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W&L Theater To Present ‘Begets’
The Department of Theater, Dance, and Film Studies at Washington and Lee University will present “Begets: Fall of a High School Ronin,” a samurai tale, on April 3-5 at 7:30 p.m. and April 6 at 2 p.m. in the Johnson Theatre at Lenfest Center for the Arts.
Tickets are required. Visit https://my.wlu.edu/ lenfest-center/begets-fallof- a-high-school-ronin to purchase tickets.
In this action-packed, high school story by BIPOC playwright Qui Nguyen, Emi Edwards leads a courageous effort to dethrone the shoguns of her high school’s social scene. After realizing her samurai skills, Emi unites with friends new and old to confront injustices, all while facing the typical struggles of an All-American high school student. As many cliques face their downfall and Emi rises to power, she must try to keep her own desires for popularity and control at bay.
“I felt this (show) was something that was really going to speak to everybody,” said director Jemma Levy.
She believes it is important to choose a play that would be relatable for members of the W&L student body and the Rock-
, page B2 bridge community. Levy went on to say, “I was really interested in doing something that felt modern and immediate.”
Published in 2016, “Begets: Fall of a High School Ronin” depicts a very contemporary and familiar vision of the high school experience.
“I think that it’s unique to what we usually see on our campus in that it is very multimedia,” Levy said.
Students have been working with fight director Steve Wei, the primary visionary artist for this production. A Philadelphiabased artist, Wei has shared their combat skills with students during the entire 10 weeks of rehearsal for the show, choreographing all of the fights and teaching the techniques and skills needed to create them.
“This is really going to be something different than what audiences have seen on our stage in the past. Come for the fighting if nothing else! It’s going to be delightful,” Levy said. She emphasized the artistic and physical commitment required of all artists in creating a show such as this.
