University Theatre opens the spring season with “This Random World” by Steven Dietz and directed by Professor of Theatre Paul Steger.
Performances are March 2-4 and 7-11 at 7:30 p.m. and March 12 at 2 p.m. in the Studio Theatre, first floor of the Temple Building. Tickets are $18 general, $16 faculty/staff/senior citizens and $12 students with ID. Tickets are available at the door or in advance from the Lied Center Ticket Office at (402) 472-4747 or online at http://go.unl.edu/theatretix.
Exploring the comedy of missed connections, “This Random World” asks: Have you ever wondered with whom you are traveling a parallel path through this world, but you didn’t even notice?
Following a web of characters whose interwoven lives collide, but never quite connect, “This Random World” explores the power of chance and how we might be closer to each other than we’ll ever know.
Steger found the play while attending the Humana Festival for New American Plays in Louisville, Kentucky. The script has yet to be published. It is scheduled to be published just about the time of the University’s performances.
“The playwright, Steven Dietz, was kind enough to give us permission to produce the play at the Johnny Carson School," Steger said.
Steger describes the play as “quirky, warm, inviting, mysterious and evocative.”
Becca Hess, a senior directing and management major from Chicago, said, “’This Random World’ is subtitled ‘The Myth of Serendipity.’ I think serendipity and spontaneity are two concepts this play explores. The play dives into the idea that you may connect with someone in the world in a way you weren't expecting. Dietz also did a great job writing these characters, they are all very relatable. Throughout the play the characters explore the difference between life and death. How do people prepare for an end that is definite but the timing is unknown? ‘This Random World’ tries to answer that question.”
Professor of Theatre Virginia Smith plays Scottie Ward. She appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the U.S. She is working again with Steger on this production.
“I directed Paul in ‘Santaland Diaries’ a few years ago, so it’s been a delight to swap hats,” Smith said. “After years of working together on so many different projects, there is an ease and even a revelry in working with him and the rest of the cast on this funny and profound play. As you would expect, he is supportive, gentle, full of ideas, and intensely interested in revealing the truth of these characters on their journeys.”
Her character, Scottie, is "a kind but impulsive lady of a certain age" who, unlike her two adult children, has discovered how to deeply cherish life.
“When I play a role, I study the text and then use qualities in myself to become the character,” Smith said. “I am blessed to be filled with Scottie's joy, her self-effacing humor and her spunk. She's making me even sassier than I was before.”
Jorden Charley-Whatley, a senior performance and design/technical production major from Papillion, Nebraska, plays Tim Ward.
“Tim is the kind of guy you never see without his computer or phone out,” Charley-Whatley said. “That is, if you ever see him outside of his apartment. He’s just trying to figure things out in his life, trying to figure out who he is. He’s also kind of a dork.”
Hess’s character, Beth Ward, is the oldest of two children.
“She is a 30-year-old woman who has been brought up to be the ‘take care of business’ type,” Hess said. “She’s the one with the plan and has an answer for everything. After her father died, and her mother began to age, she had to step up and take on more responsibility. The time comes to do something for herself. She decides to take a trip that will forever impact the way she envisions life, death and human connection.”
Charley-Whatley said he likes the quirkiness of the play.
“I love this show because it’s just so casually quirky, and there’s no way any of us in the cast can’t have fun with it,” he said. “It’s quick-witted, and it’s able to cycle through comedic and serious quickly and smoothly, so you’re always being given something new.”
Hess said that audiences should expect to be dropped into their ‘Random World.’
“The show will be performed in the intimate Studio Theatre, which will really make the audience feel like they are part of the story,” she said. “They will be seeing the good, bad and the ugly parts of these six characters' lives.”
Charley-Whatley said audiences should expect the unexpected.
“The show is full of moments where the pieces don’t fall quite into place, and it’s such a fun thing to watch,” he said. “It’s a show with a lot of heart, and it’s going to be a good time for everyone.”