What would you do if you lost all of your memories? That's the question facing Iris, the title character in "Still Life With Iris." The play will be presented at Columbia High School, 901 Ironville Pike, at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18, and at 2 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19.

"Still Life With Iris" begins in Nocturno, a land where the inhabitants work through the night to create the natural world we see during the day. "Everyone has their own job," explained Carly VanBuren, a junior who plays Iris. "Someone makes the spots that go on ladybugs. Someone makes leaves. Someone makes rainwater."

Although the play starts out in a happy mood, with Iris safely at home among friends, it soon turns a bit darker, explained Matthew Fanous, a senior who portrays Mister Matternot. "Iris is taken from her home, and her PastCoat is removed," he said, noting that each character wears a "PastCoat," which contains all of his or her memories. "When hers is taken away, Iris doesn't know who she is or where she came from."

Sent to live with the Great Goods, people who seek perfection, Iris embarks on a journey to reclaim her memories.

"I really connected to this show, and I think audiences will, too," said Kiara Serrano, a senior who plays Annabel Lee, a pirate who befriends Iris. "It reminds me of when I was a little kid, thinking about all of the things I wanted to do. It made me think of making wishes on a star."

With imagination as a major theme of the play, audiences can expect to see lots of bright colors and big, dramatic set pieces, Kiara noted. "There are a lot of creative things happening on stage," she remarked.

Carly said the characters go through a variety of mindsets throughout the show. "It's really a rollercoaster of emotions," she shared. "For my character, she's a normal, happy girl at first, playing with her friends, and then it gets darker and sadder, and then it gets more hopeful. There is also a big plot twist."

Matthew added that getting into character for the play has been both fun and challenging, crediting director Janet Wood with helping the cast bond. "The best part of this show has been the large sense of community in our group," he said. "Every day, we do grounding activities before rehearsal, which help us get physically and mentally engaged and ready to go. This has been so beneficial to our group. This show has been a lot of fun to work on."

Tickets to "Still Life With Iris" will be available at the door.