The Rogers State University Theatre Program will present the Pulitzer Prize-winning “‘night, Mother” at 7 p.m., Feb. 16-18 at the Will Rogers Auditorium.
Winner of the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for drama, “‘night, Mother” has been lauded for its unflinching depiction of a family in crisis. The play takes place in the living room and kitchen in the rural home of mother Thelma Cates and her daughter, Jessie.
The performance opens with Jessie Cates asking her mother for a piece of plastic sheeting and for the location of her father’s gun. After Jessie finds the gun hidden away in an old shoe box in the attic, she begins cleaning the weapon. As she does, she calmly tells her mother that it is her intention to commit suicide later that evening. The story continues to follow the evening’s activities from that startling revelation.
Critics have praised “‘night, Mother” for its honest, unsentimental dialogue along with its unflinching focus on emptiness of the two women’s lives. Interjected with sharp and sometimes darkly humorous dialogue, the play is recognized both as a gritty fictional work and a cautionary tale with bearing on real life.
Adult tickets are available for $10 and seniors may attend for $6. Admission is $2 for RSU, students, faculty and staff. Call the RSU Theatre box office at 918-343-6882 to reserve tickets.