Krystal Uchem has been training in the gym since November. “I played in grade school; it’s been a while.” She’s part of an all female cast about to present Flex, a play about a group of high school basketball players hoping to make it to the WNBA.
The script means Uchem and other cast members have been practicing dribbling skills and engaging in crossover drills. The title refers to a term in basketball, flex being “continuity offense that uses a series of screens and passes between players to allow the shooter to make a jump shot or a layup. It requires a team effort.” Ensemble even brought in a basketball consultant to help run practices, she says.
Written by Candrice Jones and directed by Rachel Hemphill Dickson, the play is set in 1997 right after the WNBA came into existence. The Lady Train team and their coach are played by Uchem, An’Tick Von Morpxing, Kiya Green, Krystal Uchem, Jazmyn Bolden Sierra Wilturner, and Sydney Cooper.
The two-act play is divided into four sections, mirroring the four quarters in basketball (intermission is halftime.) Its timing couldn’t be better with the present day surge in popularity of the women’s game thanks to players like Angela Reese, Mia Monroe and Renee Montgomery, Uchem says.
The high schoolers have more to deal with and overcome than just trying to get the world to notice them from rural Arkansas. While there’s a core belief that they are just as good at playing basketball as girls from any other town, they don’t always get along. There’s rivalry, romance and the usual dose of teenage angst, all ramped up by intense performance pressure they are under.
Her character Cherise is spiritual with a strong Christian faith, Uchem says. “She also struggles with her own identity.”
Asked how she got involved with theater, Uchem, a graduate of Alief Kerr High School, says: “I was always drawn to performance as a young kid even though I grew up a little bit shy and sheltered. I found comfort in music and watching TV. I always wanted to be a part of something like that. ” She says when she was younger she would audition for parts but never get the parts. Eventually I found a way to express myself. And really just honing in on theater and being part of a team and telling stories.”
As for why audience members will appreciate this play, making its regional premiere at Ensemble, Uchem says:
“People will see somebody they know in all of these girls. It’s really relatable. It’s a story about life, about love about self awareness, about challenging yourself, about empowerment.”
And you’ll get to see a cast that has been working hard in rehearsals as usual, and one that has been spending extra time practicing the basics of basketball and keeping their eyes up as they move across the court.
Performances are scheduled for March 21 through April 13 at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays at The Ensemble Theatre, 3535 Main. For more information, call 713-520-0055 or visit ensemblehouston.com. $35-$50.
