VERY MUCH LIKE Déjà VU, BUT for a second time. UWEC Players Abbey Lowenstein and JT Stocks get all Groundhog’s Day in David Ives’s The Sure Thing.

The Sure Thing and The Individuality of Streetlamps, two short, one-act plays, are coming to UW-Eau Claire. The UWEC Players, a university organization that gives opportunities to students in directing, acting, designing, etc., has taken on the task of putting on these two shows for UWEC students, faculty, and the public.

The Sure Thing is a short comedy by David Ives where Bill and Betty (the show’s only two characters) meet by chance in a café. When Bill asks if he can sit with her, she declines and the scene starts over, giving Betty a chance to answer differently. This scene resets itself several times before Betty finally allows Bill to sit. As their conversation continues, the scene is “reset” every time one responds negatively to the other, until the conversation goes perfectly for the pair.

The Individuality of Streetlamps also depicts a man and woman (Andy and Melissa), but they are at a much different place in their relationship. After a recent, traumatic breakup, the two reconnect only to find that while many things about them have changed, some have not. Andy, who is already with another woman, may still have feelings for Melissa, so it is up to her to decide where she wants their relationship to go next. The cast and crew are all UWEC Players members.

Starring as both shows’ male and female characters are J.T. Stocks and Abbey Lowenstein. The crew features Marissa Aprill as the director and Tyler Edmondson, Scott Krueger, and Katie Gerarden as the lighting, scenic, and costume designers (respectively). The group held auditions in mid-July, and has been rehearsing for a little over a month. The two shows will run one right after the other.

Performances will run Sept. 6 – 8 at 7:30pm at Schofield Auditorium, with a 1:30pm matinee on Sept. 8. The shows are free.