COW theater and dance productions on stage Oct. 3-5
Stephanie Castrejón, left, Teresa Ascencio and Amari Royal portray children detained at the U.S.-Mexico border in “CAGED,” one of two fall productions being staged Oct. 3-5 at The College of Wooster.
The College of Wooster Department of Theatre and Dance will present its fall productions of “Trifles,” written by Susan Glaspell, and “CAGED,” written by Jimmy A. Noriega, Oct. 3-5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Freedlander Theater, 329 E. University St.
The plays will be performed back to back with a run time of approximately 80 minutes.
Directed by Noriega, professor of theater and dance, “Trifles” is a period piece first written and performed in 1916 by Glaspell and based on a true story.
“‘Trifles’is based on a crime that took place over 100 years ago, but it asks us to continue thinking about the roles that sexism and gender discrimination play in the ways people investigate and prosecute crimes that involve women,” Noriega said.
At the start of “Trifles,” five people arrive at a farmhouse to investigate the scene of a murder including a county attorney, a local sheriff and the neighbor who found the body, accompanied by two of their wives. By the end of the play, the men and women arrive at different conclusions. The play features students Ethan Bardoe, Kate Conway, Rickey Cooper, Cam Love and Anna Whiting.“Trifles”and “CAGED”are both stage managed by student Audrey Klosterman.
Written and directed by Noriega, “CAGED” focuses on the “zero tolerance” policy that separated families at the U.S.-Mexico border and left thousands of immigrant children incarcerated in detention centers. In the play three children grapple with what it means to endure the journey north and to be separated from their loved ones. This fall’s production features students Teresa Ascencio and Amari Royal, along with Stephanie Castrejon, a 2016 graduate returning to the college as a guest performer.
“CAGED” was originally conceived as a digital performance in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has been expanded for the stage. It was created in collaboration with Noriega’s award-winning theater company, Teatro Travieso/Troublemaker Theatre, and was chosen to be presented at an international theater festival in Belgium this November.
“It is my hope that this play educates people about these inhumane policies and inspires dialogue about our broken immigration system that treats migrants as criminals, rather than as human beings,” Noriega said.
The productions are suitable for age 10 and older. There will be no intermission between shows. For the safety of the audience, cast and crew, masks will be required by everyone attending the performances.
The Freedlander Theatre box office hours are Monday through Friday from 1-5 p.m. On the days of the performance, the box office will be open at 1 p.m. until the start time of the performances. Tickets for both shows can be reserved in person, by calling the box office or by visiting www.wooster.edu/tickets.