Marian Weage, a non-traditional student and theater major at Northern Kentucky University, starts her NKU career as Rebecca Nurse in The Crucible, continuing through next Sunday.

Not that this is the beginning of her acting career. Weage, of Fort Thomas, is a veteran of the Broadway national tour of An Inspector Calls and television commercials. This mother of four and grandmother of four figures she may, at 69, be able to corner the market on elder roles at NKU.

It just seemed like the time to go back to school, she says. Weage married when she finished her freshman year at University of Cincinnati and spent the next two years putting her husband through school.

Now she's juggling her studies, rehearsals and performances with a part-time job. "I hope I'm holding my own here," she smiles. "I'm having the time of my life."

She's carrying a full course load, including math. "I spent summer taking algebra. I want to get that math out of the way. So far I'm aceing it."

After graduation, she plans to start auditioning "and see what I can do." She has high hopes. She's still one heck of a dancer and "I think the ranks thin out at my age."

The Crucibleruns 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Box office: (859) 572-5464.