For the Love of (Or the Roller Derby Play)

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Steve Noll

Cast members of "For the Love of (Or the Roller Derby Play)."

Cast members of "For the Love of (Or the Roller Derby Play)," Madison College Performing Arts, 2024.

Playwright Gina Femia has written 10 plays and a young adult novel, reflecting themes of friendship, family, queer lives, pride and love. Here the scene is an unexpected roller derby romance; For the Love Of features an all-female cast. Madison College Performing Arts puts on the show with performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

media release: MADISON COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS will present Gina Femia’s play “For the Love of (Or the Roller Derby Play)” in the Studio Theater, October 18-27.

The play, directed by Erica Berman, takes place around Coney Island and New Jersey and centers players on the Brooklyn Scallywags roller derby team. 

When Joy Ride (played by Erran Daniels) joins the team and meets the star, Lizzie Lightning (Rosemary Medrano), Joy and her long-term partner Michelle (Danielle Bormann Davidson) find their lives turned upside down. This funny, moving and fast-paced play asks how much you’re willing to sacrifice—or lose—in order to follow your heart.

Joy’s teammates bring a range of perspective and humor to the derby track. They do roller derby for the thrill and release it brings them.  

“For the Love of …” has been produced by professional and college theatres around the country. Part of the appeal is its diverse, all-female-identifying cast. Audiences also appreciate the queer love triangle Joy lands herself in. 

The cast and director Erica Berman had the opportunity to speak with playwright Gina Femia about the play. Femia shared her inspiration for the play and context for its characters and individual journeys. 

There is no actual roller skating in the play. Instead, Femia provides this production note in the script: “This is a Dance-ical. Dances move the story forward and invoke the movement of roller derby.” 

Choreographer and Madison College dance instructor Robin Fonfara has worked with director Berman and the cast to capture the feel of roller derby using movement and dance. 

Fonfara and Berman conferred with local roller derby players Amy “Scary Fisher” Wasney and Barb E. Bus who served as consultants for the production. Cast member Kailea Saplan is also an active roller derby player. 

Director Berman is an accomplished playwright and director and serves as Children’s Theater of Madison’s director of education and community engagement. This is her first time directing at Madison College. 

Berman says, “I'm thrilled to join the wonderful Madison College Performing Arts team for this fresh, exciting play. As a queer person, a graduate of a gender-diverse women’s college, and a transplant from the east coast, this play speaks to me on many personal levels.”

“What drew me to this play was the beautiful diversity of nine female characters and the universal themes of self-discovery, passion and what we are willing to sacrifice in the pursuit of both.”

The cast includes past and present Madison College students, a former employee and a handful of local guest artists. The production team consists of a mix of students and local professionals who often serve as mentors to student cast and crew members. 

Students are filling critical roles as assistant director, stage manager, master electrician, lighting designer, assistant stage managers, wardrobe and props assistants, lighting and sound operators. 

In addition to Daniels, Medrano and Davidson, the cast is rounded out by Simone LaPierre, Brandi McBride, Tatyana Brown, Kailea Saplan, Jada Ramos and Megan Rosseter.  

The Studio Theater is a black box that will feature alley staging, lending itself to the feel of a roller derby track. The Studio is located inside the Madison College Truax campus, main building, 1701 Wright Street. 

There are seven performances between Oct. 18 and 27 (Fridays 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays 7:30 p.m.; Sundays 2 p.m.; Thursday, Oct. 25, 7:30 p.m.). Reservations are strongly recommended.

The Saturday, Oct. 19 performance will include an ASL interpreter for deaf/HH audiences. 

Tickets are $15 general admission, with $13 tickets for youth and seniors. All performances are free to Madison College students with their OneCard. Go to madisoncollege.edu/derbyplay and scroll down to the “Get Tickets” link.