By Ashley Wood/se news editor
The humorous and witty three-person show Below the Belt by Richard Dresser will show at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2-4 in the Joe B. Rushing Center on South Campus.
Theater director and producer Lindy Benton-Muller said she has known this show since 2006, and it has stuck with her since.
“I put it up there with the book Catch 22 or M.A.S.H. as far as taking a humorous look at corporate life or bureaucracy in work,” she said.
Benton-Muller said she knows that most of her students work and go to school.
“I like to choose shows that are either timely or relevant to my audience in some way,” she said.
South student Nolan Chapa said it’s a dark comedic take on corporate absurdity.
“It’s the most ridiculous bureaucracy you could be stuck in in a work environment and just the worst people you could work with,” he said.
His character, Dobbitt, is the friendly and naïve new guy who wants to make a good impression, Chapa said.
“Regardless of exactly what field you work in, this applies to everyone. Just having to deal with difficult people and difficult situations,” he said.
South student Shae Morin said she hopes the audience gets the sense that they’re not alone in their feelings about day-to-day rules.
“I think everyone has those rules at their job that they’re like, ‘Why is that even a rule because it’s completely ridiculous,’” she said.
Merkin is the boss that is always on the workers about what and how they are doing, Morin said.
“My only joy in life is their misery,” she said.
South student Matt Dingler, who plays Hanrahan, said his character has been working for a while and has passed that beginning phase of making everyone like him.
“Like Merkin’s joy of making life miserable, my joy is screwing with everything and everybody and tweaking things a little bit seeing how far everybody will go,” he said.
My character isn’t happy, so he doesn’t want anyone else to be happy either, Dingler said.
Tickets are free for TCC students, faculty and staff, $6 for general public and $3 for non-TCC students and senior citizens and will be sold the day of the show at the box office.
For more information, contact Benton-Muller at 817-515-4717.
