Will Arbery’s “Plano” is more than just a physical place. Sometimes it is a state of mind, sometimes an escape, and in some cases its own being.
The play tells the story of three sisters and the experiences they have navigating their lives and the trials they go through.
It also explores the idea that women learn how to treat men from their mothers. At the Dallas College Richland Campus theater department, they explore this idea further and tell the story of “Plano” through a fun and lively environment.
The show is directed by professor Gregory Lush and features a wide range of student cast and crew.
“I have always felt like this place is home for me,” actor Damian Gonzalez said. “I have gotten so close with some of the professors and I have learned so much both in the acting side and also in the workshop side.”
The show, which was scheduled to run through Oct. 28, has allowed each of its performers to challenge and grow in some way and really learn about the process of making a show like this.
“Plano” is being entered into the Kennedy Center American College Theater competition festival. Richland’s production of “Self-Injurious Behavior’’ was one of five shows to advance against other colleges in multiple states last year. The show also won national awards both for production as well as individual performances.
The cast and crew of “Plano” are hoping to wow the representatives from the festival and reach the same goal and beyond.
Erick Vargas-Rojas, a member of the costume crew, said “It is my first time working on costumes. I mostly helped design hair styles and I really had to try to step into the characters shoes. Their backgrounds, ethnicity, age, what they do for a living.
“It was a deep process of thinking and I really enjoyed exploring it.”
Results of the competition will be announced in the next few months.
