Cal U to stage play
CALIFORNIA – The Department of Theatre and Dance at California University of Pennsylvania will present “How I Learned to Drive” by Paula Vogel. The play will be performed Wednesday through Saturday, Oct. 20-23, at Steele Auditorium on the California University campus.
Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play is about a woman who learns the rules of life from behind the wheel. By using the flashbacks of ‘Lil Bits memory, the comedy follows ‘Lil Bit, played by Natalia Dove of Lusby, Md., down the twists and turns on the road of life from her first driving lesson with Uncle Peck, portrayed by Adam Bryan of Hermitage, to her life as it is now.
‘Lil Bit as an adult reflects on the experiences she had as an adolescent growing up in the 1960s and 1970s in suburban Maryland.
She receives driving lessons from her uncle and that relationship, though tentative and sexual at times, forms the underpinnings of a story that is mesmerizing, personal and disarmingly funny. Vogel addresses the dangerous intersections of teenage temptation and curiosity and sexual abuse in family life.
Along with the two main characters, Vogel uses the classic Greek chorus to add a traditional flare.
Director Michael Slavin has uniquely brought the choral parts to life on stage by masking the chorus members to heighten the audiences experience and highlight the important moments of growing up.
As all three choruses assume the various roles of the key players in ‘Lil Bit’s story, the audience can witness the transformation to help provide a picturesque scene from memory to memory and lesson to lesson.
For more information, call the theater box office at 724-938-5943. Adult and senior citizens tickets are available. All shows will be held at 8 p.m. and Cal U student tickets are free with a valid CalCard. As a note to the public, this play contains adult themes and language.