TeaTime

We’ve got the good shit right here. It’s pure. It’s edgy. It’s an emotional roller coaster. Take a hit of this:

“Refuge” by Jessica Goldberg. Directed by Jessica Posner ’09.

Posner first heard of Jessica Goldberg’s play from its glittering reviews and impressive accumulation of awards. Winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for female playwrights, Goldberg has received praise for use of truly contemporary dialogue to create eccentric and idiosyncratic characters that snap with humor and vitality. “Refuge” is no exception.

“Refuge” thematically revolves around the important issues for this culture’s youth: coming of age, isolation, the family unit, struggling to maintain stability, and, says Posner, “reaching a point where you’re just stuck.” When two parents go on a suspiciously permanent trip to Florida, they leave behind a drug-addicted daughter, a son recovering from several brain surgeries, and their older sister/caretaker. As the play begins, the oldest sister has just had her first one-night-stand. The event ignites this chronicle of four individuals trying to connect with each other.

The play challenges the normative family structure and calls into question one’s own ideas of family and connections. Posner noted: “That’s a really important discussion for the community.”

Even with directorial experience at her performing arts high school, Posner says the process of directing and producing “Refuge,” her directorial debut at Wesleyan, has been incredible. “I didn’t realize there were so many details to be attended to,” Posner said. These details included the construction of the play’s complex set, which includes a full working kitchen.

At times, the task seemed overwhelming. However, with the help of a gifted crew, a tight ensemble of actors, and her own passion for the story, Posner has put together a piece that will surely be a success.