Leslie McCauley, chair of the Theatre Arts Department, giggles as she walks back to her seat, while the cast quickly prepares for its third line up of the night. Rehearsal started approximately 10 minutes ago. “Let’s try that one more time,” McCauley calls as she cues the music to run through the first scene in Big Love, a play by Charles L. Mee, that opens Oct. 7.
McCauley has been involved in SRJC theater since 1994. When she was 8 years old, her father enrolled her in a summer program so that she could overcome her shyness. There, she developed an incredible love for theater.
“There is nothing like being in a dark theater with hundreds of people when an actor has a simple, deep, heartfelt moment that resonates with everyone there,” McCauley said. “For that one, brief moment, I feel connected to all of humanity.”
Big Love is about 50 sisters engaged to their 50 cousins. Their father gave them away before they were born, and now the young men have come to claim their property. The women want nothing to do with them, so they take a boat to Italy and plan to hide there, but trouble arrives when the men come to get what they think is rightfully theirs.
Either the women will have a say in love or the men will force them into marriages this battle of the sexes unfolds
“The play tosses around ideas about love, life, relationships, and even our notions of justice,” McCauley said. “Big Love” is recommended for ages 18 and above as it contains nudity and strong language. The play runs at 8 p.m. on Oct. 7, 8, 13, 14 and 15; and at 2 p.m. on Oct. 8, 9, 15 and 16. General admission is $15; seniors 62 and older $12; students with a valid ID $12 and youth 12 and under $10.