DE PERE, Wis. (WFRV) – St. Norbert College Theatre Studies will present the Michaela Jeffery play, “WROL (‘Without Rule of Law’)” starting this week.

Performances in Webb Theatre of Abbot Pennings Hall of Fine Arts are at 7:30 p.m. April 1-2; 2 p.m. April 3; and 7:30 p.m. April 7-9. Info: snc.edu/tickets.

A question-and-answer session with the cast and crew will follow the Sunday matinee.

Snapshot, according to a press release: Convinced the world at-large can’t be trusted to prioritize the well-being of adolescent girls in the event of a cataclysmic event – or just in general – a determined troupe of preteen “doomers” commits to preparing for survival in the post-collapse society they anticipate inheriting. When Maureen, Jo, Sarah, Vic and Robbie sneak out at night to investigate an ominous hidden lair in the woods, they believe they have stumbled onto proof of what happened to a mysterious local cult that vanished over a decade ago. As they search for vital clues, examining small bones and dusty cans of food for signs of life, they fight to be understood in a world that seems to reject them. What they discover changes everything – eighth grade will never be the same.

The production is directed by Stephen Rupsch, divisional dean for visual and performing arts and associate professor of theater studies. Design is by April Beiswenger, by associate professor of theater/scenographer and director of theater studies. Corey Pinchart is technical director, and Paul Heim is assistant technical director.

The cast and crew: Ava Baenen (Oneida), Alyssa Brugger (Wrightstown), Valerie Cohen (Greenleaf), Natalie Elfner (Homewood, Ill.), Eliza Griffey (Mishicot), Rita Hamm (Green Bay), Daphne Johnson (Green Bay), KaCie Ley (De Pere), Fiona Laffey (Chicago, Ill.), Jacinta Maslanka (Crestwood, Ill.), Riley Schwahn (Reedsville), Alonzo Torres (Chicago) and Andrea Waschbisch (Oconto Falls).

The production contains strong adult language.

From the playwright:

“While the characters in this play are all young teens, its primary audience is adults. In the spirit of stories such as the 1986 film, ‘Stand by Me,’ ‘WROL (Without Rule of Law)’ invites its audience to remember what it felt like to be in eighth grade, determined to correct the injustices of the world.

“As an extension of this intention, it isn’t necessary that these characters be portrayed by age-appropriate performers. In the world premiere production of ‘WROL (Without Rule of Law),’ the decision was taken to cast performers who were closer to being 40 than to being 12 – several were parents themselves. What this brought to the telling was an objectivity and deliberateness in capturing the tender strange wildness of what it feels like to be 12 years old.”