Silver Spring Stage presents the humorous and thought-provoking Third, by Wendy Wasserstein, directed by Laurie Freed and produced by Richard Ley, where a feminist college professor accuses a jock student of plagiarism, deals with stereotypes and politics, to search for identity. Third will perform weekends November 7 to November 30.

Silver Spring Stage is located in the Woodmoor Shopping Center, lower level (next to the CVS) at Colesville Road and University Boulevard. Ticket prices range from $13 to $18. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sunday matinees on November 16 and November 30 at 2:00 PM. Tickets can be purchased at www.ssstage.org. Information is also available by calling (301) 593-6036.

Wendy Wasserstein, the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, culminated a lifetime of writing in her last play Third. She opened doors to theatre audiences to see woman from a woman's perspective -- strong and vulnerable, conscientious and flawed, uncommon and universal -- seeking to make their imprint in the world. From the college students embarking on life in Uncommon Women and Others through her most famous heroine Heidi in The Heidi Chronicles, the charismatic sisters of The Sisters Rosensweig to Laurie from Third who learns that the one certainty in life is uncertainty, she wrote vividly for a generation of women. Her plays, filled with genuine humor and believable characters, were more than just entertaining, she imbued them with politics and relevancy. She was the first woman playwright to win a Tony Award for Best Play (The Heidi Chronicles). In Third, she reflects our current political scene of Blue States and Red States. Yet, as in all her writing, she looks beyond simple categorizations to the people within them. She wrote, "I started thinking about politics of the theatre, which often involves an attack on the right wing. And I thought it would be interesting to look inward, to look at liberals, and to say that whatever state we're in, we're not in this state because there are bad guys and we're the good guys. One thing is that it's not clear who are the good guys and who are the bad guys." Shortly after the opening of Third in 2005, Wasserstein lost her battle with Lymphoma and died at the age of 55. Her last heroine Laurie and the characters that surround her are a fitting tribute to a graceful and gracious life. They both dare us to confront the easy way and make our lives more complex and richer for our pursuits. Audiences will treasure this uncommon woman and play.

Laurie Jameson (Michelle Trout) is a 50-something college professor of English literature with a history of political activism, who adds feminist interpretation to classic works. At home she takes care of her ailing father Jack (Bill Brannigan), which is eased by her visits from her college student daughter Emily (Dani Nolan). Her life is then unhinged by encountering a smart male student Woodson Bull III (Ryan Manning), known as "Third". He represents all she has spent a life time challenging, a power structure supported, "red state" man. Yet, when he turns in a well-written, thoughtful piece on "King Lear", she is convinced he plagiarized the paper. Also, unsettling her life is her best friend Nancy (Amy Purves) who is fighting cancer. She turns to her best friend Nancy for support; Nancy doesn't give her the easy out and makes her face her action. Through wit-laced dialogue and honest soul searching, Wasserstein in Third gives us another indelible portrait of a modern woman facing fears, acknowledging when wrong, and shaping her own identity -- experiences and emotions we can all relate.

The production team includes Rachel M. Loose (Stage Manager), Andrew S. Greenleaf (Set Design), Don Slater (Light Design), Kevin Garrett (Sound Design), Brandon Mitchell (Costume Design) and Nancy Eynon Lark (Props/Set Dressing Design).

The Stage's 2008-2009 "Find Yourself" season continues with Shaw's satire Arms and the Man (Jan. 9-Feb. 1), drama of 1950's McCarthy era A Bad Friend (Feb. 20-Mar. 15), provocative expose on the 10th anniversary of the school massacre columbinus (Apr. 3-26), comic romp As Bees in Honey Drown (May 15-Jun. 7), and classic Agatha Christie suspense The Mousetrap (Jun. 26-July 26).