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The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

    Play set to premiere on Feb. 14

    Writer and director Ethan Warren’s original piece “Why Are You Nowhere?” will soon premiere at the Vonnie Borden Theatre. “Why Are You Nowhere?” is about a mother visiting her parents’ cabin, nestled in the woods of Maine. She drags along her mute daughter and springs a surprise that she has taken on a new teenage ward. 

    The upcoming play will run from Wednesday, Feb. 14 to Friday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. Director Chad Winters further summarized the details of the play.

    “Quickly we learn that the mother’s relationship with her daughter is damaged deeply,” said Winters. “Her father does his best to keep the peace in an already tense reunion. The mysteriously two eerie strangers arrive supposedly seeking shelter from a brewing storm. Trapped inside the cabin with no place to go, anxieties begin to bubble to the surface. Tensions erupt into chaos until a choice must be made.”

    Winters described why the play was chosen to premiere.

    “The play is the winner of our third annual Inkslinger Playwriting Competition,” said Winters. “It’s an original play that will have it’s world premiere at Southeastern’s Theatre.”

    Stage Manager Shelly Sneed calls the cues for the show and makes sure things run smoothly behind the scenes. She feels that working with Winters is educational.

    “He’s so willing to teach and help you along the way,” said Sneed. “I loved watching his vision come to life on stage.”

    The play is an ensemble cast of nine. Winters believes the play is a bit absurd with a lot of fun characters. Sneed shared her belief of improvements in the rehearsals. 

    “There’s always improvement from rehearsal to rehearsal,” said Sneed. “I think everyone’s really comfortable with the things they are doing on stage. All of the actors fit so well into their roles. I don’t think it could have been a cast anymore perfectly then it is.”

    Winters described how he felt about the play being the first one of the spring semester.

    “The winner of the competition was chosen last May,” said Winters. “The faculty decided to make it our first spring production. We had a few early rehearsals right before the holiday break, and started up again right as classes started. Everyone’s been working hard on telling this strange little tale.”

    Sneed admitted that the play is more for a mature audience due to the heavy language and “drug” use in the show. Winters shared what the audience may expect from this performance.

    “The play has a lot of mystery in it,” said Winters. “A lot of questions are raised and never fully answered. In the end, the audience will make up their own answers. Even though the story has a lot of strange twists and turns, I think the audience will be pulled into the universal story about a broken family struggling to communicate.”

    Though the play starts on Feb.14, the main theme is not relevant to the love theme associated with Valentine’s Day.

    “It’s only a coincidence that the play opens on Valentine’s Day,” said Winters. “It is about family, and their love is at stake if they can find there way back to each other.”

    Sneed feels that the audience will leave having more questions.

    “They will have a better appreciation of life and the people in their lives,” said Sneed.

     
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