By Katie Potzick

Refractions is a series of short creative works being presented by the University of Louisville Theater Arts Department, at the Thrust Theater, Jan. 31 – Feb. 4.

This collection is set apart by the unique material it presents with all of the pieces created by U of L students in a fall theater class taught by Refractions director Rhea Lehman.

In the class, “Adaptation and Group Performance,” the students were assigned the task of creating scripts from non-dramatic texts including: essays, fiction, journalism, poetry and oral interviews

Over the course of the semester, the class developed the scripts into stage worthy pieces, and three of them were chosen to be showcased in Refractions.

Two of the pieces were adapted from fiction. “Glory in the Daytime” by Christine Leidner was inspired by a short story written by Dorothy Parker and “Murdering the Innocents” by Brandon Meeks was adapted from the Charles Dickens’ novel “Hard Times.”

Both of these performances were crafted from third person perspective so are told from a narrator’s point of view.

Leidner, who not only adapted “Glory in the Daytime” but plays the main female character Mrs. Murdock, said, “Sometimes (not always) what’s happening onstage isn’t what happened in the characters’ reality, but a translation.

For example, in ‘Glory in the Daytime,’ there are a couple of times where you hear Mrs. Murdock’s thoughts.

Also, there is a narrator who obviously has her own way of seeing things.”

Lehman said, “The narrator functions as a reporter, and sometimes he/she seems to actually direct the character’s actions or words. It begs the question of who’s running the show?”

The third piece that was chosen is Raven J. Railey’s “Hershey,” a compilation of personal interviews, songs, jokes and government documents all concerning the topic of American civil society and religion.

The play will run each evening at Thrust Theater at 8 p.m. and at a 3 p.m. Sunday matinee.

The ticket prices are $10 for general public, $7 for students and $9 for University of Louisville employees.