The play takes place in two rooms over the course of several weeks, with only four characters and a simple plot. George, a novelist, dearly loved his wife Barbara who has recently died. His brother Leo thinks George needs to move beyond his grief, get on with his life, and meet someone new. Leo is married, but having an affair with Faye, also married. Faye’s best friend Jennie is divorced and Faye and Leo set out to connect George and Jennie. Once they meet, George and Jennie hit it off and become engaged after only two weeks. “The major drama of the play unfolds in George’s inability to give up Barbara who he still loves deeply coupled with Jennie’s love of George and want for the good life she’s never had.” Hernandez said. “Leo and Faye negotiate their mutual affair, trying to figure out what they want from life and what they want from each other. The play ends, as any good love story does, in reconciliation.”
Junior
Hernandez’s production is aided with lighting design by sophomore Jeff Ridenour of
In the proposal prepared for his directing project, Hernandez said he selected this play for the opportunity to explore the relationships between the characters. “I have come to realize that the nature of this piece, a man experiencing the second chapter of his life, is much like the changes we college students are facing now,” Hernandez wrote. “It’s a new chapter, a new phase, one in which we have to let go of everything we’ve held onto and known for so long and embrace the strange, wonderful scariness of the real world. “
Students in the directing course taught by Kirk Everist, assistant professor of communication studies, will put their learning to use for the Festival of One-Act Plays, November 21-22, with performances at 7 p.m.