A story of a tangled yet relatable family dynamic will debut in Oak Park and River Forest High School’s Studio 200 this month.

“Eleemosynary,” written by Lee Blessing and directed by OPRF senior Sonja Emerson, will be performed Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. as well as Feb. 13 and 14 at 7 p.m. 

Emerson has been wanting to direct in the Studio 200 program since her freshman year. “I was first introduced to ‘Eleemosynary’ a few years ago, when I was in a show at a college,” Emerson said. “It’s abstract and a little bit different from the productions that we usually do.”

“Eleemosynary,” a word that means “charitable,” follows grandmother Dorothea (played by junior Caroline Webb), mother Artie (played by freshman Tessa Pruden) and daughter Echo (played by sophomore Gayatri Gadhvi). Echo has been raised by Dorothea since Artie rebelled. After Dorothea stuffers from a stroke, Artie and Echo rekindle their relationship. 

Eleemosynary conveys the struggle and journey of their relationships. “Things aren’t always perfect, but as long as you are always there and support each other when it’s really needed, then things will end up OK,” Emerson said. 

Tickets are on sale now for $5 at the OPRF website under Activities/Performing Arts.