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Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

Theater production makes big use of small space

Published 2012-11-07T13:08:00Z”/>

entertainment

Nicole Gerspacher

Tomfoolery saved the life of a virgin wife in The Arabian Nights, a play directed by Chico State faculty member Katie Whitlock.

The play, based in the Middle East, followed a scorned king who decided to marry and kill one virgin each night until he married a woman who prolongs her life by entertaining the king with stories.

With a cast of only eighteen actors and one setting for the stage, Whitlock had to make use of lighting and slight costume changes to create the illusion of more characters and places.

Rows of chairs for the audience ascended to the very edge of the Wismer Theatre stage, a room which was designed for intimate theatre-in-the-round performances, according to the Chico State website.

Audience members, many of whom showed up to see a friend perform, were eager to watch the play.

“I didn’t know anything about the play, so I was very interested in seeing what it was about,” said Arlen Peterson, a senior English and philosophy major.

Peterson is a friend of Chico State student Krystal Elebiary, who played the role of Perfect Love.

The best part about the intimate venue and single-setting stage was that it broke the barrier between the audience and the story, Peterson said.

By intermission, the audience members were excited about the second act and making predictions about what would happen in the end.

“I thought it was going to be more of a serious play, but it is actually pretty funny,” said Jorge Mendoza, a sophomore animal science major. “I feel like the king is going to get killed and the girl is going to live.”

Junior theater arts major Brittany Siguenza played the part of the butcher, among other roles.

“The biggest thing for the show, because we were playing multiple parts, was physicality,” Siguenza said. “Because there are no costume changes, that is how we identify between each character.”

Performances of The Arabian Nights will continue in Wismer Theater, Perfoming Arts Center room 135, through Nov. 11.

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<strong>Nicole Gerspacher can be reached at</strong> <em><a href=”mailto:[email protected]”>[email protected]</a><strong>.</strong></em>

 

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