October 17, 2000

Contact: Charla Jenkins, University Theatre, (785) 864-2684.

KU theatre to stage Vogel's 'How I Learned to Drive'

LAWRENCE--Paula Vogel's play "How I Learned to Drive," winner of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for drama, opens the 2000-01 William Inge Memorial Theatre Series at the University of Kansas. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 26 to 29, Oct. 31, and Nov. 1 to 4 in the Inge Theatre in Murphy Hall.

"How I Learned to Drive" is a funny yet deeply disturbing play, according to its director, Leslie Atkins Durham, Lawrence doctoral student in theatre.

"One of the most troubling aspects of the play is that Vogel makes us laugh as she tells the unsettling story of a young woman's first sexual experiences in the front seat of her uncle's car," Durham explained.

"How I Learned to Drive" chronicles a young woman's coming-of-age in the 1960s and '70s. Telling her story through flashbacks, Li'l Bit recounts growing up in a small Maryland town. Trapped in a comically dysfunctional family, Li'l Bit turns to the only person she feels she can trust, her Uncle Peck. He takes her under his wing, listens to her, gives her driving lessons and sexually abuses her. The play is a complex portrait of how the relationship between Li'l Bit and Peck changes over the years and mars both characters' lives.

Durham said Vogel uses humor to estrange the audience from its expectations about incestuous relationships, forcing playgoers to see them anew and "to think harder about culture's facilitation of these relationships through the sexualization of children and the commodification of young women."

Durham sees "How I Learned to Drive" as a map of a woman's journey from childhood to adulthood. The way maps look and their style of communication have influenced many of her staging choices. The production combines abstract, map-inspired, visual elements and self-consciously theatrical techniques with a realistic exploration of the characters of L'il Bit and Uncle Peck. Katy Seng, Glen Ellyn, Ill., senior, designed the setting for the production, while Mark Reaney, professor of theatre and film, designed costumes and lights.

Durham reminds theatregoers that this play deals with adult subject matter and is intended for mature audiences. In an effort to give people a forum to express the intense emotions this play can inspire, the University Theatre will host a series of post-performance discussions led by representatives from the Bert Nash Mental Health Center, Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center, KU Counseling and Psychological Services, and Rape Victim-Survivor Services. Audience members will have a chance to speak with these professionals about the relationships the play depicts and the multiple ways these relationships play out in people's lives outside the theatre, Durham said.

General admission tickets for "How I Learned to Drive" are on sale through the KU box offices: Murphy Hall, 864-3982; Lied Center, 864-ARTS; and SUA, 864-3477; and online at www.kutheatre.com. Tickets are $12 for the public, $6 for all students, and $11 for senior citizens. Both VISA and MasterCard are accepted for phone and online orders.

Members of the cast for the KU production are (listed by name, class, parents' names, home address, and role):

COWLEY COUNTY
From Winfield
Nancy Wilcox, senior, daughter of Jennis J. Wilcox, 1500 E. 10th, Teenage Greek Chorus.

DOUGLAS COUNTY
From Lawrence
Brad Danler, senior, 0-311 Regency Place, Male Greek Chorus.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From Overland Park
Josh Meyer, senior, son of John and Gail Meyer, 10803 W. 156th Terrace, Uncle Peck.

From Stilwell
Becky Lake, junior, daughter of Stephen and Joyce Lake, 16205 Riggs Road, Female Greek Chorus.

(End Kansas)

ALABAMA
From Hoover
Sandi Bailey, graduate student, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Warren Bailey, 2109 Natalie Lane, Li'l Bit.