The return of a hometown celebrity turns into an auspicious occasion in Jack McLoughlin’s short film, Q&A. The stage is set as moderator Daniel LeBelle (Shaun Fagan) introduces to the youth theatre audience Timothy Markus McGraw (Matthew Mora Hegarty), one of the theatre’s alumni, and the casting director, Harold Sloane (Kevin Harvey), who discovered him on stage in this very spot.
The session opens with the typical platitudes and gratitudes you’d expect from this happy homecoming. Next is the question-and-answer section, where Timothy’s former castmate, Ricky (Bobby Schofield), is allowed to ask the first question. Ricky proceeds to remind Harold that he had seen Ricky along with Timothy and was told that he had talent. Now Ricky wants to know why he never heard back from Harold and why Timothy went off to stardom. As Harold pushes back on the question, Ricky reveals the real reason he is there, and it’s not good.
Kevin Harvey as Harold Sloane and Matthew Mora Hegarty as Timothy Markus McGraw share a light moment during the tense Q&A session.
“The return of a hometown celebrity turns into an auspicious occasion…”
I don’t want to give away what Ricky has in store, but it’s violent, and addressing this violence is what Q&A is about. Writer/director Jack McLoughlin captures the emotions an audience might experience during this unsettling performance.
I have to give Jack McLoughlin a lot of credit for just going for it. He walks this line between grounded authenticity and the over-the-top nature of the situation. His actors maintain a balance of believability in a somewhat unbelievable situation. Like watching a bank robbery unfold, my feelings throughout the short were that I had to see it through to the end.
"…Walks this line between grounded authenticity and the over-the-top..."
