Keene State’s Theater and Dance (TAD) production of “Life Sucks” put on five sold out performances Oct. 4,6,7 and 8 in the Redfern Wright Theater.
The show was directed by Tyler Keyes and written by Aaron Posner, which was inspired by Anton Chekhov’s play “Uncle Vanya” written in 1898.
Keyes said the show is about, “a family in Upstate New York, a group of people that are in love or wish to be in love, or they hate each other depending on who you put together.”
He added that the material can be connected to real-life situations. “It is super relatable; everybody will be like, ‘Oh, I’ve been in that situation,’ or, ‘I know somebody that has been in that situation.’”
“I keep comparing it to Sesame Street for adults,” said Keyes
Keyes mentioned that the performances also engaged audience members.
“The show also utilizes fourth-wall breaks, where characters talk to the audience and ask them questions and talk about their own problems like what’s going well and what’s not going well,” says Keyes.
According to Keyes, the staff and the cast members have been working hard to prepare, as they only had about four weeks of rehearsals.
“We rehearsed for about two weeks shorter than I am used to,” Keyes said.
Senior Erika Walker, who played Ella, said she hoped that the audience was able to relate the show back to their own lives.
“I hope that they take away that life as a whole is a bunch of baby steps, once those baby steps are hit, keep on thriving,” Walker said.
Walker said Keyes did a great job getting the crew members in touch with their characters.
“He was the one that was really helpful with getting me connected with my character Ella,” said Walker.
Walker added that working alongside Keyes, “Has been amazing”
The most rewarding part of doing this play for Walker was getting into her character. “I was able to get a super fine sense of Ella and how different she is from me,” Walker said
The show’s message left an impact on senior Karissa Kenyon, who attended a performance.
“The message that I got from the show was that people need to be mindful of others when you notice they are feeling down. Everyone goes through life in their own way but some people cope differently,” says Kenyon.
Kenyon added, “This show was very funny, I enjoyed it.”
Kristin Goddard can be contacted at
kgoddard@kscequinox.com
