Featured Image by MTSU Theatre and Dance Department 

Story by Stephanie Hall 

Middle Tennessee State University Theatre’s 2023-2024 season has officially begun, with the first show of the season, “The Rabbit Hole.” It ran from Oct. 5 to Oct. 8.  

“The Rabbit Hole” tells the story of Becca (played by Moira Cagle) and Howie (played by Logan Purcell) as they grapple with the death of their 4-year-old son, Auggie.  

The show is a 2-act play with a very small cast and no scene changes. The stage remains mostly the same throughout, with Auggie’s empty room haunting every scene. The changes made to the set are changes the characters seem to be making. We start to see Becca and Howie begin to try and sell the house, they start to remove Auggie’s photos and toys.  

Another plot point in the play is Becca’s sister Izzy (played by Bailey Dorflinger-Slee). While watching the first scene, I didn’t really like Izzy that much. However, Slee’s performance throughout the show really made me relate to her. Even when she wasn’t the focus of the scene, I found myself looking for her reactions to the other characters. I especially enjoyed the scene where she confronted Howie about him cheating on Becca. She had this very controlled anger as she interrogated him about it.  

The stand performance of the show was Sandy Flavin, who played Nat. In her first scene, she had the audience laughing as Nat complained about the Kennedys. But I think she really shined in the act 2 scene in Auggie’s bedroom. As she was telling a story about Auggie eating the chocolate coffee beans, I felt like I was listening to a family story and not watching a play. She made me feel like I was hearing a story about her family. It felt real and it had the audience laughing and reminiscing with her. Her performance, along with Cagle as Becca in that scene really showed just how this tragedy has changed this family.  

I think the direction by Kyle Kennedy really made the characters feel like a family. They spoke over each other and sometimes at the same time. I felt like I was sitting in a chair watching my own family talk to each other, telling stories and arguing. I also enjoyed that they seemed to use actual drinks and food. It added to the realism of the show, and it made me appreciate the actors’ abilities to not spill anything.  

I think this was a great start to the new show season. It was a very emotional show that had the audience sitting in silence for one moment and then laughing out loud the next. It has me looking forward to the rest of the season.  

The rest of MTSU Theatre’s show season can be found here.

To contact Lifestyles Editor Destiny Mizell, email [email protected]. For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, or follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines or on Twitter at @Sidelines_News.