“Stop Kiss” play adds a touch of modern intimacy to AC campus community
From last Thursday until Saturday, the Adrian College theatre department hosted a showing of the play “Stop Kiss.” The shows took place at 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday night and at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday.
“Stop Kiss” tells the story of two women living in New York who fall in love and the repercussions of their relationship.
The play was written by Diana Son.
“Stop Kiss” was directed by AC professor of theatre, Michael Allen. The play featured sophomore Gabrielle Piazza and freshman Melissa Perry in the lead roles as Callie and Sara. The play also cast sophomore Brian Crawford as Detective Cole, junior Dominque Fernandez as Mrs. Winsely, freshman Ian Hudgins as Peter, freshman T.J. Behling as George, and sophomore Breane Stokes as the Nurse.
The performances were followed by talkback discussions with student members from the Feminist Empowerment Movement (FEM) and Safe Place. A member of the AC faculty and the cast of the play were also active in the discussion. On Thursday, assistant professor and department chair of history Stephanie Jass led the discussion, while on Friday Susan Nichols, associate professor of sociology, social work and criminal justice, was the lead. Saturday had two speakers, one after each show. Monique Savage, director of counseling services, conducted the first; the second discussion was led by Carissa Massey, assistant professor of art history.
The talkbacks ranged from topics such as the affect of journalist media on the events of the play to the realism of the play itself.
“This is a play about the fear of love [and] of judgment,” said Nichols during the Friday talkback.
Michael Gniewek, president of Safe Place, contributed to the discussion by saying, “This is a play about love. It’s not about gay love, just the love of two people.”
There was also a discussion on finding true love and on finding your true identity. Praise was given to Callie for not taking the easy way out. It was also pointed out that hiding your own identity and enduring the pain is never the “easy way out.”
Some feel the talkbacks were more of a missed opportunity.
“I feel like the concept of talkbacks are excellent,” said Perry. “But it seems like it just became them telling us what we already knew and vice versa. It wasn’t as powerful as it could have been.”
Whether or not the talkbacks were as powerful as they could have been, the play itself was well received.
A talkback panel consisting of one faculty member, a representative from FEM and Safe Place and other students led a discussion after each showing. (Photo by Jennifer Miller)
The theatre department hosted the play "Stop Kiss" last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. (Photo by Ashley Brown)
“I felt that all of the performances were very well done, particularly the main two,” said sophomore Chris Quinlan. “The play really reinforced everything that I believed in beforehand.”
According to Perry, four of the seven cast members were ill on Saturday, as were many members of the stage crew.
“It was one of the hardest, scariest things I have ever had to do,” Perry said. “I was given the decision of whether or not to run the second show, and of course I chose to. About halfway through I felt like I couldn’t make it and I didn’t know if I could finish the show.”
Despite the illnesses, audience members, still enjoyed the play.
“It was amazing,” said senior Dave Hartford. “I went to multiple plays and you couldn’t tell a difference from when they were sick and when they weren’t sick.”