URBANA -
The Absentee, a play by Julia Doolittle, starts its opening run on Thursday at the Station Theatre. The
play will run for ten days through June 25. Directed by Christiana Molldrem Harkulich, The Absentee is about a beacon operator who finds herself alone in deep space with only her ship’s A.I. for companionship and is later contacted by a political canvasser requesting that she vote in absentia for the 2088 election.
The Operator, played by Kat Cordes, who can't share her full name due to the Space Force code, she takes the job on the outer rim of space as a form of self-exile to avoid problems she left behind back on Earth. The cast also includes Kimmy Schofield as The Beacon, Courtney Malcolm as Lt. Zal, and Trent Sherman plays Glen, the canvasser hoping to secure the Operator's vote.
A rising star as a playwright,
Julia Doolittle is also a screenwriter. In 2018 her play, "Tell Them I'm Still Young," was featured at the American Theater Group. She was a finalist for the 2017 Heideman Award at the Human Festival, and a semi-finalist for the O'Neill Summer Conference. Her work was featured at the South Coast Repertory, the Sam French Off-Off Broadway Festival, and the Victory Gardens Theatre.
The Station Theatre production staff includes Clayton Young as Assistant Director; Stage Manager Lyn Sampley and assistant Max Deremiah; Scenic Designer Henry Collins; Lighting Designer Jesse Folks; Costume Designer Susan Curtis; Logan Dirr running sound; Daryl McGee handling props; and graphic design created by Law Welle. The play is produced by Nicole Frydman & Melissa Goldman.
Tickets can be purchased online at
here. The opening night and reception starts at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.
