Photo by Josh Brasted

‘Roleplay’ returns to Tulane in 2023

Roleplay, an original play that explores student experiences with love, sex, power and consent, will return to Tulane after enjoying a successful run at the university in 2019. The original cast received the Big Easy Theatre Award for ‘Best Ensemble’ that year. The remount will be presented at Tulane University’s Lupin Theatre (150 Dixon Hall Annex) from Wednesday, January 25 through Sunday, February 5.

Showtimes are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are free and can be reserved at  www.purplepass.com/TULANETD or www.goatintheroadproductions.org. Tickets for Tulane University students are available now. General Public reservations begin on Wednesday, January 18. In addition, 25 tickets will be released at the door each night.

Originally created in 2018-19, Roleplay was inspired by the startling results of the 2018 Tulane University Climate Survey on Sexual Misconduct. The study revealed that 41% of female students and 19% of male students reported being sexually assaulted during their time on campus. The show was a collaboration between then Adjunct Professor Darci Fulcher, filmmaker Katie Mathews, Tulane Professor Jenny Mercein, Goat in the Road Productions and fifteen Tulane University students. The group worked for over a year to create the 90-minute show that follows eleven students through their sophomore year of college.

This production of Roleplay features students Mackenzie Bell, Joseph Benefiel, Lourdes Castillo, Khaja Daniel, Colin Foley, Scott Hawkins, Isabel Kaufman, Rosalind Roland, Taylor Sacco, Laney Tellegen and Siena Vincent with assistant stage manager Charlie Peeler. The professional theatre team includes: Darci Fulcher (co-director), Nick Javon (co-director), Tulane Associate Professor and Head of Undergraduate Acting Jenny Mercein (producer), Shannon Flaherty (producer), Chris Kaminstein (producer). The design team includes Ellen Bull (costume), Owen Ever (properties), Steve Gilliland (sound tech), Kevin Griffith (set), Dylan Hunter (sound design), Joan Long (lights), and Kit Sternberger (stage manager).

The original Roleplay cast was: Aaron Avidon, Carl Briggs Jr., Ross Brill, Alexandra Elam, Hannah Gordon, Grace Graugnard, Robert Holmes-A’court, Miranda Kramer, Nagelle LeBoyd, Hailey Mozzachio, and Lucy Sartor, with contributions by Annalise Harknett, Noah Hazzard, Hannah Kent, and James Weiss.

The 2018-19 Roleplay process was followed by documentary filmmaker and project co-originator Katie Mathews. Over the course of that school year, a group of professional and student filmmakers documented the process in an attempt to portray the social issues that college students grapple with today and how art can be transformational in confronting these issues. The Roleplay documentary film is scheduled to be released next year.

Roleplay returns to Tulane with tickets available here: visit this link.