Beginning with a hit-man, Christmas cheer is not exactly the mood the Baker University Theater department production of “Reckless” portrays.

“It is hard to describe,” Tom Heiman, associate professor of theater, said. “A mom gets excited about it being Christmas Eve, and the next minute her husband is saying he hired a hit-man to kill her. Then, all the insanity and madness comes together with a warm, fuzzy ending.”

Craig Lucas’s dark, contemporary comedy was chosen to expose both audiences and students to a new variety of play genres.

With 26 scene changes, the play follows main character Rachel as she runs for her life and is met with situations, ranging from men with paraplegic deaf-mute girlfriends to nearly being shot on a television talk show. Through all the madness, Rachel continues to believe “things happen for a reason.”

“If we do a good job, the dream likeness and random things popping up should all fall together,” Heiman said. “One of the harder jobs is lighting because each ‘room’ has to have a certain lighting to tell a story.”

After completing a class in light design, senior Andrew Simons feels ready to tackle his first challenge as lighting designer.

“My job is to show how crazy and messed up her life is,” Simons said. “Lights are not necessarily the last or first thing to be decided on, so I am looking forward to seeing how my ideas grow.”

Another new face for the backstage crew will be Patti Heiman, instructor of theater and production manager, who will revisit her stage-managing specialty for the first time at Baker.

“I teach all the courses in my expertise, and now I get to show my students what I have been teaching,” Patti Heiman said. “I enjoy watching the show go from its roughest form and bloom into a flower. With all the brainstorming, it is a surprise at the end when we get it all to work.”

Taking advantage of the opportunity to learn how to stage-manage under someone with experience, freshman Peri Montgomery volunteered to be assistant stage manager and prop master.

“It is going to be fun to be able to ask questions, and she can help me learn even more,” Montgomery said. “I really wanted to be involved, and this show seemed like a good show to dip my toe in to begin with.”