Indiana State University Newsroom

Crossroads Repertory Theatre will examine the depths of emotion during the production of "Rabbit Hole" opening June 30.

"It is an exquisite piece of writing," said director Lauren Morris. "It won the Pulitzer Prize, and that is no small thing. It is a practically perfect play in its structure, and it doesn't give you any easy answers."

A Tony Award-winning drama, "Rabbit Hole" was written by David Lindsey-Abaire. The play tells the story of a husband and wife who struggle to rebuild their lives and maintain their relationship in the wake of a senseless and inexplicable tragedy. Families and strangers must comfort one another, even as they confront the grief and resentment that threatens to consume them.

"At its core, (‘Rabbit Hole') is about what we do as humans when our life breaks ... and how we move forward after," said Morris. "The plot of the play is about a family dealing with the death of a child, which is a pretty big way for your life to break, but that is what theater does best, I think. It shows us, in a magnified way, what it's like to be human."

Morris, who owns the strategy consulting company, Left Brain Creative, has spent hours preparing to give audiences the greatest and most empathetic experience possible.

"I've done some reading about parents who have lost children," Morris said. "I have a 3-year-old son, and the boy in the play is 4 years old, so that gives me a very personal perspective on what these characters might be going through."

During the process for the design of the play, Morris and the team of artists collaborating on the production decided that they didn't want to create a hyper-realistic set, allowing the audience to focus on the actors and the story, not a realistic house with a working kitchen and granite countertops.

"The thing that scares me most about this script is the rawness of the human emotion, but I also think that it is really important to do things that scare you," Morris said.

The Crossroads Repertory Theatre's theme this season is "Tricks of the Mind." Morris says this play is about the tricks that your mind plays on you to survive and make it through a really hard thing.

"I think a natural reaction to somebody dying is to question: ‘Wait, how is somebody who was with me every moment and who was a part of me just suddenly not here anymore?'" Morris said. "I think the mind plays tricks in terms of pretending like it hasn't happened or alternately focusing on nothing but it's happening. The mind plays tricks just to survive."

Morris is excited to share this award-winning production with the audience.

"I hope (the audience) can see themselves in the resilience of these characters, but ultimately I hope they come away with an amazement of what human beings are capable of," Morris said. "Even though it is about a hard thing, it is fun and witty and intellectual. It's challenging but cathartic. It's worth going on the journey."

"Rabbit Hole" runs at 7:30 p.m. June 30, July 1, 6, 14 and 4 p.m. July 2 in Indiana State's New Theater, 536 N. 7th St. For more information about this summer's season or to buy tickets, go to crossroadsrep.com or call the box office at 812-237-3333.

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Photo: https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/ISUphotoservices/Photo-Services-People-and-Grou/CRT-2017/i-m3PL42S/0/ac393af4/X2/May%2023%2C%202017%20CRT%205078-X2.jpg -- "Rabbit Hole" runs at 7:30 p.m. June 30, July 1, 6, 14 and 4 p.m. July 2 in Indiana State's New Theater, 536 N. 7th St. Starring are Drew Hampton as Howie, Eileen Earnest as Becca, Nicole Hill as Izzy and Julie Dixon as Nat.

Writer and media contact: Connor Myers, media relations assistant, Office of Communications and Marketing, cmyers34@sycamores.indstate.edu or 812-237-3773