The Shape of Things
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The Shape of Things
April 25th & 26th, 2026
The Judee Wales-Watson Theatre
Directed By Zoë Weill
Written By Neil LaBute
SYNOPSIS: he four-character play explores how far someone is willing to go and how much they change for who (or what) they love. Two intertwined couples make up the story: the dating Evelyn and Adam and the engaged Phillip and Jenny. Evelyn is a graduate art student and Adam is an undergraduate English student at the same college who also works at a nearby museum as a security guard. Adam is a stereotypical nerdy guy–he’s an English literature major who has an appreciation for art and hasn’t had luck with women. He falls in love with Evelyn and willingly begins changing his physical appearance at her insistence. At first, it’s little things like losing some weight and letting his hair grow out. Then it becomes plastic surgery and cutting out his closest friends, all for what he thinks is the perfect relationship. But in life, like in art, appearances can be deceiving, and the truth is finally revealed in a gut-wrenching ending.
CONTENT WARNINGS
Please be advised that this show has the following content warnings:
- Strong Language
- Implied Sexual Content/References
- Discussion of Weight and Body Image
- Discussion of Suicide
- Discussion of Self-Harm
- Brief Moments of Homophobia
- Discussion of Domestic Abuse
- Brief Moments of Antisemitism
A note from zoë Weill, director of The SHape of Things
I want you to hate this play. Ok, well, not really, obviously I want you to love it, but honestly, hating it is the next best thing. I think that too often today, we are indifferent to what we see around us, both in terms of art and in life. We look away when things are uncomfortable, visceral, when we feel helpless or upset, and the ability to scroll has only exacerbated this. This play is meant to challenge that– I want you to love this play, I want you to hate it, but do not walk away indifferent. The Shape of Things is a raw examination of love, art, and truth. It asks us who we are with and without those things, what we are willing to do for them, and what we are able to give up. It questions what we see in the media, our standards, and how society obsesses over how things look. As college students in the arts, this play speaks to who we are and what we value, but it takes it to the extreme– it cautions what happens when we take these things a step too far. Adam, Evelyn, Jenny, and Phillip are all deeply flawed characters. They are funny and complicated and emotional, they lie and they love and they fight. I ask that you do not judge any of them too harshly– they, like art, are subjective, and they, like art, have layers that you do not get to see within the scope of the play. This production, too, has had countless people, hours, and layers that you cannot see. I am so beyond grateful for all of them, and while you cannot see them all reflected in their entirety, I hope that you see their influence in every single aspect of the show. To get to direct this show has been the honor of a lifetime. To get to direct it with this group of people is even more of an honor. They are what really matter, and together, I hope that we have made art that, even in a small little way, will change the world.
A note from Reed Atherton, Dramaturg of The SHape of Things
You SHOULD have an opinion on this show.
Right or Wrong.
Bad or Good.
Happy or Sad.
This is a show that literally BEGS for your opinion. The Shape of Things is the first of three Neil LaBute plays that attempts to capture the obsession with beauty and appearance in our society. Taking the ‘I Can Change for Him’ trope that is ingrained within us since childhood through stories like Grease and Beauty and The Beast and tears it apart. Using Dark Comedy to showcase the ugly truth that comes with changing for a person. Yet this is something we tend to do in our day to day lives in very subtle ways. So you might leave this play feeling you might have just laughed at the ugliest version of yourself. And that’s okay!!! You’re allowed to have opinions, you’re allowed to have feelings. Our differences in feelings and opinions make us who we are.
“Only to indifference do I say fuck you”
Enjoy the Show!
Creative Team
Director
Zoë Weill
BFA Theatre Education and Performance ‘28. Emerson Stage Credits: Julius Caesar (U/S Trebonius). Emerson College Credits: Mercutio Troupe’s 10 out of 12 (Jamie), Mercutio Troupe’s Alluvium (Sound Designer), BlueJay Theater Co’s SLUT (Observing Director), EmShakes’ The Sea Ends at Troy (ASM). Additional Credits: Beyond Therapy (Stage Manager), How to Make Friends and then Kill Them (ASM). There are too many thanks to give and people who allowed this to happen, but here’s a few: Thank you to my family, Mr. Marconi, my friends, BlueJay, and the incomprable cast and crew. You all have made this dream come true. And I mean that. I do.
