On Feb. 5 and Feb. 6, the play Lilith in Pisces will be shown in Jones Studio Theatre. Shows will occur at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Feb. 5 and 2 p.m. on Feb. 6. The show is directed by MacKenzie Ulibarri, ‘22, and stars Cas Corum, ‘22, as one of its main characters. Ulibarri and Corum have put on this production as their senior theatre project. Also starring in the play are Carolina Gao, ‘23, and James Poslusny. Guests can RSVP to attend through this Google Form.
Corum said that they have “always wanted to do an acting role for [their] senior project.” They explained that usually, a senior project for an actor will involve them playing a lead character or other major role, but the COVID-19 pandemic cast uncertainty on their ability to do this.
“I hoped putting on my own production would help me grow as an actor,” Corum said, “which is always my goal.”
Ulibarri said that since she has most of her experience in designing plays, it made sense for her to take on that aspect of the production. “We’d just had our directing scenes last semester, and I learned I really enjoy directing, so it became more and more of a really exciting thing to take on,” she said.
Corum and Ulibarri partnered for this senior project, and they said their first step was to find the play they wanted to produce.
“We wanted a small play with a mostly female or nonbinary cast,” Corum explained. “I stumbled across Lilith in Pisces by Kayla Eisenberg. It was perfect…The characters had great arcs and the show talks a lot about astrology. So we settled on it!”
Ulibarri said that the show is “certainly about femininity, and the expression of what that can look like…it’s about the pretty, nurturing, yearning and lovely side of femininity, and how strong it can make people, but it also shows the ugly side, the vengeful, angry, manipulative side.”
In astrology, Lilith refers to a specific moon phase, and when in the twelfth house its energy can be especially powerful. Corum explained that in the play, “Lilith…is associated with an innate animalistic instinct. [She is] bent on lust and unorthodox societal behaviors, potentially creating tangled messes in [characters’] lives.”
“The audience can expect an intimate show that talks about serious things, like self-reflection and feeling trapped in your life,” Ulibarri added. “It’s not too serious, and it has its funny moments, but there are heavy topics like abortion and suicide.”
Corum said they hope that this production will inspire other students to embark on similar projects. “It's been a long time since an actual full-length play has been put on by students, Vagina Monologues notwithstanding,” they said. “We hope to use this experience as a guide for future students.”
“Putting on a production is no easy task, and it requires community,” Ulibarri said. “Our faculty have been very supportive of what we’re doing, and we are grateful that we’re able to do this.”
By Olivia Slack, Co-Editor in Chief