Rhodes Theatre Guild Presents YOU'LL GROW INTO IT This Month

Taking inspiration from imaginary friends, childhood games, and a delicious soup, Rhodes Theatre Guild will present an exciting new play cycle from Rhodes senior and budding playwright Eliana Mabe. Each of the three short plays, "Show-and-Tell", "Posole", and "Numbers Game", speaks to different and challenging aspects about childhood. When trouble arises, children are told to suck it up, it's something you'll grow into. Directed by Lyon Teesdale, Eliana Mabe, and JD Willis, respectively, each of the selections explores friendship, siblings and those unforgettable life moments with striking intimacy. With technical direction by Memphis theatre staple, Melissa Andrews, the rest of the technical crew and cast is filled by Rhodes students who have a passion for theatre and storytelling. They continue to produce great theatre with the help of Rhodes College, the Memphis community, and Rhodes theatre alumni.

"Show-and-Tell" is set in Ms. Harrow's first grade classroom in 1984. Through the eyes of Francesca, Ruggles, Oliver and Gemma, this work brings the audience right back to those brightly colored rugs and marker covered desks of primary school. This short was originally written for a class at Rhodes College in 2021, then accepted later that year to Horizon Theatre's New South Young Playwrights Festival, and then workshopped in the Professional Training Program at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2022. Asking questions about what it means to be seen, RTG is excited to bring it to its feet.

"Posole", a traditional Mexican soup, is the featured dish in the second play about the relationship between ten-year-old Dagarina and her Tía (and of course Rica, the rubber duck). Directed by and starring young Hispanic and Latina women, this play has Latinx tradition and culture at its core discussing themes of motherhood, loss, and purity. Originally drafted for a workshop led by playwright C. Quintana in the Professional Training Program Cohort at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in July 2022, this piece will be directed by the playwright herself.

"Numbers Game" is the final short in the trilogy and tells the story of the Bleu quadruplets as they unwrap a mysterious birthday gift that possesses supernatural qualities. This play was conceived and produced at the inaugural The 24 Hour Plays Memphis June 24-25, 2022 produced by Lonetree Live and was further developed by the Professional Training Program Cohort at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in August 2022. Centered around the joy of playing pretend, it explores how the relationships with our siblings and ourselves changes as we age.

This amazing new piece of theatre hits the stage the last weekend of February and RTG hopes you get the chance to see it! This is just the beginning for more incredible student derived work to come. Thank you for supporting live theatre on the Rhodes College campus!