The next show on campus illustrates an account of unsophisticated people dealing with an emotional crisis.
Holy Ghosts, by Romulus Linney, is set in the south and follows a cult of Pentecostal snake handlers who believe that, with great faith, they will be protected from the bites of poisonous snakes.
“Nancy Shedman” runs away from her drunken husband “Coleman” and seeks refuge with a band of snake-handlers, where she falls in love with their leader. “Coleman” arrives with a lawyer seeking a divorce, and while he is there he is compelled to listen to the stories of the cult members who have all experienced different kinds of grief and rejection in their lives.
“It’s so incredibly honest,” said Dawson MacLeod, acting freshman playing “Coleman.” “Clichés aside, you as an audience member really understand who each character is as soon as they’re introduced, while simultaneously having the opportunity to watch them all grow.”
One cast member said the show’s content may be strange to those unfamiliar to the tradition.
The second half of the show is based on testimonials from the characters.
“This show is so profound because even though the things these characters are saying may sound strange, it’s real life and that’s how people actually exist in the world,” said Danielle Pike, acting freshman playing “Nancy.”
The show will run March 31 to April 3 in the Black Box Theater Wanda L. Bass Music Center. Tickets are available at the door and are $5 for students.
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