The fight show leaves a lasting blow

As another semester comes to an end, so does a season of theater. This year, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Theater and Dance Department had a great lineup of shows, including a musical, a Shakespeare play, and a mystery-style play. But for the last performance of the semester, the theater and dance department wanted to go out with a bang.

Or maybe a slap?

As the final show of the 2023-2024 theater season, the UW-Whitewater theater and dance department decided to present “Sweet Science of Bruising” by Joy Wilkinson and directed by Sara J. Griffin.

“We enter a world of underground boxing in London, 1869,” the program quotes. “Four different Wed

men from four very different walks of life, all longing to change their circumstances, to reinvent their existence. Through boxing, they all unlock a strength and determination that proves they are more formidable than they ever imagined. Their determination and perseverance ask us to contend with what lies within each of us, what untapped potential we may deny because we are afraid to look.”

The play follows four women as they venture into the boxing life: Polly Stokes, played by senior Makayla Fedler, a low-class woman struggling to make a living; Violet Hunter, played by junior Emma Dutcher, a nurse practicing to become a doctor; Anna Lamb, played by sophomore Anna Olson, a woman trapped in an abusive marriage; and Matilda Blackwell, played by senior Dyamond Jackson, a woman whose ambitions meant nothing in the real world.

Just like in the synopsis, the show is about boxing and other forms of fighting. To perform these moves without hurting each other, the department turned to UW-Whitewater alum and battled choreographer Rasell Holt. Holt graduated in 2015 with a major in theater and came back to help the cast of “Sweet Science of Bruising” with combat training and choreography.

“Admittedly, one of the big challenges is that the program itself doesn’t emphasize stage fighting, so there are a lot of performers who haven’t had stage fighting at all before this show, let alone the details behind the boxing,” Holt said. “That brings its own challenge, but with challenges comes opportunities to learn, and I think all the actors approached it with an incredible eagerness to learn.”

The play also deals with the heavy subject of domestic violence against women. In several scenes there are displays of physical violence against the female characters, along with emotional abuse. One character who has to go through this is Olson’s character, Anna Lamb, by her husband Gabriel Lamb, played by senior Bryce Giammo.

“We wanted to dig deep into what the character was feeling and what she was going through to give an accurate portrayal because this is something that people deal with in their lives,” Olson said. “It’s a difficult, hard subject and we wanted to portray it correctly, and if that’s not the case, then we shouldn’t portray it at all.”

When asked about the subject and his character, Giammo said: “It’s a very difficult role to play. I had to talk a lot, especially because I play a very abusive character, so I had to talk a lot with all my scene partners and Sara and cross boundaries to make sure everything was okay.

“Sweet Science of Bruising” runs through April 27 at the Hicklin Theater at the Center for the Arts, with performances April 25-27 at 7:30 p.m. If you are interested in other upcoming events at the Center for the Arts, such as Crossman Gallery exhibitions and performances in the Light Recital Hall, visit the Website Center for the Arts.