Student actors explored family issues and cultural differences on the stage this weekend at Corner Playhouse in the theatre department’s sold-out production of “The Lost Slipper.”

Written by graduate student Amanda Newman, the 45-minute long play told the
stories of two very different couples whose fates intertwine because of the abandonment
and adoption of a baby girl, Rebecca.

One family, an optimistic and naïve couple from the United States, is traveling to
China to adopt Rebecca as the newest addition to their family. The other pair is a young
Chinese couple encounter marital issues as they grapple with the decision to abandon their newborn girl.

The story is set during the time of China’s law forbidding families from having more than
one child. At this time, it was seen as dishonorable to conceive a girl, and many baby
girls were abandoned in favor of boys that could work and help support the family.

“Although there are many characters in this play, and each has his or her own story,
I ultimately see this piece as a contemporary origin story, reminiscent of myths,
fables and fairytales,” said director Carrie Winship, a student pursuing a doctorate at MU. “It is
Rebecca’s story. It is her history.”

Using only six actors and eight production staff members, the cast and crew became
very close as they rehearsed every day for four weeks, Winship said.

“Having everyone sit down as a full cast at the first rehearsal was the best feeling,”
Winship said. “I just had a feeling. They all had the right energy, and it clicked.”

The American couple and the Chinese mother were the only characters
portrayed by the same actors throughout the show. The other three actors
portrayed dozens of characters — including small children, annoyed airport workers and obnoxious bus
passengers — as they wove in and out of the main characters’
stories.

“The hardest part of the piece was to connect with the story,” actress Lynett Vallejo
said. “We’re just not from that world.”

Some of the students attending came on assignment for their introductory level
theatre classes. Even if they were not theatre majors, some said they were
impressed and moved by the play.

“It wasn’t what I expected, but I really liked it,” sophomore Audrianna Higginbotham
said. “My favorite part was the Chinese fairytale they told in the middle and how
they tied the lost slipper from the story into the final scenes of the play.”

Other attendees were not as smitten and found the unusual storytelling techniques
confusing and hard to follow.

“I didn’t really like the choppiness of the play,” freshman Brooke Taber said. “It
didn’t really flow right. Also, I thought they needed more actors to play the different
characters — it was confusing when they all switched around.”

“The Lost Slipper” has finished its run on campus but will appear in January at the
Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival 45.