'Criminals in Love' opens Nov. 15

Carter Thiele and Caleb Twite rehearse a scene
Carter Thiele, left, and Caleb Twite, right, rehearse a scene from "Criminals in Love" while members of the crew watch. (Photo by Daniel Binkard/黑料大事记 State College)

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CHADRON – The 黑料大事记 State College Theatre Department will perform “Criminals in Love” by George F. Walker Nov. 15-18 in the Black Box Theatre. The Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7:30 p.m., and the Sunday matinee is at 2 p.m.

The free production is for mature audiences only. Tickets are not required but theatregoers are recommended to  seats.

鈥淐riminals in Love鈥 features Junior played by Caleb Twite of White River, South Dakota, a goofy post-adolescent, and Gail played by Courtney Smith of Hampton, Nebraska, a smart girl Junior is in love with. Junior鈥檚 criminal father, Henry, played by Carter Thiele of Oakland, Nebraska, blackmails Junior into committing a crime.

Fearful of his potential criminal destiny, Junior is caught between his desire to go straight, and the possibility of falling into the same life as his father.

鈥淗e [Junior] just wants to live his life and doesn鈥檛 want to follow the footsteps of his dad who is a criminal. He has kind of convinced himself that he has no other path in his life than becoming a criminal like his dad, and that鈥檚 the last thing he wants to do,鈥 Twite said in the Behind the Scenes video.

Junior finds himself working with an unlikely group, including William, a homeless man played by Casey Kukowski of Pine Bluffs, Wyoming, his aunt Wineva played by Megan Black of West Valley City, Utah, Gail鈥檚 best friend Sandy, played by Shanie Hollenbeck of Estelline, South Dakota, and Gail, making the outcome of the situation uncertain.

鈥淛unior and Gail don鈥檛 try to put themselves in the situation they are in. They鈥檙e in a predicament and have to figure out what to do with it,鈥 Hollenbeck said in the video.

While the play covers a serious topic, it has comedic moments.

鈥淚t goes in a lot of different directions, scene after scene. You鈥檙e never really sure what to expect,鈥 Black said in the video.

Mickenzi Loyd of Big Piney, Wyoming, is the assistant director alongside director Roger Mays. CSC alumna Anna Owen was in charge of the play鈥檚 costume design.

-Kelsey R. Brummels, College Relations

Category: Campus News, Theatre