La Crosse, Wis.,— The UW-La Crosse Department of Theatre Arts presents Come Back, a quirky comedy about death, grief and moving forward.

Come Back journeys with Sky, a young, anxious man whose closest friend, Erin, recently succumbed to cancer. However, she left a surprise in her will; Sky is responsible for choosing what to do with her remains. As part of an all-expenses paid road trip across the country, Sky must stop at each of the unconventional cremation businesses Erin has mapped out in order to find the perfect final resting place for his lost companion. There’s only one problem: Erin’s mother. Determined to have her daughter buried in the family cemetery plot, she joins Sky to sway his opinion and together they embark on a journey in Erin’s memory to explore grief, death, souls and soul mates.

Mitchell Gray, a junior Theatre Performance major, plays Sky’s best friend in the show and said that being in a small cast has allowed him the opportunity for much more attention to detail in research and acting choices.

“Having a small cast is nice and more intimate,” Gray said. “We were all friends to begin with, so our chemistry as a whole is super fun.”

The unique aspect of this production is that it has been entered for the 2016 American College Theatre Festival (ACTF) competition, a showcase of the finest regional productions. If nominated, the cast and crew will get to pack up their entire set and bring it with them to Milwaukee in January to perform Come Back in competition for a performance slot at nationals in Washington D.C.

Julia Whalen, also a junior Theatre Performance major in the cast, has attended the festival the last two years and is very excited at the possibility to perform for the event.

“I want to go to ACTF so bad,” Whalen said. “It’d be a great show because it is original, quirky and relevant to so many people. It’s funny but also has the potential to help people reflect on the grief that may have happened in their lives.”

The production team members will find out if they are nominated in early December, so until then, the waiting game begins.

Come Back will show Nov. 5-7 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. in Frederick Theatre, Morris Hall (lower level), located at 16th and State Streets.

Tickets go on sale at 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2.  Box office hours are 1 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, and one hour before show times.  Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for senior/non UWL students and $5 for UW-L students; call (608) 785-8522.  General admission. Limited seating.