A
teenage girl takes an emotional and physical journey after losing her mother in
“Be Aggressive,” staged next month by the Theatre and Dance Department at the
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
The
drama will be performed in the Studio Theatre in the Noel Fine Arts Center at
7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6-7, and Wednesday through Saturday, Feb.
11-14. A 2 p.m. matinee will be offered Sunday, Feb. 8. The show includes adult
language and is not suitable for young children.
In “Be Aggressive,” high
school cheerleader Laura (played by Haley Moser of East Bethel, Minn.)
struggles to pick up the pieces of her life after her mother is killed by a hit
and run driver. Looking to escape her new responsibilities as caregiver for her
distant father and younger sister, she joins fellow cheerleader Leslie (played
by Kelsey Yudice of Madison) on a cross-country trip.
“The play is about how we
deal with unexpected losses and change,” said director Jenny Stoessner, an
associate lecturer of theater. “The characters aren’t letting their grief in.
They find ways to avoid dealing with it - her father through work and Laura
through the promise of attending a cheer camp at the end of her journey.”
Despite its tragedy, the
play has many funny moments featuring sharp, witty dialogue, she said.
“Our cast is relating well
to our characters and the choices they make,” said Stoessner. “The actors are
bonding together and have created relationships parallel to the roles they
play.”
Stoessner previously worked
on shows by “Be Aggressive” playwright Annie Weisman, and says she often writes
plays with strong female leads that explore the relationships between women as
well as mothers and daughters. “She has an interesting voice in her work. Her
characters have identities separate from stereotypical roles.”
Tickets are $19 for adults,
$18 for seniors, $14 for youth and $4.50 for students with UW-Stevens Point ID.
Tickets are available at the UW-Stevens Point Information and Tickets Office,
located in the Dreyfus University Center concourse, by calling 715-346-4100 or
at http://tickets.uwsp.edu/index.php.
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