REVIEW BY EMMA MILLER

Sundogs, part of Planet Connections 2018 Festival, is a four-person show.  Set at a high school, students PJ, Jay, and Sam may have an alien in their midst.  Resident outcast “Wacky Jackie” reveals to PJ in an interview that she will be returning to her home planet.  But not before her extraterrestrial family wreaks their revenge on her bullies.  But what constitutes a bully?  PJ and Jay reflect on their connection, or lack thereof, with Jackie.  What’s worse: calling someone names or staring?  Jackie gets to share an outsider’s view of human behaviors, theorizing that people are all the same.  It’s up to us to elect to be united by empathy or meanness.

The minimal set and staging brings the text to the foreground.  Intimate scene work comes out of two-hander scenes where podcast host PJ is called out for the motives behind the Wacky Jackie interview.  This production showcases high school characters played by high schoolers.  A supportive audience reveled in seeing their family and friends onstage, making for an enjoyable night.