Mathien’s piece, the story of man who is trying to find a way to cry and to determine why it is so hard to cry, will dramatize how societal definitions of masculinity affect the expression of sadness. As the protagonist is blind, Mathien also will juxtapose the meaning of the character’s physical disability with his emotional disability in the performance intended for mature audiences. Wyatt’s piece will focus on what she calls the “sexuality of space,” or how gender-based power struggles occur within certain rooms and buildings.

Directed by Chris Mathien, a Bates sophomore from Veazie, Maine, this show portrays the plight of Jenny, a young girl who has been sexually abused by her baby sitter. As Jenny relives the moment she shared the secret with her best friend, Deedee, she realizes the difference between secrets that should be kept and those that must be told.

Jenny is played by Katherine Hazard, a sophomore from New York City. Emily Stanton, a first-year student from Eliot, Maine, will play Deedee. First-year student Kate Spencer from Wellesley, Mass., will play Mother and Bernice. Dan Snow, a first-year student from Scarborough, Maine, will play Elrod and Sparky, and sophomore John Payne of Bryn Mawr, Pa., will play Mr. Anderson.

Next in the Theater at Bates series is Anton Chekhov’s tragicomedy The Seagull opening at 8 p.m. on March 5, 6 and 7 and at 2 p.m. on March 8 in Schaeffer Theatre.