Richland Theater presented its fall play, “WROL (Without Rule of Law)” Nov. 5-8, introducing audiences to a dark comedy and coming-of-age story, with underlying wisdom.
Written in 2021 by Canadian playwright Michaela Jeffery, “WROL” is about a group of five middle schoolers who believe some sort of societal collapse is on its way.
“They don’t define what it is, but they are afraid that some sort of collapse is coming. And they want to be prepared to survive it. So they’ve decided to take it upon themselves to teach themselves how to survive that sort of thing,” said Andy Long, head of the Richland acting program, and director of WROL.
Described “from the perspective of a group of young people who fear the world isn’t getting better,” WROL introduces real-world discussions in a cataclysmic scenario as characters face challenges and inner struggles. Rehearsals started in early September, with preparation ongoing four days a week since.
“There’s the scenery that has to be built, and the students built a lot of this stuff. There’s the costumes that have to be designed … the memorization by the building of the characters,” Long said. Hours of practice and work even turned into a bonding experience for the cast. “Everybody has an incorporation in it that just feels like a small family that is helping it become a bigger picture,” said Evan Rangel, who plays Robbie.
It also became an opportunity of personal growth for Jerry Bell, who became part of the cast as Bananas the Bear and also served as assistant stage manager. “It was definitely that responsibility that surprised me the most. And that’s why even more I was like, ‘I wanna do it.’ I learned something that can help me further in life, you know, bigger than this,” Bell said.
The play managed to pass these insights to the viewers, which left good impressions. “I can see a lot of compassion and empathy. And I’ve really enjoyed it,” said attendee Nicole Wilson. “The play was actually really wonderful. I would say the set design was really creative. There was a lot going into it. You could tell they did a lot of hard work and detail and everything they did,” said attendee Bryce Parkerson.
The life lessons don’t end behind theater doors, but also become a realization for the potential surrounding Richland. “I teach students of every culture, of every religion, of every ethnicity, of every orientation. And it’s important that we recognize the incredible, amazing things that our diverse community brings to all of us,” Long said.
