“The Cake,” a play written by Bekah Brunsetter that incorporates the themes of conservatism and moral challenge, was performed at Guilford from March 26 through April 4.
Performed as Guilford student Hannah Roten’s senior piece as a theatre studies major, “The Cake” is a story about a Christian conservative baker from Winston-Salem named Della, whose morals were challenged when her late best friend’s daughter asks her to bake a cake for her same-sex marriage.
Alongside Roten, “The Cake” production stars Zara Goolsby, Knox Butka, and Zachary Orellana-Kennedy, with Beth Ritson—the co-chair of the theatre studies department at Guilford—as the director of the play.
Ritson explained the effort and practice leading up to the play.
“About a year ago, [Roten] approached me and said she wanted to do this show as her senior capstone project,” Ritson said. “We started rehearsals in January, and we’ve been rehearsing steadily ever since.”
To Riston, the preparations leading up to the play were efficient and easy. “It was all smooth throughout” Ritson said, “It’s been a delightful process.”
John Allnutt, an alumnus of Guilford’s 1974 class, was a part of the play’s audience. Offering his insight about the play, Alnutt said: “I enjoyed it, though I thought it was more sad than I expected it to be.”
But beyond the sadness, there were glimpses of humor and reality that shined through.
“It was funny in parts, but it shows how much intolerance and counter-intolerance there is in our society,” Alnutt explained. “I think it’s a happy ending, even though it’s loaded with disappointment.”
Additionally, Alnutt said his favorite part of the play was when the baker “figured out a way to slip in and at least be congratulatory to the happy couple, even if it didn’t fall within her religious [beliefs].”
Another member of the audience, Aubrey Scruggs, is an actor who has been recruited for Guilford’s productions before.
“It was just so well executed,” he said. “I really like [Roten’s] interactions with the Great American Bakeoff,” referring to a small comedic addition to the play comparing parts of Della’s life to her supposed performance in the T.V. show, the Great American Bakeoff.
Scruggs then added that the sound used in parts of the play was voiced by the person who taught him how to act, Lee Spencer, saying that it was “very cool to hear him again.”
Aside from comedy production, both Scruggs and Alnutt agree that the play still rings with a larger theme: acceptance.
“[The play] really sheds light on the bigotry in this work,” said Scruggs. “People need to learn to accept each other, which is crazy, but hey, we’re getting there.”