Assistant Director
Gillian Applebaum
BFA Theatre Education and Performance ’27. Emerson College Credits: Kidding Around’s Artistic Director, EIV’s “Douchebag Hotline” (Sloane), MTAG’s “Songs for a New World” (Costume Designer), Blueworks’ “Omniscient Bus” (femme swing), Emshakes’ “The Sea Ends at Troy” (Stage Manager), Capstone “The Sleepover Game” (Mandy), Kidding Arounds’ “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” (Costume Designer), MTS’s “GleEFA” (Music Director), “How to Make Friends and then Kill Them” (Stage Manager), MTAG’s “HAIR” (Costume Designer), EVVYs (Wardrobe Supervisor), Rareworks’ “Stains” (Asst. Director), Rareworks’ “Hookman” (Kayleigh U/S)
Scenic Designer
Hugo Billiau
BFA Theatrical Design and Production ’29. Previous credits include: Lighting Design for The Mad Ones with MTS. Other scenic credits include Grease, Mamma Mia!, Radium Girls, Rue, and Godspell for Thetford Academy. Thank you so much to Zoë for being such a wonderful director and always being flexible and positive!
Costume Designer
Grace Cunniff
BFA Theatrical Design and Production ’28. Emerson Stage credits: Julius Caesar (Assistant Costume Designer) and Sweet Charity (Assistant Wardrobe Supervisor). Emerson College theatre credits: EmShakes’ The Inheritance (Costume Designer); Musical Theatre Society’s Sweeney Todd (Costume Designer); Kidding Around’s School of Rock (Costume Designer), and Musical Theatre Against the Grain’s Alice by Heart (Costume Designer). She wants to thank her mom and friends for always pushing her.
Assistant Costume Designer
Natalie Alpert
BFA Theatrical Design and Production ‘29. Emerson Stage Credits: The Great God Pan (Hair & Makeup Assistant), Confederates (Wardrobe Crew). Emerson College Credits: Kidding Around’s School of Rock (Co-Wardrobe Supervisor); RareWorks Theatre Company’s Let Us Join Hands (Assistant Costume Designer); emShakes Theatre Company’s MACBITCHES (Wardrobe Supervisor); Musical Theatre Society’s The Mad Ones (Assistant Costume Designer); BlueJay Theater Collective’s The Omniscient Bus (Wardrobe Supervisor).
Lighting Designer
Charlie Peterson
BFA Theatrical Design and Production ’28.
Emerson Stage: I Love XXX (Lighting Crew), Confederates (Lead Electrician), Chantecler: A Musical Fable (Assistant Lighting Designer); Sweet Charity (Assistant Lighting Designer); Emerson College: ERA Awards (Assistant Lighting Designer), 44th Annual EVVY Awards (Electrician, Spotlight Operator); Night Side Songs (Lighting Designer). Upcoming; Emerson College: 45th Annual EVVY Awards (Assistant Lighting Designer). Thanks to Chris, Ben, Lilli, Sofia, and the entire Shape of Things creative team!
Associate Lighting Designer
Christopher Oetama
Assistant Lighting Designer
Benjamin Gmyrek
Sound Designer
Maddie Wright
BFA Theatre Education ‘26.
Emerson Stage Credits: Bat Boy (Asst. Director), Julius Caesar (Stage Manager), I Love XXX (co-2nd ASM). Select Emerson College credits: Kidding Around’s Seussical TYA (2nd ASM); MTAG’s The Wild Party, Hair, Daddy Long Legs (SM); MTS’s Ride the Cyclone, Chicago (Sound Design), Assassins (Associate Director); BlueJay’s Dog Sees God, Significant Other (Sound Design); Mercutio Troupe’s Trail to Oregon, 10 out of 12 (Co-Director), Romeo and Juliet (SM); emShakes’ Metamorphosis, Hamlet, The Sea Ends At Troy (Sound Design). Last one! All my love to Zoë! Thank you for letting me do one last sound design!
Assistant Sound Designer
Gia Ioele
Projections Designer
Emery Frost
Technical Director
India Stults
Props Lead
Abby Marr
BFA Theatre and Performance ‘28.
Emerson College Theater Credits: EmShakes Theater Co’s A Streetcar Named Desire (ASM), Kidding Around’s Calvin Berger (Props Lead), Mercutio Troupe’s Jaimie Has A Bomb (Co-props Lead)
Assistant Props Lead
Somers Eberly
Production Electrician
Lilli Gonzales
Lead Electrician
Sofia Margarint
Intimacy Director
Nicole Coleman
BFA Theatre Education ‘26.
Emerson Stage Credits: Head Over Heels (Assistant Director), Chantecler: A Musical Fable (Company Manager), and Old Jake’s Skirts (Light Board Operator).
