Director Christina Reynolds and Basement Arts will be bringing Clifford Odets' "Waiting For Lefty" to the Arena Theater this weekend.

"Waiting For Lefty" was written in 1935, and portrays an America trapped in a period of injustice and social crisis. Because some of the language is dated, director Christina Reynolds has decided to keep the play set within the 1930s, and to keep costumes reflective of the period.

The play takes place in a union meeting hall, where the taxi union leaders have joined to discuss the necessities of a strike. Yet, the action encompasses more than just a committee hoping to strike for better wages. "The play is a metaphor for humanity striking for more human dignity against the suppression of what has come to be termed unalienable rights," said Reynolds.

The story unfolds through a series of six scenes, in which the union workers present compelling arguments that support the strike, as well as relaying the events in their perspective lives that led up to the strike. The union workers themselves are also a metaphor representing all working class people. They realize that change is necessary in their society and the only way to accomplish their objective is to band together and find solidarity in each other. According to Reynolds, "Although the play was written 66 years ago, the main underlying themes are still prevalent to modern society."

One of the main objectives in Reynolds' view of "Waiting for Lefty" is her dedication to breaking down the "fourth wall" that separates the action on the stage from the people in the audience. The cast is 24 members strong, including two musicians called the "stellar sisters" that will be providing pre-show musical entertainment. The entire theater will be transformed into the meeting hall, and upon entering the theater, all the audience members become union members. Opposed to the traditional Arena Theater set-up, where the audience is situated on risers looking down on the stage space, the audience will instead be seated in rows of chair set on the floor, with the acting space set up on platform like risers. "Waiting for Lefty," will have the hum of constant movement, and members of the ensemble will be moving freely throughout the audience. In light of the idea that all people in the theater will be union members, the stagehands, the director, and other production members that normally would be behind the scenes, will also be taking part in the action on stage. This is also to reinforce the blurring of the line between the audience and the cast members.

The director of "Waiting for Lefty" is Christina Reynolds, a BFA performance major currently in her third year at the University of Michigan. Prior to directing "Waiting for Lefty," she participated in four other Basement Arts shows. "There is a common misconception that historical theatre is old with nothing vital about it. The energy and the issues presented in this play are just as vital today as they were in 1935 when the play was first written." Reynolds described her experience of acting in "Waiting For Lefty" in high school, and becoming enamored with the script at that time. "I love the way the play is written. There is so much energy. It is fast paced, bold, loud, and rambunctious."