The University of Northern Iowa’s Theatre Department will present its first play of the spring semester, “3 Tall Women.” The play is written by Edward Albee and directed by Benjamin Sheridan.

Performances will take place Feb. 25 to 27 and March 4 to 6 at 7:30 p.m. in the Bertha Martin Theatre in the Strayer-Wood Theatre. Sunday matinees will also be performed Feb. 28 and March 7 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $14 for the public and free for UNI students.

“Three Tall Women” is being directed and designed completely by senior students at UNI as a showcase of the theatre department’s emerging talents. It features a cast of four actors and runs in two acts. Albee’s play has won a handful of awards, most notably the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1994.

“‘Three Tall Women is a play about an elderly woman with declining health reflecting on her life’s journey to discover an understanding and an acceptance,” said Benjamin Sheridan, theatre major and senior director of the play.

He also feels the play touches on the themes of pride, aging, time and understanding.

Under Sheridan’s direction is Elizabeth Cameron, a senior communication and theatrical arts teaching major, who plays the oldest voice of three characters, “A.”

She has been involved with Theatre UNI for a few years and a handful of shows, including “Death of a Salesman”, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Crucible.”

“We started six weeks ago really analyzing the text of the play and what the playwright was saying,” Cameron said. “We then were able to take it on its feet to see where it would go. Being a 92-year-old woman has required a lot of exploration of movement and voice quality to make it believable. It has taken a lot emotionally and physically to get to where we are, but it was also a very rewarding process as an actor.”

The design team also had many hurdles to leap. Allison Krois, makeup and costume designer for “3 Tall Women,” has spent approximately five hours a week working on hair and makeup for the show.

“There have been some challenges designing for this show,” she said. “The largest one is taking a 27-year-old girl and age her 70 years. It is no small feat to make a young girl appear nearly four times her age, but with much experimentation, I think I have achieved what I wanted. In addition to the old-age make-up process, there are a couple of secret hair and makeup changes in the show, but that is all I am going to say.”

Sarah Williams, senior youth theatre and performance major, also plays one of the main characters. In her opinion, the cast has experienced a strong bond since the beginning of the show.

“We’ve all gained a sense of trust with one another, including Ben and the stage management team,” she said. “It’s such a small cast that we’ve had an amazing opportunity to become very tight-knit.”

“This play is incredibly intimate and really makes you think about the state of life as it is, and how it is going to be,” Cameron said. “Everyone can relate to something that is said because art is, after all, an imitation of life.”

To reserve tickets or obtain more information, contact the UNI Theatre Department ticket office at 273-6381.