For anyone who happened to miss one of the 11 showings of The University of Memphis’ critically acclaimed play Keeping Up With the Joneses, don’t fear because student writer Nate Eppler’s play will be performed one last time at the Michael D. Rose Theatre this Thursday.
The play revolves around the Joneses family, a family of geniuses living during the nuclear age, and follows them through life’s ups and down. The Joneses family is a mixed bag of characters including a 16-year-old biology prodigy, the oldest son wanting to become a superhero, a mother who is an ornithologist and the father who works for the Department of Defense.
The play Keeping Up With the Joneses written by Eppler and produced by U of M students has opened up to sold out crowds since its debut last September. On Feb. 5, the student run production will travel to Spartanburg, S.C. to compete against 47 other productions in the Kennedy Center/ American College Theatre Festival. The production will also travel to the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. for a performance in April.
Eppler, a senior majoring in theater at The U of M, said it took him approximately two months to finish the play’s script and drew up ideas from real life experiences and interests.
“The Joneses is just a normal family,” Eppler said. “I came up with the story because I always wanted to write about nuclear weapons and superheroes.”
Alice Berry, director of the publicity and promotions department at The U of M, said she is excited about the play competing against some of the best college plays from across the country.
“In my opinion, having a chance to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington is bigger than performing on Broadway,” Berry said.
Before the play was chosen to participate in the theatre competition in South Carolina, it was performed in the Theatre Association State Festival in Jackson, Tenn. Last December, Region IV Executive Committee invited the play to participate in the national convention.
According to the play’s director Michael Dziura, a graduate student in the directing program, Keeping Up with the Joneses is the best script he has read. Dziura also stated that he feels a connection with many facets of the play.
“The reason I like the play so much is because I associated with the story and characters,” Dzirua said.
Dzirua also said Thursday night’s performance is important because the cast has not performed the play for a few months and Thursday night’s performance is a good way to practice for the competition.
Keeping Up With the Joneses is also nominated for other awards including Eppler’s nomination for the Michael Kahn National Student Playwriting Award, student actors Jared Logan and Julia Hinson are nominated for the Irene Ryan National Acting Scholarship and other nominations include best costume design and best lighting and sound for the Barbizon Design Award.
Although Eppler’s play is nominated for several awards and is competing for a chance to perform in Washington DC, Eppler said he is most proud of the cast and crew of his play.
“The best part of the play is the collaboration between everyone,” Eppler said. “Everyone has believed in it and that makes it so wonderful.”
Keeping Up With the Joneses will play for one night only at the Michael D. Rose Theatre Thursday at 8 p.m. Tickets are free and for more information, call 678-2576.
