The University of Lethbridge explores  grief and loss in their last main stage production of the season, “In Tongues,” which runs March 17-21 in the University Theatre.
“In Tongues” was written by U of L graduate James Odin Wade who graduated from the U of L in 2011 with a FFA multi-disciplinary degree.
Assistant director Jake Rose noted the  five cast member play75 minute play combines elements of thriller, murder mystery and ghost story.
“ But it’s also quite funny,” said Rose, who enjoyed working with playwright James Odin Wade.
“It’s the world premiere of the lay. We workshopped it here. It was a collaborative process. So it was really exciting to receive notes and scenes, even though I live here and he lives in New York,” said Rose, an award winning playwright himself.
Rose won third place and $25 in this year’s uLethbridge Play Right Prize competition.
“ It’s been an exciting process. We’ve collaborated a lot on it, sending new drafts,” Rose continued.
When true crime author Cara dies alone in her British Columbia cabin while researching an infamous killer, her husband and sister are left searching for answers. What they find in her research exposes new sides of Cara, her investigation and themselves.

“ It’s really about how people process grief,” said Kaitlyn Olfert, who plays Siobhan, Cara’s drug addicted sister who helps go though her sister’s things and discovers  a lot about her sister as she discovers her notes of her investigation of serial killer  Michael, played by Trevor Loman, who was also in Macbeth last summer and The U of L's production of  Titus Andronicus in the Fall as well as just finished a run of Playgoers of Lethbridge’s “Daisy.”

“She has a really dysfunctional relationship with her sister so as they work their way through the grief process, we get to see multiple layers experienced by her sister, wife and husband,” Olfert continued.
Rose enjoyed working with director Ron Chambers.
“ It was  a lot of fun and we learned a lot
The play takes place on the University stage, however, it is set up backwards with the audience surrounding the stage, creating an intimate experience.
“ The audience is immersed in Cara’s home and life. They can see how good people do bad things and how bad people do good things,” Rose said.
 In Tongues runs March 17-21.
A talk-back with the playwright takes place after the opening performance on Tuesday, March 17, and a talk-back with the cast will take place on Friday, March 20.
Tickets for In Tongues are available at the University Box Office, Monday – Friday (12:30 pm – 3:30 pm), by calling 403-329-2616 or online uLethbridge.ca/tickets. Tickets are $18 regular, $13 senior and alumni and $12 students.