UNO Theatre presents "Or," a play about conflict

“All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn, for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds,” says Virginia Woolf in “A Room of One’s Own.”

Sarah Fogarty Campbell, director of UNO’s production of “Or,” did a fantastic job executing the story of Aphra Behn with three actors participating in the performance.  The play starred Elizabeth Nye, Victoria Luther and Scottie Pace.  Luther and Pace each played three different characters, while Nye was the main character, Aphra Behn.

“Or,” centers on the life of playwright Aphra Behn.  The play is all about conflict and oppositions.  Behn is a spy turned playwright or perhaps a playwright turned spy, and the play picks up at the point when Behn is no longer involved in the espionage business and is trying to pick up her writing career.

Behn is finally getting her big break, given by Lady Davenant (Pace), when her old life of espionage starts to creep back.  Behn must make the choice if she is a loyal spy to her one-time lover, Williams Scot (Pace), or if her calling really is poetry and the theatre.  To make it more complicated for Behn, love is thrown in the mix.  A local actress, Nell Gwynne (Luther), is getting awfully frisky along with King Charles II (Pace).  This leaves Behn confused with her sexual identity.

The UNO theatre department did an amazing job telling the story of Aphra Behn and relating the story to today’s age.  The language is rich, seductive and extremely witty.  Each character had a strong personality that the actors expressed in dialect, disposition and wardrobe.  The actors stayed in character until the lights dimmed for the last time.

The actors did a wonderful job playing multiple characters, executing character changes extremely well and with no mistake.  
 “Or,” is a tragicomedy that will have you laughing until the curtains close.  The wit and sarcasm fit perfectly and kept the audience on their toes.

The audience was completely engaged in the performance, and the actors fed off the audience response.  The actors even interacted with the audience to make an extra connection.

As the actors left the stage, the audience gave them a standing ovation.  The play had the audience raving with many saying they would see it again.

The theatre department’s production of “Or,” gets two thumbs up and is something everyone can relate to.  “Or,” will be running until March 1. Tickets are free for students.