As the cold winter threatens, the gray squirrels gloat over a fat cache of nuts. Starving red squirrels beg the gray squirrels to share. The result is all-out war.
The Wayne State College Theatre Program presents Robert Askins’ “The Squirrels,” Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 16-19, in the Black Box Theatre, located on the lower level of the Lied Performing Arts Annex of the Peterson Fine Arts Building.
Performances are 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets, available at the door, are $5 per person for the public, with free admission for Wayne State students, faculty and staff with their college ID card. There are no reserved seats and seating is limited.
“The Squirrels” is produced by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Services, Inc.
This hilarious, yet dark, satire mirrors a modern-day society of wealth inequality and fear of the other. Echoing cultural conflicts, “The Squirrels” scrutinizes avarice, arrogance, politics and prejudice. A forbidden romance kindles further drama. Tension soars, leaving no squirrel, gray or red, unscathed. “The Squirrels” contains mature themes and runs approximately 90 minutes.
Cast members include:
Nathania Mercelina- Willemstad, Curaçao; Sophie Pascoe- Whitby, New Zealand; Debonaire Williams- Lafayette, Louisiana; Ashly Gunderson- Ida Grove, Iowa;
Mariah Pleskac- Missouri Valley, Iowa; Iyla Sutherland- Nevada, Iowa; Seth Gustad- Canton, South Dakota; Gavin Kafka and Madison Reisner- Yankton, South Dakota;
Brayden Hermanson- Cedar Bluffs; Ella Johnson- Gretna; Chloe McMichael- McCook; Kaito Moreno Solorio- Omaha; Nevin Hayner- Valley.
Other Wayne State students involved in the production are Claire Jensen, Aurora, costume designer; Zoey Campbell, Papillion, stage manager and Eve Gilmore, Sioux City, Iowa, scenic artist.
“The Squirrels” is directed by Rusty Ruth, associate professor of theatre at Wayne State. Mollie Young, adjunct professor of theatre, serves as intimacy director, and Brian Begley, associate professor of theatre, is the scenic, lighting, and sound designer. Begley also serves as fight choreographer and technical director.
For more information, contact Rusty Ruth at ruruth1@wsc.edu.
Wayne State College, a leading, public four-year college in Northeast Nebraska, is a proud member of the Nebraska State College System.
