The end of a relationship will never be easy, and scorned lovers rarely forget the wounds inflicted. AU Players takes this idea and explores it, sometimes to the audience's discomfort, in their production of "Some Girl(s)."
"Some Girl(s)" by American playwright Neil LaBute tells the story of Guy who, on the verge of getting married, goes to visit four former girlfriends, attempting to make amends for the wrongs he might have committed.
Each of the four girls represents a unique relationship and moment in Guy's life, allowing the play to investigate a multitude of themes and the emotions that surface in both parties when a relationship gets rough.
Director Charlie Biscotto, a senior in the School of Public Affairs, found "Some Girl(s)" while browsing in a bookstore, reading the backs of the plays. After reading the synopsis of "Some Girl(s)," he remembers thinking it was something worth directing because it "scared" him.
"It has been ... difficult to spend six weeks seeing flaws similar to my own played out in front of me," Biscotto admitted, "but I believe that I am a stronger person for the discomfort."
He said he also hopes the audience experiences a "similar discomfort of facing up to the realities of their own actions."
The desired emotional strain is rooted in the realistic, honest offerings from the cast. Taylor Williams, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences who plays Guy, said that sometimes he would "forget to act" because of the connections he drew between the character and himself.
Jacqueline Salamack, a sophomore in CAS who plays Bobbi, said she related to her character because they both maintain a healthy self-respect when in relationships, but "it would depend" on the relationship's past if she would make the same choices as her character.
Salamack had plenty of room to explore her relationship with the character in the rehearsal process.
"Charlie is quite possibly the most different director I've ever worked with," she said.
His method of directing was to let the actors simply act, ask how it felt and then give feedback, which gave a lot of room for exploration.
Salamack said she felt the instruction was simple and realistic.
"You're human - what would you humanly do?"
Ariana Hodes, a junior in CAS, found the organic approach to the character effective.
"Essentially, you can bring the basic feelings to the role," Hodes said.
But these characters are also forced to face their demons long after the fact. "The hardest part is bringing the time element into that," she said. "Seven years later [the character]'s decided to come back and face it."
Hodes said she felt the play brought up important themes, such as how people get hurt in relationships.
"We all just kind of assume it's an unavoidable thing," she said. "It's not really OK to do something and know it's going to hurt someone else."
Williams echoed her sentiments, saying that his character finds out the hard way to use caution when ending a relationship.
"Don't burn bridges emotionally. Don't fray heartstrings. There's a loss," he said.
"Some Girl(s)" is challenging for both performers and audience members, but its good intentions pervade in its messages about humanity, accepting blame and attempting to make amends for wrongs, no matter how long ago they were made.
"Some Girl(s)" will be performed Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the Katzen Studio Theatre. Admission is $5.