Emerson College Credits: RareWorks Theatre Company’s To the End of the World (Stage Manager), Stains (Intimacy/Fight Director), The Ball Game (Intimacy/Fight Director), and Days of Rage (Intimacy Director); BlueWorks’ Escape: Or the Piña Colada Play (Intimacy Director); Musical Theater Society’s Heathers (ASM), Cabaret of Color 2023 (Stage Manager), Cabaret of Color 2024 (Stage Manager), Cabaret of Color 2025 (Stage Manager), Cabaret of Color 2026 (Stage Manager), Falsettos (Stage Manager), Chicago (Stage Manager), The Mad Ones (Intimacy Director), and EFA Cabaret 2025 (Co-Producer); Musical Theater Against the Grain’s Hot Dam! (Stage Manager), Fun Home (Intimacy Director), Hair (Intimacy Director), The Guy… Musicals (Intimacy/Fight Director), and Daddy Long Legs (Intimacy Director); emShakes Theatre Company’s A Streetcar Named Desire (Stage Manager), Lord of the Flies (1st ASM), Nüwa in Fairyland (Intimacy Director), and Metamorphosis (Interim Stage Manager); BlueJay Theater Collective’s Dog Sees God (Intimacy Director) and Rabbit Hole (Intimacy Director); Mercutio Troupe’s In the Waiting Room (Stage Manager) and My Dearest Apologies (Intimacy/Assistant Director); Kidding Around’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical (Director), Almost, Maine (Intimacy/Fight Director), Honk! (Co-Hair and Makeup Designer), Dear Morgan Le Fay, (Co-Producer), Tuck Everlasting (Intimacy Director), Calvin Berger (Intimacy Director) and June July August (Intimacy Director); The 43rd Annual EVVY Awards (ASM) and The 44th Annual EVVY Awards (Host), The 45th Annual EVVY Awards (Co-Lead Social Media Coord.); IDS Capstone The Sleepover Game (Intimacy Director), Jimmy’s Traveling All-Stars’ Troupalooza (Head Stage Manager). Thanks to the cast and crew!
Stage Manager
Victoria Romano
BFA Stage and Production Management ’28. Emerson Stage Credits: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2nd Asst. Stage Manager), I Love XXX (Production Assistant), When Death Crashes a Dinner Party (Assoc. Production Supervisor), Red Wolf (Asst. Production Supervisor). Emerson College Credits: Mercutio Troupe’s 10 out of 12 (Stage Manager), Musical Theatre Society’s Sunday in the Park with George (1st Asst. Stage Manager), Musical Theatre Against The Grain’s Daddy Long Legs (Asst. Stage Manager). Nothing I do would be possible without my family, friends, Benjamin and Matti.
Assistant Stage Manager
Noah Yeager
BA Creative Writing ’28. Emerson College theatre credits: Let Us Join Hands (Stage Manager) for RareWorks Theatre Company, Overbridge High (Stage Manager) for BlueJay Theater Collective, Sunday in the Park with George (Asst. Stage Manager) for Musical Theatre Society, High School Musical (Asst. Stage Manager) for Musical Theatre Society
Acting Company
Adam
Louis Correro
BFA Acting ’27.
Emerson Stage Credits: Red Wolf (Red Wolf), Imogen Says Nothing (u/s John Heminges/Leonato/Ned Whiting), NewFest Shortworks “Roadmap” (H).
Emerson College Credits: Musical Theatre Society’s Assassins (Charles Guiteau); Mercutio Troupe’s 10 Out of 12 (Paul); emShakes Theatre Company’s Macbeth (Macbeth) and The Big Meal (Man #3 Track); BlueJay Theater Collective’s Overbridge High (Finn) and Dog Sees God (Van); RareWorks Theatre Company’s Five Times in One Night (Tim) and Cast Thy Bread (Joshua)
Louis would like to thank his girlfriend and roommates for willingly running lines with him at all hours of the day, as well as BlueJay Theater Collective for their continued support.
Evelyn
Lulu Royce
BFA Acting ’26.
Lulu Royce is a graduating senior in the BFA Acting Program. She is the proud Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of BlueJay Theater Collective alongside her best friend JJ. To be starring in BlueJay’s final show of the semester is really “the capper to her time here” at Emerson. How cool! Her Emerson Stage credits: Julius Caesar (Brutus), POTUS (Jean) and A Doll’s House (Anne-Marie & U/S Nora). Emerson College credits: BlueJay’s Overbridge High (Co-Writer & Co-Director, EVVY Nominated), Dog Sees God (Director, EVVY Award for Outstanding Directing for Stage); MTAG’s Fun Home (Director, EVVY Award for Outstanding Stage Play) and Hot Dam (Brody the Boyscout Kaplan); Independent Beyond Therapy (Director); Rareworks’ Five Times in One Night (Laura). She would like to thank her wonderful parents, her darling friends, her partner Sara, this fabulously beautiful cast, every member of the crew, and precious Zoe and Gillian for their brilliant minds and spirits.
