REBECCA HALE
Reverb Editor
The Performing Arts Company’s first independent project of the semester, “Really Really,” was a big success on Saturday, Feb. 7. Directed by sophomore triple major in English, acting and philosophy, Miquon Jackson, “Really Really” is a contemporary play that explores the issues of the “Me Generation.”
Written by Paul Downs Colaizzo, “Really Really” was published in 2013 and tells the stories of seven stressed-out college students in the midst of their midterms.
The show stars Leigh and her boyfriend Jimmy (Kiernan Matts), whom she cheats on while he is on vacation. She later tells Jimmy that Davis, the guy she slept with, raped her. The problem is, they were drunk at a party when it happened, and neither of the two remember what happened in the bedroom.
In the end, each character is too self-absorbed to even communicate with one another.
The idea here is that this generation — Generation Me — only cares about selfishness. Sarah Moebius, the sophomore musical theatre major who played Leigh, explains Generation Me as always saying, “I want this, and it doesn’t matter who I have to hurt to get it.’”
Jackson said that selfishness in this generation is a very real issue.
“The play is centered around the idea that selfishness is the cause of a lot of the things that are bad,” he said. “It’s a vice that is causing a lot of problems, and it’s causing a lot of people to lose a sense of identity.”
In the play, many of the characters struggle to uphold their identities in the midst of the turn of events. Still, the character Grace tries to explain that there is a such thing as healthy selfishness, and that sometimes selfishness can drive us to success. The trouble is finding the fine line between stepping on others and reaching that success.
PAC puts on an independent project every year, and Jackson decided to direct “Really Really” because of its relatability to students. Since the project is independent, Jackson was on his own in creating a set. The show takes place in two apartments, so Jackson decided to use some simple blocks as furniture, and then rearrange them in every scene.
“There’s a mystery going on in the play,” Jackson said. “It seems like [with] every scene that comes up, the answer to the [mystery] changes.”
Since the show has a mysterious element, Jackson wanted the set to reflect that in its constant change. The play was presented in in McEwen 209, so lighting options were limited. Between scenes, the lights were dimmed, and the actors rushed to move around the furniture while modern pop music was used as a filler. The show only played one night and was free.
Kevin Gleason, a dual BA theatre arts and marketing major, described “Really Really” as “mind-blowing.” After the show, he said, “I’m really speechless.”
“Kids are gonna take a lot away from this,” he continued. “Kids are gonna be thinking as they do something, ‘what if this really was to happen?’ I think it’s important to realize that this is a serious situation.”
Rape is a serious and relevant issue. Even scarier is the reality that Leigh and Davis aren’t the first or last to be in this situation. Accusations of this parameter happen frequently, and people’s lives are ruined by it.
“I hope that the message will bring forth a good influence on the campus,” Jackson said.