Starting on Oct. 2, Elon University students will showcase the first performance of the play “Reckless” in the Black Box Theatre.

Written in 1983 by Craig Lucas, “Reckless” is a dark comedy that follows main character Rachel, who learns her husband has hired someone to kill her.  What follows is a series of adventures where Rachel learns more about herself and the world. 

Kirby Wahl, associate professor of performing arts and director of “Reckless” commented that this play is humorous, while allowing the audience to step away and think about the darker themes.

“It has an absurdist inclination, but it’s not really that kind of play,” he said.  “There is meaning to be found in the play.”

For Rachel, her experiences serve as a journey of self-discovery. Initially, she views the world through an optimistic lens, but she experiences a paradigm shift throughout the play.

“Her ‘Pollyanna’ view of the world is definitely challenged throughout the course of the story,” Wahl said.

Sophomore acting major Nicole Bloom was cast as Rachel and said she has grown from portraying a character like Rachel.

“My character, Rachel, is a bit of a goofball at times. Immersing myself into her world has, among other things, allowed me to feel more comfortable with my own sense of humor,” she said.  “I’ve kind of fallen in love with Rachel’s zest for life, and exploring how she views the world has definitely had an impact on me as an actor.”

Auditions for “Reckless” and “Titanic” were held simultaneously on the first day of classes. Acting and musical theater majors primarily auditioned for each, although anyone could audition.

Students could only be in one performance because the rehearsals, which began the following week once casting had been announced, conflicted with each other.

During the audition process, Wahl wrote a list of descriptors for each character and actively chose students who embraced those qualities.

“‘Reckless’ is very well-cast,” Wahl said.  “That is sometimes said to be the director’s most important task. They [the actors] brought a keen intelligence to the script.” 

He said he was ultimately pleased with the eight members and eight understudies he selected to be cast.

Some actors were required to embody a wide spectrum of qualities.  In the case of senior acting major Kimmi Johnson, she adapted to six different roles as each of Rachel’s therapists. 

“Each therapist has her own physical quirks, theories and speech patterns,” Johnson said. “The second, third and fourth doctors I play each speak with different accents. It was at first challenging to delve into each character. Now that we are using costumes and props, it has become much easier to separate all six.”

“Reckless” cast and crew will have 24 four-hour blocks of rehearsal time to bring the entire show together.

One of the challenges the cast faced was this short span of rehearsal time.  Additionally, this process takes up a majority of the students’ time.

“This fall is one of the most academically challenging semesters in the acting program, and so I’ve had to balance my time as best I can,” Bloom said.  “You do have to spend extra time outside of rehearsal when working on a show like this, especially on memorizing lines.”

Wahl claimed he can see growth from the actors in just the few weeks of working on this play.

He is looking forward to having the students shine in their roles.

“Everybody in the cast brought something really helpful to the project,” he said. “Their understanding of the roles is much more nuanced now.”

Wahl added he hoped the audience will be responsive to those nuances.  The reaction from the audience impacts the actors. Engaged audiences often generate better quality performances.

Likewise, Wahl hopes the audience enjoys the performance but encourages them to think critically about the performance afterwards.

“The play, for the most part, is fun and full of surprises, but it’s very much about Rachel’s effort to determine if the universe is benevolent and supports happiness and self-realization, or if it is a frightening place of chaos and unpredictability,” Wahl said. “All of that sounds heavy, but it’s a pretty funny show.”