Set in the small, rural town of Goodland, Kansas, this year’s fall play, The Visit, drew viewers in for an entirely different kind of theatrical experience.

The Visit stars senior Maev Lowe as main character Claire Zachanassian, a woman who was born and raised in Goodland. It takes on a much darker, unpredictable tone compared to the comedic productions of the past, and is a tragic comedy, according to junior Leilani Graham. “As an audience member, the characters and themes grab your attention because they are so relatable,” Graham said. “The characters are forced to make life-altering decisions by addressing their human instincts, self-control and ideas of justice, characteristics that we as individuals and as a community experience.”

The play, directed by theatre teacher James Shelby and co-directed by senior Annie Fox, takes place in post-depression 1934. The audience could relate to the plays major themes. “It’s a story about materialism, hypocrisy and revenge,” Shelby said.

In the story, Zachanassian gets pregnant from a shopkeeper named Anton Shill, played by junior Austin Lewis. This was Lewis’s first play in which he got a leading role. “I get to work with people I’ve wanted to work with for a long time,” he said. “I’m excited because it’s such a powerful story. I’m also excited because it’s one of the most difficult plays I’ve been in. It’s going to take a lot of dedication and determination on my part.”

After Shill denies getting Claire pregnant, Claire runs away from Goodland. She then meets a wealthy man in the oil business and returns to town 30 years later as the richest woman in the world. She agrees to help rebuild the town with her newly acquired wealth under one horrible condition, and the town must decide whether or not to accept the condition.

The play centers around the stipulation made by Claire and how it affects the townspeople. Are the townspeople willing to sacrifice their dignity and morality for this horrible provision? Viewers will get to see each character and the town transform continuously throughout the play. “It’s really kind of a scary play,” Shelby said. “Everybody seems like a good person, but they make some really bad decisions.”

The running date, which was on Thursday, was also rather important for the play, as it opened after Election Day and in a time when the economic crisis within the town of Goodland has some relevance to our current economic situation. “This year hopefully the audience will emerge with bigger questions, especially as they already are asking them about the economy and the election,” Shelby said.

Unlike previous comedic productions such as Scapino!, one of the key motives of this play is to provoke deep thought among viewers. “When you’re in a show where everything is realistic you play the characters as they normally would be,” Lowe said. “But for this play, there is a bigger picture. It’s important that you really take the final message into account.”