The familiar tale of a human being who sells their soul to the devil has permeated our culture for ages. Medieval morality plays, operas, folk tales, hymns, ghost stories and films have all taken up this age-old story and spun it in a number of ways with a myriad of results. The Ingénue Theatre Ensemble spins it again in The Tragical History of D. Faustus. The title character of Faustus is transformed into a teenage girl who, frustrated by the hypocrisy, boredom, and condescension of suburbia, runs away to the gritty underbelly of the city. There she turns to magic and the dark arts to conjure the demon Mephistopheles as her bodyguard and unintentional paramour. Each other’s worthy adversary, the two embark on a yearlong journey searching for answers to questions that elude them - justice, hope, free will, and faith, and finally the existence of God.

Archangels and fallen angels observe and intervene in said Faustus' fate disguised as club kids, junkies, street evangelists, schizophrenics and the homeless. Who better to weigh the deeds of common people than those perceived as being less than human themselves?

The Ensemble’s director, Suzie Graham, wrote the script specifically for the production. "It is a parallel of sorts to the original script, with similar events occurring in modern circumstances", said Graham, "the dialogue is casual and contemporary, but the root of the discussions remain the same".

Actors playing street musicians create a musical "soundtrack". Senior David DiDomenico (Raphael) has led the band’s efforts - "Some of the pieces are covers of existing songs, some are original compositions". Also featured in the band are Joe Chenevey (Beliar) of Ellet High on bass and Stewart Warther (Mihr), of FHS on drums.

The Ingénue Theatre Ensemble is a program of the Akron Recreation Bureau. The program is truly unique to the area as participants are selected based upon their commitment to the project, not on an audition.

Cast members include Akron Public Schools students from Kenmore, Miller South, North, Firestone, Buchtel and Ellet as well as Our Lady of the Elms, St Vincent/St Mary, Copley and Tallmadge.

Of her directing experience, Graham states, "The challenge of working with teens is convincing them that they are capable of doing great things that people never would expect. The joy is seeing them realize that they are capable of doing things they never expected themselves."

Performances are November 4 and 5 at Musica- The Sound Scene / Performing Arts Club (next to the Mocha Maiden) 21 Maiden Lane in Akron 44308, and November 11 and 12 at the Orthodox Church, a block east of Cleveland Public Theatre in Cleveland 6203 Detroit Ave 44102.