Review: Polk Fiction (Next Step Screenreading Series)

A sold-out crowd filled Bynx Coffee Shop and record store at the corner of Church Street and Osceola Ave last Monday, June 24, at 7:00 PM. They were there to see a staged reading of Erik Deckers’ screenplay, “Polk Fiction,” a comedy set in a bookstore of that name in Indianapolis, Indiana. Successful bookstore romantic comedies have included “Crossing Delancey” and “You’ve Got Mail,” both set in the high-stakes literary world of New York City. Could a screenplay reading in Orlando achieve such heights?

Because author Deckers is the publisher of this blog, I will not be writing a typical review of the event. However, I can report objectively that the reading was very successful. The crowd laughed and applauded throughout, the cast’s timing, even with limited rehearsal and carrying scripts, enabled them to punch just about every joke. Directors Kimberly DiPersia and Demián Castro used the limited movement masterfully to keep the audience engaged visually. Michael F. Lewis’ sound design made it possible for the audience to hear everything in a space designed as a coffee shop and vintage market, not a theater.

Director Demián Castro also played the key role of Leo, business manager for the bookstore’s owner, Alex Polk (Toni Deckers). The store usually loses money, despite the best efforts of store manager and Alex’s best friend, Simon Cowell (coe-WELL), played by Joe Llorens, and coffee shop manager Carolyn, played by Eden Schultz. Simon invited one of Alex’s MFA classmates and popular author Lester Gillespie, played by Jim Serrano, to give a reading at the store. Lester, accompanied by his assistant, Ashley, played by Sheryl Carbonell, can’t hide their superior air when they learn former classmate, Alex, hasn’t published anything and runs a failing bookstore.

Alex doesn’t want to host the reading, but feels she has no choice. She never liked Lester in school and she also doesn’t want to run the risk of revealing the secret of why she’s running an unsuccessful bookstore. The screenplay, developed from a web series that Deckers wrote also called “Polk Fiction,” finally does reveal that secret and brings it to a surprising and satisfying conclusion.

We can’t reveal that secret here, but readers who are intrigued will have to wait for the movie. (Or you can watch the show on YouTube.) Other supporting turns were filled by Bryan Da Silva as Matt Polk, Alex’s out-of-work nephew who becomes the store’s marketing director, Franny Titus in a pair of roles (Taylor and Jennifer), and Carol Saragusa, who read the stage directions, which gave her the most lines of anyone on stage.

Polk Fiction cast members Demián Castro, Carol Saragusa, Jim Serrano, Bryan Da Silva, and Sheryl Carbonell.

I have been attending theatre in Orlando for over thirty years. In all that time I can’t say I ever heard of a reading series that focused entirely on screenplays. While we can reasonably claim to be America’s theme park capital, the promise of Orlando becoming Hollywood East was never fulfilled. All the Line Studio & Incubator, launched in 1993 by filmmaker Kimberly DiPersia, and joined by Jeffrey Rembert and Franny Titus (board members), was created to fill that gap.

The Next Step Screenplay series, which has a goal of developing local screen writers, is the first step toward the goal of becoming a non-profit film studio with full-time crew and talent. The readings take place on the fourth Monday of each month at Bynx, but if they continue to sell out the group might need to consider a larger venue. In addition to planning more readings, DiPersia is currently raising money to produce a short musical film called “What About Paris?” For more information about the crowd funding campaign, go to https://buff.ly/4exe6Dr.

For more information about All the Line Studios & Incubator, go to their website at allthelinestudio.com.

Expect to read reviews of some of their future readings in this space. You can also read Erik’s review of Songs From the Home Front, written by Jeff Rembert, which was performed in May 2024.

Polk Fiction cast members Carol Saragusa, Toni Deckers, and Franny Titus.

About the author:
Peter M. Gordon earned a BA from Yale with honors and an MFA in Directing from Carnegie-Mellon. He directed in New York and in regional theatre for companies including the Roundabout Theatre and Indiana Repertory Theatre. He is the Course Director of the Film Production MFA program at Full Sail University, where he’s been teaching the Business of Film since September 2013. Peter is also an award-winning poet whose published over 100 poems and three collections, appeared in four anthologies, and contributed to several books on baseball statistics. Peter recently reviewed Merrily We Roll Along.