DeKALB — The School of Theatre and Dance premiered its production of “Trestle at Pope Lick Creek” over the weekend, an emotional play about relationships and loss during the Great Depression.

“Trestle at Pope Lick Creek” takes place in 1936 and follows the turbulent relationship between 15-year-old Dalton Chance, played by Eli Hamilton, and 17-year-old Pace Creagan, played by Maria Zoia.

Throughout the play, Dalton works on his relationship with his mother, Gin Chance, played by Robin Minkens, as well as his relationship with his father, Dray Chance, played by Chris Raymond.

Director Kay Martinovich described the play as hopeful, however, characters seem to be hopeless at many points. The few notions of hope are very subtle and lay beneath the plot.

In the director’s notes of the play’s program, Martinovich points out one important question the play tries to answer: “What does it mean to experience genuine connection or intimacy without ‘simple’ human touch?” This is an important part of the play as each character discovers what touch can mean.

The characters are all dealing with the effects of the Great Depression, and the actors portrayed these feelings excellently as the play progressed. Audience members said they could feel the emotions each character dealt with as a result of how well the cast performed. Stephanie Arce, sophomore speech pathology major, attended Friday’s performance and said the play made her feel very emotional.

“If you could feel the emotion, that must mean it was pretty good acting,” Arce said.

Other factors also transport those watching to the time and place of the play such as the lighting, which simulated candlelight and sunlight. The sets made good use of the stage space and the actors interacted with the sets and props in creative ways.

“Trestle at Pope Lick Creek” was an emotional experience that made me feel like I was actually part of the Great Depression.

Shows continue this weekend 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and two shows 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday. All shows are held at Huntley Middle School, 1515 S. Fourth St.

The Northern Star mistakenly reported that the location of the event was at DeKalb High School. It is at Huntley Middle School, 1515 S. Fourth St.