AND SO iT BEGiNS…
As we neared the end of the last century, Eric Doucet and Andy Fling were caught with their pants down. It wasn't the first (nor the last) time this would happen. Deciding they had entirely too much time on their hands they joined their “wonder twin” powers and began performing scripted comedy. Recruiting other theatrical ne’er-do-wells the group appeared in Durham, Dover and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. History would have been quite content to see these muppet-like younglings dissolve into the dustbin of one-shot projects. However, despite offending the gods of theater with their hubris, they managed to stick around long enough to do another show… and then another…and then another. But the world had enough with DWR since other things like the coming apocalypse caused by Y2K was around the corner. The two gents parted ways for their own adventures and stayed in touch but didn’t touch each other... well, not for a very long time anyway.
THE GODS COME A CALLiNG
One day in 2008 the Theater Gods reminded Eric he was past due on some very important scripts. Resolving to pay his debts he put on a comedy show deciding, as a nod to his old group, to call it “DARWiN’S WAiTiNG ROOM”. After its success, the newly assembled thespians demanded Eric create another show or they’d pummel him with their stage canes. (Every good performer worth their salt has, at all times, a secret stage cane.)
Eric knew that if this was going to be a regular thing, someone more organized who knew what they were doing would need to get behind the steering wheel. That’s where Kaitlyn Huwe entered from stage right. This one woman, multi-tasking, efficiency machine saw potential in the fledgling entity and quickly took on all of the adult responsibilities. Her first order of business was directing Eric to a specific corner of their work space where he was to “behave, write something funny and stop staring at me like a creepo”. DWR 2.0 had taken shape and was on the move.
Most of the shows were performed at the Player’s Ring in Portsmouth though all manner of theatrical spaces around the seacoast were occupied. In 2013 the troupe left the country and invaded Scotland at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was fun. Nobody went missing for more than 24 hours. We found out the Scots don’t laugh with a funny accent. We tried Haggis. (Most of us disliked it.)
All of this writing was getting hard and Eric prayed to the Theater Gods just in time for them to throw him a Deus ex Machina. The noted playwright Greg Gaskell jumped on board to add superb characters into the DARWiN’S Universe. Were it not for his help, Eric’s muse would have gone on strike leaving him to scribble slanted poetry on napkins in dark bars for only other patrons to read.
By 2016 Eric’s children were now in middle and high school and required a lot more attention since teenagers are energy vampires. The whole project was quietly tucked into bed with a kiss on the forehead and a nice bedtime story about secret santas, Kangabanga Kunkabunk County, the Wet River Gang and the Adventures of Jeff Simpson.
DARWiN’S WAiTiNG ROOM drifted off to slumber, missing events like the 2016 election, the release of Rogue One, the Me Too Movement, Mindhunter, Covid, the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Paris Olympics, to name a few.
WHEN iT’S TiME, iT’S TiME
By 2024 Eric was getting a bit antsy. Facing a serious mid-life crisis questions like “Holy crap, how did this happen?! What is time? Am I in a simulation? How come I suddenly crave pink lemonade!?” caused his children to suggest he find something productive to do since he was now “an old”.
One thing led to another and by the summer Eric found a willing partner in James Gaskell. Soon their plan emerged to gather old DARWiNiTES for a reunion of sorts combining thespians from the 1.0 and 2.0 timelines. (Eric was hoping it would be like when the Marvel Universe connected all three Spidermans in No Way Home.) This was a wonderful event with much laughter and became the official start of DWR 3.0. (September 28, 2024.) DWR would need more help and that’s when the fantastically energized and charismatic Julia Doucett entered, stage left. (No relation to Eric, who always thought the extra “t” at the end of her name was a bit of a flex.) Julia, aka, the “Queen of Fun”, set about working on the DNA of the group.
DWR had monthly script readings while Eric discovered being executive producer was absolutely nothing like writing, directing and acting - who knew!? (...not Eric) He opened a bank account and got the IRS to acknowledge the business and everything. He even got business cards even though that was “so 1998” and all they really needed was a QR code or something like that.
By the early months of 2025 DARWiN’S had formed a writer’s group. Soon after playwright and actress Emily Andrews joined the team to become the Theater Liaison. Then the stage design legend and art wizard Ben Bagley joined the team as Technical Director. Now the Avengers were beginning to assemble in earnest.
THE FiRST SHOW FOR 3.0
The summer show was cast and dates at theaters set. The only thing left was to wait for the audience. Luckily, since this was a WAiTiNG ROOM that wasn’t going to be much of a problem.
