The official “The Quickening” poster.
By Krista Knudtsen
On March 23, an original new play will light up Milligan College’s theatre. Milligan’s own Debbie Harbin, administrative assistant for academic affairs, wrote the upcoming spring play, The Quickening.
Harbin was fond of theatre in high school and pursued her love for writing plays in college as an English major with an emphasis in creative writing. Harbin also received a Master of Fine Arts degree in playwriting.
Harbin stated that she wrote this play specifically for the Milligan stage after being approached by the theatre department.
The story follows the spirited character Hannah, who is looking to make a difference in the world. Hannah is adamant about saving animals and the earth and believes in doing so through reducing the amount of people on the earth. She strongly disagrees with pregnancy and believes that women should consider not having children. However, she hears of another woman, Lillian, who has become well known for her claim to improve women’s fertility with surprising success. Hannah embarks on a journey to discover how Lillian accomplishes this feat and on her way discovers much about herself.
The unique story of The Quickening is a definite shift from the lighthearted children’s plays that Milligan has done this school year. The previous plays of the year included Alice in Wonderland,with its bright colors and fantastical events and characters, as well as The Secret Garden with its storybook style.
Instead, this play is set in the present and tells the stories of people that one might actually meet in the world. The play stems from Ms. Harbin’s own considerations of this generation’s tendency to wait to have children, contrasting it with the previous generation’s trend of having children more immediately after marriage.
Though centered on passionate and somewhat out-of-the-norm characters, The Quickening exists to prompt audiences to consider their own lives and personal journeys. The play seeks to encourage the exploration of ideas instead of simply receiving an entertaining performance.
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