[NEohioPAL] The Shape of Things by Neil LaBute in Oberlin College's Little Theater

[Rebecca Balmer]

How does art imitate life, and how does life imitate art? *The Shape of
Things, *by innovative and critically-acclaimed playwright Neil LaBute,
follows the whirlwind romance between homely, bookish Adam, and Evelyn, a
captivitating art student with a mysterious past. Set in a small college
town reminiscent of Oberlin, *The Shape of Things *delves into the games we
play with each other and the darker aspects of human nature and
relationships that lurk below the face we present to the world. LaBute's
sardonic dialogue and vivid characters testify to the rippling effect of one
person's manipulative actions and to the incredible influence art can have
on our own lives and those of the people we love.

*The Shape of Things *will be performed at Oberlin College's Little Theater
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 9, 10 and 11 at 8 pm, with matinee
performances at 2 pm Saturday and Sunday, October 11 and 12. Seating in
Little Theater is limited and there is no late seating. This production is
sponsored by the Oberlin College Theater and Dance Program.

First produced in 2001, *The Shape of Things *presents four young characters
who could be peers of the college students in the Little Theater audience:
Adam and Evelyn, and their friends Philip and Jenny, a long-term couple
engaged to be married. Director Anna Strasser '09 says she chose the text in
part because she and her fellow students can relate to these young people
confronted with the ups and downs of friendship and relationships. "I like
the idea that these are your peers, that you're watching your peers," she
says. "It's not a removed thing."

Strasser is particularly compelled by the journey that Adam takes as part of
his relationship with Evelyn, and how the ways in which he changes as a
result can't help but affect Philip and Jenny as well. "I think part of the
power of the play is that everyone can relate because everyone has to
compromise in a relationship. That's how relationships function, hopefully,"
she says. "Jenny says at one point, 'If I could change one thing, he'd be
perfect…' But of course that's not really true: if you change one thing
about your partner, another will come up."

That the play is set on a college campus where the arts are enjoyed and
valued lends it even greater resonance. The first scene is set in an art
museum, where Adam, a security guard, meets Evelyn while she is on her way
to vandalize a work of art. Strasser says that a topic of discussion during
the rehearsal process has been about "what would happen if someone went to
the Allen Art Museum and spray painted a penis on a statue. What would the
Oberlin response be?"

Strasser and set designer Anya Kazimierski '11 are working with idea of the
Little Theater stage as representing an art museum. The set is made up of
hanging pieces of art and stage furniture that evokes pedestals in a
gallery. Explains Kazimierski, the play "is about how art surrounds us, but
also how if you are in an environment that is only art, it can be like a
cage—it traps you…And the idea that life mirrors art is dangerous because
it's not grounded in reality."

Strasser hopes that the journeys of the characters inspire the audience to
think about broader, more fundamental issues. "I hope at the beginning of
the play, people will want Adam and Evelyn to get together, that at the end
of that first scene, that they'll be like, 'Yeah, you got her number, you
go!'" she laughs. "My hope is that people invest in the relationship and get
caught up in it, even if they don't know exactly what to think or whether
they like it or not."

*Cast*: Donne Sheldon '10 (Adam), Charlotte Buck '11 (Evelyn), Sergio
Sanchez '10 (Philip), Lily Grabill '11 (Jenny).

*Production Staff: *Anna Strasser '09 (Director), Ben Ferber '11 (Stage
Manager), Nicole Balin '12 (Assistant Stage Manager), Heather Harvey '11
(Assistant Director), Anya Kazimierski '11 (Set Designer), Tim Krumreig '12
(Costume Designer), Mary Heatwole '12 (Lighting Designer), Alani Gaunt '10
(Makeup Designer), Megan Yau '10 (Properties Master), Barbara Kessler (Box
Office), Rebecca Balmer '09, Alexander Birnie '10 and Emma Louise Rodriguez
'11 (Publicity).

*Anna Strasser (Director), *is a fourth year Theater and Psychology double
major from New York City. Previous directing credits include *Little
Fish*('08),
*Anton in Show Business* ('07), *Wasp* ('07), *And Miss Reardon Drinks A
Little* ('06), *Misplaced Shoes and Further Confusions* ('06), and *Central
Park West* ('06). Acting credits include the role of April in *The Heidi
Chronicles* ('07). *The Shape of Things* is her honors project.**

*Neil LaBute (Playwright), *is the author of *In the Company of Men, Bash:
Latter-Day Plays, The Shape of Things, The Distance from Here, The Mercy
Seat, Autobahn, Fat Pig, This Is How It Goes, Some Girl(s), Wrecks, In a
Dark, Dark House and Reasons to Be Pretty. *He has also directed films,
including the *Nurse Betty *and the recent *Lakeview Terrace, *as well as *In
the Company of Men, Your Friends and Neighbors, and Possession, *for which
he also wrote the screenplay. Originally from Wayne, Michigan, LaBute
studied theater at Brigham Young University. There he joined the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, although he was disfellowshipped in 2000
due to the content of his play *Bash: Latter-Day Plays*. LaBute has done
graduate work at the University of Kansas, New York University, and the
Royal Academy of London, and is currently Playwright-in-Residence at MCC
Theater in New York City.
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