Bush Theatre to host ‘Fat Pig’ performance starting Wednesday night

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The cast and crew of “Fat Pig” hope to shake up the way society looks at relationships.

A play by Neil LaBute and sponsored by University Theatre, “Fat Pig” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday in Bush Theatre.

The play offered a chance to show Mount Pleasant an issue in society for director Jill Taft-Kaufman, a professor of Communication and Dramatic Arts.

“I think that it is a very timely and fascinating subject,” she said. “It’s not only a play about the obsession that we have with bodies, but a play about personal conviction and how to follow through with your choices and ideas.”

Weidman sophomore Jenny Wright plays the title character, Helen. As a plus-size woman, Helen meets Tom, a average-built man. Tom begins to fall in love with Helen, and things become complicated for the pair.

Mount Pleasant senior Michael Knight plays the role of Tom’s friend Carter. Knight said Carter is a representation of what people really think about the issues at hand.

“(He is) the worst human being that you’ll ever meet in your life,” he said. “What he says is what people are usually thinking, but never want to say.”

Knight said he enjoys playing the role of Carter, and hopes audience members get a strong message out of the presentation.

“I think people are going to get basically a slap in the face,” he said. “What this play is telling them is, ‘This is what you do — stop it.’”

Knight said even though the production has faced minor setbacks throughout the process, the cast is very strong and ready to perform.

Wright is one of several relatively fresh faces to theatre productions at Central Michigan University to perform in “Fat Pig.”

She went from playing a minor role in “My Antonia” to holding the title character role in the current production.

Despite facing her first major performance, Wright said she was excited.

“When you start dress rehearsal and everything, it starts to become more real,” she said. “It’s less of kids just saying lines on a stage and more of an actual production.”

For Wright, Knight, and Taft-Kaufman, it all comes down to the message behind the costumes and excitement.

“I think that (audiences) will be entertained,” Taft-Kaufman said. “They’ll be provoked to think about their own relationships and what they’re willing to stand up for.”