There is perhaps no other debate in contemporary society that sparks quite as much controversy as abortion. A play from ISU Theatre that opens tonight will fire up the emotion and questions of personal rights that surround this issue.

Keely and Du, a play by Jane Martin that won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize, will open tonight at the Maintenance Shop. It’s essentially the story of two women and their relationship.

Keely, played by Erica Lonesome, is a young woman who goes to an abortion clinic after being raped and impregnated by her estranged husband (played by Richard Dawson); she is then kidnapped by a religious group and brought to a safe house. Du, played by Femi Emiola, is an elderly nurse assigned to take care of her.

“It’s the relationship that these two women have in these very screwed-up circumstances and how they deal with their contrasts and similarities,” said Tim Davis, a senior in theater studies, who plays the part of Walter, a pastor.

Davis said that Keely and Du will force even the most staunch pro-lifer or pro-choicer to reaffirm his or her beliefs. The play asserts that there are valid arguments on both sides of the debate.

“No matter your stance on abortion, your view will be challenged,” he said. “There are some very good arguments why Keely should have the baby; there are some very good reasons why she should be allowed to have an abortion.”

Keely and Du also makes the entire controversy over abortion hit close to home, even for those who have never been faced with the decision. This particular production reinforces this notion because the cast is very small: Only four people star in the show.

“What is important and often lost in this entire debate is that you’re dealing with people,” Davis said. “They aren’t medical evidence, they aren’t photographs, they’re people. What makes this play so effective is that you get an opportunity to see how real people are dealing with a real situation. It’s a very real situation.”

This play is also the third time this year that an Iowa State student has been at the helm of a production. Cara Peterson, a senior in speech communications, is directing the play. She also directed December’s A Christmas Carol.

“It’s been really different from A Christmas Carol,” Peterson said. “A Christmas Carol was the first thing I’d ever directed. It had 32 people in it, in Fisher Theatre, which is huge. Now, there are seven people in the cast, three of whom are really minor. It’s been really interesting working with four people.”

With an all-student cast and a peer calling the shots, Keely and Du is exceptional for a production of the department. But Davis said that it doesn’t matter to him if a student or a professor is directing.

“When I’m working on a play, I don’t see students, or faculty or anything else,” he said. “The point is to do justice to the play and to put on a show that will affect people in some way.”

Keely and Du is also unique compared to other ISU Theatre productions because of its location. While most shows are performed at Fisher Theatre, this one will take place in the Maintenance Shop, a decidedly more intimate setting that Davis said suits the attitude of the play.

“Especially for this play, you can’t not be affected by what happens,”Peterson said. “These are real people. Putting it in the M-Shop keeps the audience more involved.”

“I’ve never performed in the M-Shop,” Davis added. “It’s gonna be interesting in that this is a play that really tears at your guts, and for the audience to be right there with the actors, and the actors to be right there with the audience, it’s in your face.

“There’s no distance of comfort. In the 15th row of Fisher, if something’s making you uncomfortable or boring you, you can zone out. You can’t do that at the M-Shop.”

Davis said Iowa State students on both sides of the abortion debate should take a break from Dead Week cramming to see the play.

“When people ask me what the play is about, I don’t wanna say, ‘It’s about abortion,'” Peterson explained. “It deals with abortion, but it’s really about these two women who come to an understanding.

“They don’t really agree with each other, but they come to understand that there are people at the heart of issues,”she added. “Whether you get hung up on abortion or the death penalty, people don’t really talk and listen to each other. [Keely and Du] come to realize that it’s okay not to agree.”

Keely and Du is showing at the M-Shop starting tonight, and it also runs Tuesday and Wednesday. Showtime for all three performances is 7:30 p.m. ISU students get in free, and everyone else pays $2.