Eleven characters will take audiences through a journey of life milestones in a play at McLeod Theatre this weekend.

“Talking With…,” directed by Susan Patrick Benson, is a presentation of 11 monologues by eccentric female characters who each share part of their life experience with the audience in an intimate way.

“Each one is like a 10-minute mini-play,” Benson said.

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This production is unique in that the actresses speak directly to the audience, rather than at them, as in a traditional play.

The characters have their own own time on stage, providing insight into their lives and offering the audience a new paradigm through which to view the world.

The eclectic group of female characters, such as a homeless woman who wants to live in McDonald’s and a snake charmer, all represent a different stage in life everyone experiences.

Audience members will be able to identify with each of the characters in some small way, no matter their sex, background or age, Benson said.

“A lot of these women are outsiders in their world, and you start to empathize and identify with the feeling of being an outsider, realizing that we’re all kind of outsiders,” Benson said.

Ultimately, “Talking With…” is a story about life and the milestones and issues everyone faces while living it, such as failing marriages, giving birth, being fired and dying.

“It’s their personal journey through life and how it affects them at the moment we meet them,” Benson said. “Some of them very positive, and some a little skewed.”

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While all audience members will be impacted in some way, Benson said college students in particular will be affected by the play.

“You can’t see 11 monologues and not be affected by it,” Benson said.

“Talking With…” opens in McLeod Theatre at 7:30 p.m. today. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $6 for students, and can be purchased by phone by calling 453-3001 or at the box office an hour before the performance.

The play also runs at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Daily Egyptian writer Audra Ord can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 275 or [email protected].