“The Flick,” a dramatic play written by Annie Baker, an American playwright, plays at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday in Bruder Theater in King Hall.
“The Flick” premiered off-broadway in 2013 and has since won several awards, including the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Dan Matisa, assistant professor of communication and theater and director of “The Flick,” said the anti-theatrical nature of the production makes up for the long length and the production will spark conversation on the subjects of suicide and depression.
“The play is completely absorbing,” Matisa said. “Very engaging, very entertaining and it sneaks up on you and plays its little trick on you without you even knowing what’s what. It is not very theatrical in the way we think about that word. We see this production as a chance to open a dialogue on depression, anxiety, and suicide, especially given the recent tragedy on our campus. This production was chosen long before that event took place, but we decided to make this play a conversation starter, a chance for people to learn and destigmatize depression.”
The play deals with many adult themes and includes adult language, according to Matisa. During the play, characters talk about eating disorders, depression suicide, sexual assault, sexual acts and uses the word “retarded.”
While these topics may be distressing, Elliot Breast, senior English and theater double major, who plays Sam, a gloomy 30-something film usher, said that the production will be a great way for students to talk about these uncomfortable topics.
“It will be very cathartic for people going through this stuff,” Breast said. “(Suicide and depression) really is not an easy topic to talk about. It brings it right out and says ‘alright let’s talk about it.’ Buckle up it’s a ride. It’s emotional, it’s funny and its dramatic.”
Roxy Hopkins, sophomore theater major, plays Rose, the film projectionist and a girl looking for who she really is.
“My character is very misunderstood, even by herself,” Hopkins said. “She doesn’t know who she is. She kind of figures out who she is and she figures out that she kind of a stereotype. A lot of the questions of the play talk about being real and fake. She finds out who she is and I think it’s a really cool character arc.”
Avery, a 20-year-old film usher who has a history of depression and has also attempted to commit suicide, is played by Hew Leek, a freshman theater major.
Avery will resonate with students and the play itself will be something different but still enjoyable, according to Leek.
“My character is a college students and goes through stuff a lot of college students tend to go through,” Leek said. ”It’s really relevant to some of the stuff going on on campus. It’s a good way to open up the wound and talk about it.”
In the lobby, during and after the play, there will be reading material and representatives from the Student Wellness Center and the Out of the Darkness program to talk to audience members that may have been triggered by the play’s content or want to learn more about these issues.
