Caustic drama hits stage
By Julie Rausch
Second Stage Theatre will open its season Sept. 28-Oct. 1 with five performances of the powerful modern drama "Suburbia" written by Eric Bogosian.
It is about a group of young people who use a thrift store parking lot as a hangout. They talk trash, revel in the past, fantasize about the future, drink beer and get high as they try to find some direction for their lives in this caustic tale that includes humor, anger and angst.
Second Stage Theatre performances are all student-cast, and all but one, "Impostors," Oct. 26-29, is staged by WSU students. Nyalls Hartman, WSU’s new director of theater, will direct "Impostors," winner of the 27th annual WSU Playwriting Contest.
The other two plays this season will be "How I Learned to Drive" Feb. 8-11 and "Betrayal" April 5-8.
Bela Kiralyfalvi, chair for the School of Performing Arts, says this year’s series is stimulating, offbeat and has qualities that will appeal to a general audience. He says he’s particularly pleased that Second Stage Theatre has a home now, and that all the performances will be in the intimately arranged 100-seat Welsbacher Theatre.
The new theater opened in the Hughes Metropolitan Complex mid-season last year. Kiralyfalvi says it gives the audience an unusual feeling of closeness to the characters not often found in live theater.
"It’s a wonderful feeling, particularly for the provocative material selected for Second Stage performances."
"Suburbia" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Sept. 28-29; at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30; and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1. It contains adult themes and rough language and is intended for mature audiences.
Call 978-3233 for reserved tickets. Prices start at $8 with discounts for the WSU community.
