the Runway Theatre.

Patsy’s career in theater began during a summer program at St. Edwards University in Austin. Her interest sparked, she enrolled in Sam Houston State University in Huntsville where she received a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree. She then became the Administrator for Clear Creek Country Theater where she began “First Stage” a youth acting class. Unable to find children’s scripts suitable for the size and demographics of the classes, she began writing plays for First Stage.

Many years later, she and her family moved to the Grapevine area and she began teaching acting at Act One Children’s Theater and Southlake Theatre Centre. In 1994 Patsy got involved with The Runway Theatre in Grapevine. “I just jumped in with both feet,” she laughed. “I started helping with the volunteer program and other things.”

During a discussion about the upcoming 1995 New Years Eve Gala, Patsy offered to write a murder mystery for the group to perform as entertainment. Four days later she finished Design For Murder, a murder mystery comedy. The play was a great success and led to the next several years of Patsy writing a new murder mystery for each of the New Years Eve Gala’s.

The Makeover is Patsy’s first full-length play to be produced at Runway. She has chosen a cast of seasoned and new actors who have developed their characters into memorable and relatable people.

“Melanie Barnsworth is a real, fleshed-out person and not a caricature,” said Sheila Rose who plays the leading lady, an attractive, middle-aged woman who has gained weight over the years. “Most of my experience in the past has been over-the-top character roles,” Sheila added. Sheila’s role as Melanie Barnes worth in The Makeover will be her debut on the Runway Theatre stage. “I have admired Runway Theatre for some time, and all the wonderful feedback from theatre friends who have worked there just made me want to be a part of one of their productions,” She commented.

Although she had not previously read the play, Sheila knew enough about it that made her want to take part. Determined not to let this unique opportunity slip by to originate a role that was created for a real sized actress, she auditioned and got the role of Melanie Barnsworth. With her character, Sheila hopes to challenge the audience’s ideas of physical appearance. “Beauty and love doesn’t always come in a size 2 package,” she added.

It is also Sheila’s goal to bring to life the character that the playwright/director [Patsy Daussat] had envisioned when she wrote the script. “The script is their art, their expression, their baby, and you want to do it justice and honor their intent. Maybe add a little me along the way.” Sheila is truly developing Melanie Barnsworth from just a character in a play into a real life person who many can relate too.

Andrew Burns plays Mike, the loving but sorrowfully clueless husband of Melanie who turns everyone’s life upside down trying to do a good thing.

“It’s such an honor to bring Mike Barnsworth to life,” stated Andrew about his character. “Like most husbands, when faced with a problem, we try to fix it. Though we mean well, when we try to make a situation better, sometimes we make it worse. It’s fun and an exciting challenge to play Mike as he faces his family and the repercussions of his decision.”

Andrew Burns made his stage debut at The Runway last season when he played Mervyn (aka Merlin) Kant in Sisters Rosensweig. He joined the theater again this past fall for Urinetown, the Musical as Mr. McQueen. It was during these two plays that he met Patsy Daussat who worked as the costumer.

“I am humbled and very grateful to be working with such a gifted and talented director and playwright. I hope I will portray the character Patsy envisioned. This is a first for me,” Andrew added. “What an awesome opportunity to work on a premier. It’s both an honor and a little nerve-wracking to have the responsibility of bringing a character to life on stage for the first time.”

Mike and Melanie’s son Keith, played by Charles Carroll, is also entangled into his father’s good intention causing him to accept a more mature self he didn’t even know existed.

The Makeover, however, is not all drama. The Barnsworth family has neighbors who are close friends and provide the play with several moments of comic relief.

“This [The Makeover] is a little bit romantic, it’s got family issues in it, it’s about reality television and how it’s so in your face,” Patsy noted. “Even though it’s kind of rough in the way it [the play] addresses the issues at times. I think that’s important because, people really say vicious things about overweight people sometimes. One of my favorite lines in the play is about it being the last acceptable prejudice.”

Patsy Hester Daussat has written a truly relatable play. Her experience on stage as well as off will give “The Makeover” extraordinary direction. Premiering at the Runway Theater April 4th through April 20th, “The Makeover” is Patsy’s first public release of this play. You may purchase tickets for this show online at www.runwaytheatre.com or by calling 817-488-4842. The play runs from April 4th through April 20th, Friday and Saturday performances at 8:00 PM and Sunday performances at 3:00 PM.

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