Mr. Marmalade at Dowd Fine Arts Center - Lab Theater

SUNY Cortland’s Performing Arts Department invites audiences into a darkly comic and unsettling world with its upcoming production of Mr. Marmalade by Noah Haidle, directed by Tanner Efinger. Performances run February 26 through March 1, 2026, in the Lab Theater of the Dowd Fine Arts Center.

At the center of the play is Lucy, a seemingly sweet four-year-old girl whose imaginary friend, Mr. Marmalade, is anything but benign. Played by Athena Molina, Lucy navigates loneliness, parental neglect, and the confusing expectations of adulthood through elaborate games and conversations that blur the line between innocence and cruelty. Her imaginary companion, brought chillingly to life by Ryan Hinks, is manipulative, profane, and disturbingly self-aware; an embodiment of Lucy’s growing understanding of the adult world.

As Lucy’s fantasies unfold, the play shifts between her childlike perspective and the very real dysfunction of the adults around her. Her mother’s romantic entanglements, her babysitter’s self-destructive tendencies, and a series of uncomfortable revelations expose how easily children absorb the damage inflicted by grown-ups. What begins as playful imagination gradually twists into something far more disturbing, forcing the audience to confront how innocence can be shaped (or corrupted) by neglect and desire.

Director Tanner Efinger’s staging leans into the play’s sharp tonal contrasts, balancing absurd humor with moments of genuine unease. Mr. Marmalade deals with themes including abuse, suicide, violence and adult theme intended for mature audiences.