‘Actually’ Tackles Issues of Date Rape

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Photo by Ross Zenter

Renaissance Theaterworks "Actually"

Preston Tate, Jr. and Eva Nimmer in Renaissance Theaterworks' "Actually"

Playwright Anna Ziegler takes a hard-edged look at college date rape in Actually, which is now playing at Renaissance Theaterworks. Rather than seeing the issue in black-and-white terms, Ziegler inserts humor, poignancy and a bit of uncertainty into the subject. Ultimately, it’s up to the audience to decide what “actually” happened in their late-night sexual encounter in a college dorm room.

The play begins much earlier in the evening, long before the supposed “rape” occurs. Amber (Eva Nimmer), a talkative, middle-class Jewish woman who attempts to overcome her shyness, is obviously attracted to Tom (Preston Tate, Jr.). She is flirty and teasing during their first date, but she unsuspectingly insults him as well. She assumes that his race (he’s African American) was the reason he made it into Princeton. Tom is momentarily stunned by her statement, but he’s intrigued, not put off, by her cluelessness.

They have both had a great deal to drink before we meet them, and some of their dialogue is undoubtedly clouded by their reaction to the alcohol. At one point Amber insists that they play a game, Two Truths and a Lie. Tom doesn’t like games, he tells her, but she says he’ll play “if you want to sleep with me.” (He does.)

Taking a Closer Look at the Characters’ Lives

This game, of course, is the playwright’s method for filling out some details in the character’s lives. Ziegler’s play balances both monologues and dialogues throughout her 90-minute play. While such variations may keep the audience attentive, they don’t always help to develop the storyline.

When Amber tells her friend the next day that she “may have been raped” during her date, things take a sudden dramatic turn. The friend reports the news to a dorm floor monitor, who then tells the school administration.

Seemingly within moments, both Amber and Tom are inside a school lecture hall. They are facing an unseen, three-person panel that’s trying to decide whether a violation of the Education Code’s Title IX has taken place. Both Amber and Tom are terribly nervous during this procedure. Amber says she believes she has been raped; Tom insists that the sex was consensual.

For the rest of the play, the audience learns bits and pieces about the characters and what may—or may not—have happened between them. The characters speak directly to the audience, as if we represent the panelists. But make no mistake; the playwright isn’t taking sides. She merely exposes multiple sides of a very serious issue that challenges college campuses nationwide.

Whose Version Can the Audience Trust?

Both Amber and Tom admit they were so drunk they can’t recall much about their date, making their “testimony” somewhat suspect. Amber admits that, earlier in the evening, she had tossed off her top while dancing with Tom in public. She then drags him away from the crowd and they begin kissing in a darkened alley. It isn’t long before they are in his dorm room, where Tom is eager to get down to business. Amber doesn’t recall whether she said “no,” but she is sure she didn’t say “yes,” either.

Of the two characters, Tom is revealed in more detail. He gains sympathy by talking about his upbringing, which includes an absent father and a disinterested single mother. Tom doesn’t think that he’s being given enough credit for being the first person in his family to attend college. Unlike other Princeton freshmen, who arrive in cars driven by their parents, Tom is sent packing to school on a Greyhound bus. Tom carries two suitcases, one of which breaks open unexpectedly on the way to his dorm.

A fellow student offers to help, and thus a strong friendship is born. However, the friend, an Indian student who shares Tom’s love of classical music, is also gay. This complicates things tremendously, as Tom rebuffs his friend’s sexual advances while trying to retain their friendship.

Amber’s history is somewhat less interesting. She complains constantly about an attractive girl who is practically her shadow. Conversely, Amber makes pains not to overly “annoy” this new friend. Amber also knows she needs to concentrate harder on her studies. But since “everyone” on campus goes out nightly to party at 7 p.m., who is she to buck the trend? After all, she’s only a freshman who is testing her wings for the first time.

Two Flawed But Basically ‘Normal’ Characters

The actors must authentically reveal two flawed but basically “normal” characters who are trying to exist in a new environment. As Amber, Eva Nimmer doesn’t shy away from her character’s less admirable qualities. She delivers a refreshingly open, honest and frank portrayal of a young woman trying to deal with the consequences of a date gone wrong. As Tom, Preston Tate Jr. displays a brashness and cockiness that sometimes overshadows the fact that he’s basically a nice guy.

In this age of “hookup culture,” Amber is far from being Tom’s only sexual conquest in his first few months on campus. But he’s oddly drawn to her in a way he hasn’t yet experienced. She, too, seems concerned about what he’s feeling during this ordeal.

Director Mary Macdonald Kerr keeps things on course, maintaining the delicate balance that the play demands. Actually is set in a number of different locations, which are indicated with minimal props – basically, two chairs and a table. The challenge for production manager Bailey Wegner, set designer Jody Sekad and lighting designer Aaron Sherkow is to successfully create different environments involving as little movement as possible.

The themes explored in Actually are catnip for the folks at Renaissance Theaterworks, Milwaukee’s women-based theater company. Here, they offer a compelling and thought-provoking play that focuses not on aggressors and victims, but on survivors.

Actually continues through April 3 at Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water St. For tickets, visit R-T-W.com or call 414-278-0765.