The Seton Hill University (SHU) community was offered an insight into the mind and trials of a troubled young woman on March 15 and 16. Fast-paced drama, “Self Defense, or death of some salesman,” is the tale of the first publicized female serial killer.
Directed by senior theater major Farrah Felton, the play featured a small cast of students ranging from theater to english majors.
“I am incredibly proud of the cast and crew for bringing such a powerful and important show to life,” said Farrah Felton, senior theater major. “We definitely faced our share of hardships along the way, but ultimately I feel it brought us closer together and helped us put together an even better performance.”
American playwright Carson Kreitzer wrote “Self Defense” to be compiled with other short works on similar content. The drama is inspired by the true story of Aileen Wuornos.
“The show was wonderful and I really enjoyed being part of the cast,” said Joshua Daisley, freshman theater major. “One of my favorite aspects was the costumes because of how fitting they were for every role.”
Following the trials and court drama of a prostitute, as seven men are found dead along a Florida highway, the play featured adult themes and content. This presented an issue for the students involved, as the university doesn’t allow clubs to sponsor material above a PG-13 rating.
The SHU Feminist Collective was originally funding the play. In an official statement from the group, Helena Snyder said: “Due to miscommunications and a lack of correspondence from both parties, misunderstandings ensued. The collaboration ended up disintegrating, and the partnership did not work out as expected.”
Due to the policy, other clubs that originally jumped to their aid were forced to withdraw support. But as they say in show business, “the show must go on.” And it did.
“It is my hope as the director that the audience walked away with challenged ideas and new perspectives,” said Felton.
“We’re relieved the show is still happening, and it was never our intention to stop anything Farrah was doing,” continued the Feminist Collective in their statement. “We would never act maliciously against a group of fellow students, and we would hope the student body would treat us in the same way and respect our decision.”