Theater stages provocative V-Day plays

Scandalous love affairs, sensual seduction and domineering female characters describe the scenes of two one-act performances opening this weekend at the John Waldron Arts Center.

Theatre of the People will present “The Ladies of Lust Abridged;” Oscar Wilde’s “Salome” and August Strindberg’s “Miss Julie” at 8 p.m. Friday in the Rose Firebay
room.

The shows, which tell Salome’s and Miss Julie’s stories of finding romance, offer viewers new perspectives on modern-day relationships.

“This play will be interesting for people to see because they are used to typical love stories, whereas these characters miss the mark,” said freshman Suzie Zimmerman, who plays Salome.

This double one-act feature from the late 19th century highlights the lives of two strong-willed characters, Salome and Miss Julie, who exude a powerful lust for men.

“We picked this show because both plays were banned, and that was appealing,” said David Nosko, co-artistic director for Theatre of the People. “Now, it’s not so scandalous. It’s an interesting way to look at femininity and masculinity.”

Subject matter that likely kept the plays offstage was the relationships between upper and lower class, which doesn’t seem unconventional in today’s time, said Hannah Moss, co-artistic director for the theater.

“During Valentine’s Day we wanted to resurrect old plays that were relatively romantic and racy to be festive, yet these classic plays were banned because they were too out there,” Moss said.

Theatre of the People, a nonprofit theater company, attempts to evoke a modern theme within these historical performances by incorporating hip-hop into “Miss Julie,” Nosko said.

The cast had to get more creative because of the $1,800 budget. Most of the actors wear trash bags, but most theater-goers would not notice because of the resourceful designs, Hannah said.

“This is a fantastic age to see this young woman being able to experience ... (her) sexuality and appreciate the woman for who she is,” Moss said. “This is certainly not a chick flick.”