One week after Ybor’s fall show, the Brandon Theater Department presented David Lindsay-Abaire’s Rabbit Hole.

  This poignant show ran from Nov. 18-21. The drama saw a steady audience for each night, with the instructors and students from the Honors Institute making the event a social to show support.

  While most may assume a link to Alice in Wonderland due to the show’s title, there are no white rabbits, tea parties or hookah-smoking caterpillars.

  Instead, the characters of Becca and Howie re-evaluate their lives after the loss of their young son, Danny. Thus, they fall into a ‘rabbit hole’, leading them into a new, unfamiliar world of pain.

  These roles were emotionally complex, requiring a dynamic performance. Hannah Richardson and Matt Millard, both in their last semester at Hillsborough Community College, played the pair excellently.

  Becca’s sister, Izzy, adds more stress to the situation by announcing her pregnancy. Kaity Hendricks played the character of Izzy.

  While the dynamics of these three characters are explored, Becca’s mother, Nat, attempts to help Becca through the process, having lost a child herself. This parallel proves to become a major breaking point for Becca’s character during the show.

  Rachel Rodriguez brought a quiet, yet powerful take on Nat’s character.

  The final character in the show is a high-schooler named Jason, played by Felix Martinez. Jason accidentally hit and killed a young boy with his car, when he chases after his dog and runs into the street. This little boy, Danny, was the son of Becca and Howie.

  Every character comes together due to this one tragedy, and their relationships with one another are tested and strengthened because of it.

  Rabbit Hole won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize, considered the highest honor for American playwrights. Cynthia Nixon also won a Tony for her performance as Becca.

  For those that didn’t get a chance to see the drama in action, the 2010 film starring Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart, it is worth a watch.

  Professor Reg Poling is already preparing for Brandon’s spring production, after a successful run with Rabbit Hole.

  Auditions for The Vagina Monologues will be held Thursday, Jan. 14 at 1 p.m.

  To audition, have three contrasting pieces from the show prepared, running about three to four minutes, and be prepared to be the next star in an HCC show.