Bill of One-Act Plays Christens Theater Department's Newest Facility

The old university gym, newly refitted in the black-box style, is the stage for three one-act plays: "Workout," a short, one-woman monologue by Wendy Wasserstein, "Carrying the Calf," a play for four actresses by Shirley Barrie, and "Playing Hardball," for two actors, by Don Kukla.

Sarah Pharis will perform "Workout." Written by one of America's most prominent contemporary playwrights, "Workout" is a comical piece that is strangely moving in a single moment of simplicity. "The audience," says Ms Pharis, "sees a woman doing her daily workout in the gym, a self-proclaimed over achiever. The character is someone with whom we can all identify: what we show to the world as being the 'main goal' for our lives is often something bitterly different that what we secretly desire."

Michael Shank, a graduate student in the Conflict Transformation Program, directs "Carrying the Calf." This is a play about women having problems with the men in their lives. It introduces us to three adolescent women in a self-defense class, from different cultural backgrounds. As each of them – South Asian, West Indian, and white – works to master the martial arts, their personalities change. The cast features Alison D'Silva, Roxanna Michael, Rebekah Miller, and Katie Resendiz.

"Playing Hardball" concludes the evening. Directed by Paul Hildebrand, it tells the story of two brothers who meet in their old high school gym on Christmas eve for a serious game of one-on-one basketball – and in the process, speak truths to each other that have been left unsaid for too long. The cast features Michael Stauffer and Timothy Koehn.

Performance dates: November 20-22, 2003. Tickets for the program are $5 for adults, $2 for students.