First Floor Theater presents a top tier production of One Party Consent

First Floor Theater's One Party Consent premiered worldwide on February 20 and deserves global attention. Skillfully written by company member Omer Abbas Salem the story centers around a non-binary theater student who calls out injustice at their college.

Dean Ellen Healy and assistant Sandra are meeting with pupil Fola for a mid-year review of their work. Cracks in Healy's character begin to show and a patronizing narcissistic person appears. It's easy to see why Healy has risen to the top of the school food chain as department head because of her diplomatic manipulations and art for talking around the real subject matter. When Fola calls her out on it things don't go well and Ms. Brite from human resources becomes involved. A battle ensues with twists and turns that are better left to be revealed onstage by the talented trio.

What begins as a comedy quickly grows serious as a troubling tale unspools and is tied together by these three thespians. Current topics are covered such as pronoun usage, racial equality and recording a meeting without consent.

It would have been easy to fall into a one-sided debate trap, but the author wrapped Fola with flaws and painted the story with realism at every stroke. Humanizing the student continues to help outsiders understand that victims don't have to be perfect to make a case for themselves. Fola is not the one on trial here Healy is but twisting that fact is unfortunately common in these situations.

Stephanie Shum plays Fola with just the right amount of anger and frustration. Ashlyn Lozano portrays two different characters Sandra and Ms. Brite by making them both fully dimensional. Cynthia Marker does justice to Dean Ellen Healy by making her likable and unlikable at the same time.

The plot is concise taking place on a two-audience-sided traverse stage and there's no intermission needed during this 80-minute production. Sounds surround the text throughout the performance and wind up the necessary anxiety involved with the intense storyline.

General admission tickets start at $10 and range up to $35, which is a steal.

First Floor Theater can be found on the second floor of The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., in the Crosby Stage. Fight for your right to a ticket at firstfloortheater.com by March 15!