By Victoria Janicke
It’s no wonder “Animal” playwrite Clare Lizzimore extended its shows by a week even before it hit New York’s center stage more than two years ago. Reno’s “Animal,” directed by Julie Robertson and performed at Restless Artists Theatre, has briefly landed in our biggest little city and this psychological drama is raw, real, and ready to start overdue conversation for tough topics hitting closer to home than most of us care to admit.
Rachel, the main character in “Animal” and played by Rachel Steinman, depicts the type of woman, the type of person, we can all relate to at some point in our lives. She is at that point where her everyday life isn’t going quite right. It seemed to have morphed from that tough week she kept just trying to push through into somehow a month, and now she’s at the point where it’s considered an accomplishment to just get out of bed.
“Animal’s” plot is a psychological drama that perfectly depicts what it’s like to be caught in an uncomfortable and confusing rut where a person becomes lost in what appears to be a socially acceptable normal lifestyle, complete with emotions that cannot be fully understood nor freely and openly discussed. The play consists of other key supporting figures such as Rachel’s husband, Tom, Rachel’s therapist, Stephen, and “others” trying to help get Rachel “better.” In this play realities and actions turn into blurred boundaries, emotions, and feelings. Or is this just normal?
The play is performed and produced by Reno’s own talented cast and crew of passionate professionals who are truly dedicated to bringing human awareness and education, to some of society’s least talked about and misunderstood issues. While “Animal” does use profanity and there are scenes of physical altercations to highlight profound struggles which some in the crowd might consider triggering, I would highly recommend this play. I’d particularly recommend it if you are studying in the fields of psychology, social work, sociology, women’s studies, psychiatry, medicine, or nursing or you’re simply a person interested in better understanding relationships and the human mind. You’ll be trying to diagnose Rachel, her husband Tom, and the rest of cast alongside Stephen.
Details:
Performance Dates: 8/24, 8/25, 8/30, 8/31, 9/1, 9/6, 9/7, and 9/8 at 7:30 p.m., and 8/26, 9/2, and 9/9 at 2 p.m.
To purchase tickets go to https://www.brownpapertickets.com/events/3574991 or call 775-525-3074.
