The Yakima Valley College Drama Department will present its first in-person production in nearly two years this winter, producing “Circle Mirror Transformation” by Annie Baker. Performances will be March 3, 4 and 5 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 general admission.
In this Obie Award winner for Best New American Play, four lost New Englanders who enroll in a community center drama class begin to experiment with harmless games, resulting in hearts quietly torn apart and tiny wars of epic proportions waged and won.
Drama Instructor Alicia Bickley, who is directing the play, chose it after being inspired by the work and camaraderie of her fall quarter “Beginning Acting” class.
“The students seemed profoundly grateful to be able to work together in person and they quickly developed a bond that helped them weather setbacks and to grow as actors and as people,” Bickley said. “‘Circle Mirror Transformation’ is about that kind of experience. How artistic investigation transforms an individual. How being part of a group is both safe and risky at the same time.
“And how the journeys we go on as artists, even as beginners or amateurs, tend to mirror the journeys we go on as people. In a way, you can almost tie this to the pandemic. A solo and group journey that has transformed us all. Who were we when it began? Who are we now? Where do we go from here?”
Cast members include Barbie Falter Wood (Yakima), Amanda Russert (Ellensburg), Jose Rocha (Selah), Blair Harrison Burns (Yakima) and Kaitlyn Rodriguez (Yakima).
On March 2, a special preview performance will be open to high school students at no charge. That performance also will begin at 7:30 p.m.
For all performances audience members must wear masks for the entire time. Limited seating is available due to COVID safety protocols so audience members must arrive before 7:30 p.m.; no seats purchased in advance will be held if the ticket holder has not arrived by that time.
Tickets are on sale now. For more information call 509.574.4837.