Jenny
Tanner Lloyd
BFA Acting ‘26.
Emerson Stage Credits: NewFest ShortWorks 2024 (Goose – Cherry)
Emerson College Theatre Credits: Rabbit Hole (Becca) for Bluejay Theater Collective, Days of Rage (Peggy) for Rareworks Theatre Company
Thanks to my family. Mom, Dad, Flynn, everything I do is to make you proud, and I vow to do that for the rest of my life. Thanks to my friends, especially my darlings at 1489, and ESPECIALLY my forever girl at 945. And the biggest thank you goes to the entire cast and crew, you inspire me daily and none of this could’ve been done without you.
Noah Raquino
Phillip
BFA Acting ‘27.
Emerson Stage Credits: When Death Crashes a Dinner Party (Theodore), Limber, A Love Story (Sky, Hernán, and Mother)
Emerson College Credits: Rareworks Days of Rage (Spence), Beyond Therapy (Stuart), Rareworks Five Times in One Night (Adam), BlueJay Theater Collective Rabbit Hole (Male Swing), Musical Theatre Society Dogfight (Boland), Kidding Around Snow Angel (Crank) Other Credits: In The Heights (Usnavi and Benny), The Folks You Meet in Longs (Multiple Characters), Loose Canon (Multiple Characters), Radium Girls (Tom), The Crucible (Marshall Herrick). Mahalo to my family and friends for all of their support! @noahraquino
Adam U/S
Max Tanaka
BFA Theatre and Performance ‘28.
Emerson Stage credits: NFSW 2026: Genre Defying (Mason)
Emerson College theatre credits: emShakes Theatre Company’s The Sea Ends at Troy (Menelaus), Kidding Around’s Diary of A Wimpy Kid: The Musical (Rodrick), Mercutio Troupe’s Jamie Has A Bomb (Jacob/Jason/Jonah), Musical Theatre Society’s Assassins (Czolgosz)
:D
Evelyn U/S
Charlotte Pernicone
BFA Theatre and Performance ‘28.
Emerson Stage Credits: Julius Caesar (U/S Cimber) and When Death Crashes a Dinner Party (U/S Mrs. Ford/Maids). Emerson College Credits: Kidding Around’s HONK! (Cat), Musical Theater Society’s Sunday in the Park With George (Old Lady/Blair Daniels) and Bluejay Theater Collective’s The Shape of Things (U/S Evelyn). Other Credits: Night Side Songs (Female Swing). Charlotte is so excited for you to see this show! She would like to thank her family and all her friends for giving her the strength to pursue what she loves. Enjoy the show<3
Jenny U/S
Rowen Goring
BFA Theatre and Performance ‘26.
Emerson Stage credits: The Great God Pan (Joelle u/s), Red Wolf (Miranda) Emerson College credits: The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals (Charlotte), Fun Home (Small Alison) So much gratitude for this entire cast and crew for making this process so special!
Phillip U/S
Daniel Stowe
BFA Theatre and Performance ‘28. Emerson College Credits: Musical Theatre Society’s Assassins (Ensemble/ u/s Balladeer/Czolgosz), Musical Theatre Against The Grain’s Spring Awakening (Ensemble/Ulbrecht/Melchior Shadow Dancer), Musical Theatre Society’s Sunday In The Park With George (Soldier/Alex), Musical Theatre Society’s High School Musical (Troy Bolton)
Special thanks
Lilli Drescher
Tiana Di Stasio
Jimmy Nguyen
The Student Performance Center
The Student Theatre Alliance
Supporting Causes
Artists for Humanity, Foundation for Art and Healing, The People’s heART, & Arts for Learning Massachusetts
BlueJay Theater Collective is dedicated to connecting theater to the real world by showcasing its impact. The Shape of Things is about art and craft being all consuming and how that can go too far. However, it is also about the importance of art as an outlet. Here are a few organizations we encourage our audience to look into to create impact from the stage to the real world.
Artists for Humanity
Artists For Humanity’s goal is to bridge the gap between social, racial, and community division among teens by inspiring them to create innovative art together.
Foundation for Art and Healing
Foundation for Art and Healing is a nonprofit organization that is utilizing art as a scientific path towards improving personal and public health.
THE PEOPLE’S heART
The People’s heART is an organization that reimagines healthcare spaces through art to make the environments more inviting and to promote health equity.
Arts for Learning Massachusetts
Arts for Learning Massachusetts works with the youth of Massachusetts to inspire and empower them through the medium of the arts.