The Lycoming College theatre department will continue its 2024-2025 season and start the Spring 2025 semester with a production of Stephen Spotswood’s “Girl in the Red Corner,” a press release said. The show runs Feb. 26 to March 1 in the Mary L. Welch Theatre on the Lycoming College campus, with all shows beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Unemployed, fresh off a dead-end marriage, and searching for a way to take control of her life, Halo walks into a gym and signs up for mixed martial arts lessons. Her trainer thinks she’s a lightweight. Her mother and sister think it’s just plain weird. Very quickly the lessons she learns in the ring bleed into the rest of her life and Halo finds herself battling against everyone around her. As she prepares for her first match, Halo realizes that life inside the cage and outside the cage are disturbingly similar. And that the only way to survive either is to fight.

The show’s cast, comprised of Lycoming College students, includes Gabby Abraitis (Halo), Kay Young (Gina), Paige McCaffrey (Brinn), Gale Hall (Warren, others) and AJ Marusko (Terry, others).

“I love this play — and Steve’s other plays — because of its gritty realism with bursts of comedy, complex characters, and an innate sense of theatricality,” said Matt Ripa, visiting assistant professor of theatre at Lycoming College and director of the show. “The entire play takes place in an MMA cage and that cage becomes a microcosm for Halo’s life. The lessons Halo learns in the octagon are lessons we can learn to fight the battles in our own lives.”

All tickets, including for Lycoming students and faculty, are complimentary, but seats must be reserved through bigtickets ahead of time.

Lycoming College’s theatre program is full of opportunities for practical experience. Students flourish as they explore concentrations in acting, directing, musical theatre, design/technology, and stage management. As early as freshman year, students are encouraged to audition for shows and become involved in productions. The curriculum combines practical training in every aspect of theatre with a look back at the history and literature that has shaped theatre as an art form. More information on theatre at Lycoming College can be found online.