MARSHFIELD - “Vrooommm! A NASComedy,”, will be performed by Campus Community Players at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, June 15-16, and Tuesday-Thursday, June 20-22, in the Black Box Theatre on the UW-Marshfield/Wood County campus, 2000 West 5th St., Marshfield.

This satiric spoof of America’s fastest sport reveals how the country’s competitive edge gets corrupted by our relentless drive for commercial success,” said Steve Decker, director and assistant professor of Communication and Theatre Arts at UW-Marshfield/Wood County. “When a female driver takes the lead in the NASCAR standings, sabotage and scandal dent the polished reputation of this high-octane enterprise. A primarily female cast portrays the all-male universe in an all-out race for the checkered flag of love and money in the gender-bender about fender-benders.” 

The play, written by Janet Allard and Michael Bigelow Dixon, has females playing male roles, symbolizing the struggle women have when competing in a male-dominated environment – such as NASCAR racing. Using an all-women cast is a way of “commenting” on that whole “all-male” thing without talking about it, or making it the subject of every scene, Allard said. 

“It allows us to play into the wonderful stereotypes and familiarities of this NASCAR world while, at the same time, subverting them,” she said. “It’s NASCAR with a twist.  It’s also performative and theatrical.  Not to mention fun.” 

Cast members said they find playing both male and female roles within one production challenging. 

“This is really different from anything I’ve ever done before,” said Kaila Pooler, a UW-Marshfield/Wood County student who’s transferring to Brooklyn College, New York, in the fall to major in theatre arts with a concentration in acting. “I’ve always had to portray characters who were really feminine.  It’s really a change for me to play down my own feminine qualities and play a guy.” 

Pooler’s roles with Campus Community Players include Annie Deever in “All My Sons” and Meg McGrath in “Crimes of the Heart.”  In Vrooommm!, she plays Chip, a male driver, and Joany, a NASCAR fan and mother of two. 

“I have to switch roles – going from man to a woman – so I’m really playing both ends of the spectrum,” Pooler said. 

Mollie Bauman, Marshfield, is playing Legs Nelson, a female driver who’s taking the track by storm, and Flip, a random fan. She said switching between male and female roles is “fun.” 

“In most plays, you only get to play one character,” said Bauman, who played Lenny McGrath in Crimes of the Heart. “Switching between the two is challenging, but it really is a lot of fun.” 

Taryn Blecka, a UW-Marshfield/Wood County student who’s transferring to either UW- Eau Claire or UW-Stevens Point in the fall to major in sociology, plays the parts of Sly and Chicken 2. 

“Sly’s quiet, but he opens up more when he’s with a group of people,” Blecka said. She recently played Chick Boyle in Crimes of the Heart. “He’s quieter because he’s trying to hide something, and that’s more obvious when he’s just with one person.  So he tries to downplay himself.” 

Decker was awarded a $4,000 UW Colleges Senate Professional Development Committee Grant to produce Vrooommm!  The play is part of the UW-Marshfield/Wood County theatre “New Play on Campus” program of the Minneapolis-based Playwright Center.  

“This unique program connects a stable of professionally produced playwrights with college theatre programs,” Decker said.  “This will allow me and students and community members the opportunity to collaboratively work on new plays with an emerging playwright in residence.”  

Tickets for Vrooommm! A NASComedy are $10 in advance, $12 at the door.  The Campus Box Office is open 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour before performances.  To order tickets, call 389-6534.  VISA, MasterCard and Discover are accepted.  

The Campus-Community Players presents a wide variety of productions, including classical work, new plays, musicals and, sometimes, family oriented work. As a college theatre program, which also relies on members of the community in its productions, the primary goal of the program is the education of students. Many students have gone on to professional careers in acting, directing, playwriting, theatre education and theatrical production. This aim of teaching and learning requires a variety of theatrical genres, periods and styles which reflect the current contemporary theatre landscape. There are many opportunities to get involved both onstage and off. New faces are always welcome. Contact Decker, assistant professor of Communication and Theatre Arts, at sdecker@uwc.edu, for more information.

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