The unorthodox set design puts audience members on both sides of the action.
Lori Wolter Hudson, the artistic director at The New Harmony Project in Indianapolis, saw a production of “Cry it Out” by Molly Smith just after giving birth to her second child. The play, about new mothers, struck a chord with Hudson, who brings 10 years of Broadway experience to the table at Franklin College’s Johnson Center for Fine Arts, where she and her students are gearing up for the spring production.
“I saw this play in Indianapolis a few weeks after having my second child and I silently wept in the corner,” Hudson said. “It felt so real to me because that is what the postpartum experience is like. There’s so many lessons, how important it is to find community, trust your gut as a human person in the world, when there are so many things society is telling us to do. Everyone has an opinion on how to raise a baby.”
Hudson assistant directed a Tony-winning production of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and was also an assistant director for a production of “The Philanthropist” that starred Matthew Broderick.
People will be able to relate to the play even if they aren’t parents themselves, said Josie Lyons, a Franklin College student who’s playing the role of Jessie Gelb.
“People should come see this play because it’s funny. Everyone loves to laugh and everyone has a mom, or even if you’re not close with your mom, everyone has a mother figure in their life,” Gelb said. “It’s a really touching story about how motherhood is complicated and how it affects everyone differently and how you can approach it from different ways.”
Twist on a classic
A pair of high school plays will also take the stage this week.
At Greenwood Community High School, students will deliver a production of “The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy,” a play that includes the characteristics of the original Addams Family, but with a twist. Wednesday Addams, the princess of darkness, has fallen in love with a kind man from a respected family, and together with her father, must keep it a secret.
Lilly Mull, a Greenwood High School senior, plays the part of Alice in the play, the mother of Wednesday Addams’ boyfriend, Lucas.
“You have to imagine yourself as the character and set it apart from who you are as a person and become the person,” Mull said. “It’s been such an amazing experience. In theatre, there is such a big family and being with different groups each year is inspiring. It’s a funny show and not what you would expect from the Addams family. It takes so many different turns. It’s funny, different and exciting.”
Kurtis Poynter, also a senior, plays the part of Mal Beineke, Lucas Beineke’s father.
“I play this middle-aged, right-wing dad who is very stereotypical, and my wife and I are not as close as when we were young. I have a very traditional mindset, and being near the Addams family challenges that,” Poynter said.
“A lot of bad stuff is happening in the world right now, people are going through it. Going to something like this and playing pretend for a night and chilling out and letting that weight go is something people need to do more often.”
Sharing the stage
At Indian Creek High School, play enthusiasts can catch a production of “The Curious Savage,” which will be split into two separate casts, each performing twice this week.
The play is about a woman, Mrs. Savage, who enjoys giving parts of her fortune to people chasing their dreams. Her stepchildren, fearing they’ll lose out on their inheritance, put her in a sanitarium, where she makes friends with the other residents, said Laura Atwood, who is directing the play.
“I chose this play because it’s something different than we have done. In the past, we’ve done murder mysteries, and last year, we went the fairy tale route,” Atwood said. “I wanted to choose something lighthearted that had a serious undertone to give the kids a broader range to their performances.”
Liv amd Ella Booth, sisters at Indian Creek High School, play the roles of Mrs. Savage and Fairy May, respectively. Fairy May, also a sanitarium resident, is a young woman who seems stuck in her childhood, Ella Booth said.
“She is a 20 year old trapped in her own mind like a six year old. She’s an impulsive liar, and it’s funny to see her blip on stage,” she said.
Liv Booth said she’s excited to share the stage with her sister.
“I find more comfort with doing crazy stuff with her stuck in this crazy place,” Liv Booth said. “We’re very playful and like to be very over the top. I love sharing the stage with her. I’m very happy she chose to be a part of the play and got the role she deserved.”
IF YOU GO
The Curious Savage
Directed by: Lauren Atwood and Anna Bratton
Indian Creek High School
7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday
Tickets: $7
The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy
Directed by: Dan Borns
Greenwood Community High School
7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday
Tickets: $8 for students, $10 for adults and $12 for preferred seating
Cry it Out
Directed by: Lori Wolter Hudson
Theatre Margot at Franklin College’s Johnson Center for Fine Arts
8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: $8 for students and seniors (55 and older); $12 general admission
