UW Theatre Department falls down "Rabbit Hole"

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Written by Andrew Call

Tuesday, 28 October 2008 09:16

Rachel Rosenfeld and Jake Staley rehearse for

The 2007 Pulitzer Prize winning play “Rabbit Hole” makes its way to a Laramie stage. David Lindsay-Abaire’s play has only been around for two years, but the praise and adoration that followed its debut on Broadway in 2006 foreshadowed success.

The play focuses on idyllic suburban couple, Becca and Howard Corbett, how they each cope with a tragic accident and how this accident changes their lives forever. Director Rebecca Hilliker, UW professor and former Fine Arts department head, has had a similar situation happen to her.

“I’ve had a life experience with this. I think I personally understand how long and complex the grieving process is,” Hilliker said.

“When you have a couple that normally have a good relationship and can comfort each other it’s very different from a relationship after losing a child. It’s really really hard to find a language to comfort and sustain your spouse,” Hilliker said.

“Rabbit Hole” delves into the emotional hole that is left behind when people are forced to confront personal tragedy, taking a critical look at the unraveling of reality and the hardship that follows. The tragedy distances the Corbetts from well-meaning friends and family and eventually from each other.

“They don’t know how to comfort one another. They’re not grieving and dealing with the situation in the same way.

“It does provide some degree of hope in the end,” Hilliker said. “You’ll be able to see that they are at least starting to move forward, but they’ve still got a long, long way to go.”

The play opens tonight at 7:30 in the Fine Arts Studio Theatre and will continue to run through Nov. 1. Tickets are $7 for students, $11 for seniors and $14 for others. They can be purchased by telephone at (307) 766-6666 or online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts.

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