College life, male-vanity, sexuality and manipulation are all issues addressed by the upcoming play Theatre Simpson will present.

Set in a modern college environment, “The Shape of Things” definitely tackles issues that are foremost in the minds of college students.

“I chose to do this particular play because I was very intrigued and greatly impacted by its content and the issues it deals with,” said Jennifer Nostrala, director and associate professor of theatre arts.

This play is a typical example of an agenda-setting production.

According to Nostrala, the Simpson College student body will relate to the characters because they go through some of the same emotions that college students go through, the ups and downs of their relationships.

Neil LaBute’s “Shape of Things” will likely surprise its audience because it discusses the female gender taking the upper hand in the male-female relationship. Besides the plot, the language is also dynamic.

“The characters use strong and explicit language and it will be delivered to the Simpson audience uncensored,” says Nostrala.

Evelyn, a character played by junior Karolina Czerwinski, is a powerful woman who gets things her way. Evelyn is very manipulative and strong-willed. She succeeds in convincing her boyfriend, Adam, to go through a “self-improvement” process. She pushes it a bit further by urging him to get cosmetic surgery.

For her role, Czerwinski has considered her character’s motivation.

“Evelyn does what every girl would do to get her man to be in better shape and look more attractive,” Czerwinski said. “I hope that people will also see the good side in her and see why she acts the way she does. I just hope that people will understand her personality and see things from her perspective.”

Nostrala says that the play also deals with ethics and morality and also tackles the idea of the Pygmalion effect. She also says that the actors are making discoveries everyday and are putting a lot of effort to this production.

The show will have seven performances. Performances are scheduled for Sept. 27-29 at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 3-5 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 6 at 1 p.m. in Barnum Studio Theatre. The Barnum Studio is situated in the lower level of the Blank Performing Arts Center.

The box office is located in the lobby of Blank Performing Arts Center. It is open for tickets from 1:30-4:30 p.m. weekdays and 1:30 p.m. until showtime on performance days. You can book your tickets by calling 515-961-1601 or by e-mailing [email protected]. Tickets are free to students, $8 for adults and $7 for non-Simpson students.