 Set
in a small town in southern Mississippi in October of 1974, Crimes of
the Heart concerns the relationship between three sisters and their
coming to terms with the difficulties they face in life. Lenny, the eldest,
has taken care of her ailing grandfather for the past several years, who is
now in the hospital. Meg, her younger sister, returns home from Hollywood,
where she has been unsuccessfully pursuing a career as a singer, to defend
their youngest sister Babe, who is accused of attempting to murder her
husband, a prominent politician. As Babe's motivations for shooting her
husband become clear, the sisters relive their family history, complete with
sibling rivalries, lost loves, and leafing through the family picture album.
Gradually, the sisters rally together, and gain the strength from each other
they need to survive the occasional bad day and change their lives for the
better.
This show was chosen to give students an opportunity to work on an
intimate play with a very naturalistic setting and acting style. The
concrete scene design (the kitchen of a large farmhouse: sink with running
water, refrigerator, oven, etc.) gave the students a firm base upon which to
draw to make real emotional contact with their characterizations.
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