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Local Playwright Maria C. Young Explores the Search for Identity in “Transition”

The tumultuous world of college athletics can strip one of all normalcy and self identity. Maria Young, a star basketball player at TC Roberson and Limestone College, knows this firsthand. After exploring the subject in her memoir, Lost in a Game, local author Maria C. Young adapted the book into her first play Transition. Young also directs the play, which stars Kasia Maatafale, Kirby Gibson, Naimah Coleman, and Ronald “Leo Era” Hedd. Transition will be performed on the ACT Mainstage April 1-3, 2022 with performances Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 pm and Sunday afternoon at 2:30 pm. Tickets are available online, over the phone at 828-254-1320, or in person at the Asheville Community Theatre Box Office.

In Transition, Mali, a collegiate basketball star, is trying to navigate her sudden want to withdraw from the limelight and walk into the light of who she truly is; the problem is, she doesn’t know who that is. This premiere tells the story of her life, her acceptance, her trials, and most importantly, her triumphs. Will the journey break her, or will she emerge stronger than ever, ready to conquer life and all it brings?

Transition was first presented at Asheville Community Theatre in 2020 as a filmed staged reading. After that successful event, plans were formed to present it as a fully staged production.

“The performance and the cast were absolutely electric,” said Jenny Bunn, Marketing Director at ACT. “The only thing missing was a live audience and the energy that is shared when actors and an audience are together in the same space.”

Kasia Maatafale returns to the cast but in a new role. In the reading she played Nessa, a loyal friend and supporter of Mali’s; in this version she plays Mali.

“I am overjoyed to welcome some new faces to join Kasia in the space of Transition,” shared Young. “Each person brings their unique love of artistry to these roles and I could not be happier for these beautiful people to step into these characters to expand on the foundation this production has built over the past few years!”

Audience members for all performances are required to wear masks throughout the performance. ACT has reduced the capacity of their seating to 150. No concessions will be sold. More information on ACT’s COVID policies can be found here: https://ashevilletheatre.org/about/covid-policies-and-info/

Photo: Nessa (Kirby Gibson), Mali (Kasia Maatafale), and Kah (Naimah Coleman) are friends with history who challenge and support each other through a time of searching and questioning in Transition, Maria C. Young’s debut play. PHOTO CREDIT: Michael-Jamar Jean Francois