SU Senior Lauren Cappuccio debuted her original play at Memorial Auditorium Friday Oct.19.

The two-act play “Maybe, Clara” was performed in an open reading by a cast of four SU students. Professor Paris Peet acted as stage reader.

The play is based around a college sophomore, whose birth name is Clara, but after suffering a trauma in high school changed her name to Maybe.

The first scene opens with awkward tense dialogue between Maybe (Briana Blewett) and her ex-boyfriend Brian (Daniel Lindgren), who have not seen each other in five years.

Blewett and Lindgren’s portrayal of their characters was so painful and sincere, it was hard to believe they were not actual ex-lovers.

As the play unfolds, the audience learns of Brian and Maybe’s tumultuous past and more about Brian’s unstable mental state.

Within minutes of the play it is evident that Brian is still in love with Maybe and has not accepted that their relationship ended years ago. Their relationship came to an abrupt end after Maybe finds Brian lying on the floor near-death after a suicide attempt.

Doris (Erin Moyer), Maybe’s mother, is soon introduced. Doris is a fun-loving, witty person, and is not only Maybe’s emotional rock, but also her best friend. Cappuccio credits her own mother, who was present in the audience, as well as her friends’ mothers as inspiration for the character Doris.
Moyer’s performance showed she was wise beyond her year.

Although in her early ’20s, Moyer’s maternal warmth made her performance as a middle-aged woman believable.

Doris’ presence gives the audience insight into Maybe’s past. Before Brian’s suicide attempt, Maybe was a fun, loving and outgoing girl. After the attempt and cutting off ties with Brian, Maybe became hardened, cautious of getting close to others and emotionless.

The play transitions from heavy and dark to light and romantic when Maybe meets Cyan (Nick Sentman), a mysterious, romantic barista at a local cafe.

Cyan and Maybe’s light-hearted dialogue consists of flirting, joking and jokes and anectdotes about their unusual names.

Sentman and Blewett’s performance in this scene was amazingly authentic. Their accurate portrayal of their characters, along with Cappuccio’s playful dialogue made the scene feel like a real-life first date, full of nervous giggling and smiles.

After learning more about Cyan, the audience make a connection with him, almost rooting for him and Maybe to be together.

As Cyan’s romantic, good intentions shone through, Brian’s manipulative, obsessive tendencies became more obvious.

The play comes to a pleasant ending. Brian comes to terms with his and Maybe’s former relationship and decides to travel to find himself.

The cast and audience agreed that the play was a success.

“It was amazing,” Sentman said. “I loved bringing Lauren’s vision to life.”

The audience reacted to the play with a standing ovation. Afterward, Cappuccio and the cast opened up to the audience for a Q&A and comment session.

Although all the comments were positive, Cappuccio plans to use constructive criticism she received to tweak her play and debut a final version after she graduates.

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