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'Waiting Room's' all-female cast works

February 3, 2006
Heather Laws, theatre sophomore and assistant stage director for "The Waiting Room," on Wednesday morning rips off and disposes of orange gurney covers and replaces them with blue covers in the Auditorium Arena Theater. After the production closes on Feb. 5, most of the materials will be discarded. —

The message that the female body is mistreated in MSU Department of Theatre's "The Waiting Room" is as loud as the piercing screams in Act 1.

The end of the second act is evidence that the point can be hammered down too hard. Still, the play is provocative and the all-female cast is tremendous.

"We really wanted a show with a lot of women's issues," said Rob Roznowski, assistant professor of theatre and head of acting.

Though the three main women in the play hail from three different centuries, their problems are all similar. They're falling apart so they can feel attractive — so they can please men.

There's Victoria, a 19th century British woman whose internal organs are being pushed together by her corset wearing. Forgiveness From Heaven is an 18th-century Chinese woman whose toes are falling off because of her bound feet, and Wanda Koznyski, the representative from modern day, is dealing with cancer.

Theatre junior Jasmin Johnson sees the anguish beneath the character's multiple breast surgeries.

"More and more, you're seeing women find confidence in surgery. We make it out to be funny, but it's kind of sad to see women dissolve under the knife," she said.

Johnson believes women can identify with the play's message.

"Just in terms of saying, you know: 'Do I meet the standard?' she said. "I think every girl goes through that, and it's so hard to keep up with what guys want."

With their egos, overexaggerated gestures and mannerisms, the women playing a scientist, doctor and hospital administrator successfully relay the disturbing and comical aspects of a male-dominated society and medical field.

"It expresses ways that the physical demands on women affect them medically and their quest to break free of those restraints," said stage manager and theatre senior Samantha Schaeffer.

Johnson hopes the play will cause women to think about their health.

"Being in a hospital environment and talking about all these relevant issues, it makes you wonder — 'Wow, this really could be me sitting on this gurney looking up at all these hospital lights,'" Johnson said.

"As hard as it can be, I think it's definitely more important to know because that could be the one thing that triggers you to say, 'I've been wasting my life until this point.'"

"The Waiting Room" is playing at the Auditorium Arena Theatre at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are available at the door or Wharton Center, and the cost is $5.

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