Miss Witherspoon (Caitlin Morris, seated) encounters more than the quiet afterlife she imagined, as characters such as Maryamma (Selina Verastigui, standing) force her to examine the purpose of a well-lived life on Earth in the Otterbein College Theatre kicks off spring with its production of Miss Witherspoon, directed by Ed Vaughan. The production will run May 1-3 and 9 and 10, in the Campus Center Theatre, 100 W. Home St., Westerville.

In life, Veronica turned her back on religion--so why is she spending eternity in the netherworld with a Hindu spirit guide who calls her Miss Witherspoon? And why is she continually being sent back to earth to live lives she adamantly refuses to lead? Will she open herself up to enlightenment and learn her place in the world?

Miss Witherspoon enjoyed a joint premiere at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton and Playwrights Horizons in New York. Starring Kristine Nielsen and directed by Emily Mann, the play was named one of the Ten Best Plays of 2005 by Time Magazine and Newsday, and was a finalist for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize (losing to 1954's Teahouse of the August Moon, which was awarded the Prize for a second time).

Tickets are $15 each and can be reserved by calling the Otterbein College box office at (614) 823-1109. The box office is open 1:00-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour prior to performances. The box office is located in Cowan Hall, 30 S. Grove St., Westerville.

The opening night performance on Thursday, May 1, begins at 7:30 p.m. and is followed by a reception. All other performances begin at 8 p.m.

More information about the 2007-08 Otterbein College Theatre season can be found at www.otterbein.edu/theatre.