Wednesday, April 29, 1998
A little from their friends
The students behind ‘Jack or The Submission’ and ‘A la Porte’ at
UCLA’s Little Theater look to lighting designers, alumni and the
French consulate to aid their repertory
By Terry Tang
Daily Bruin Contributor
Moments filled with slapstick and drama unfold on one set in one
pivotal hour of Jack’s life. He confronts his family, refusing to
marry the girl they deem right.
This age-old family predicament lies at the heart of "Jack or
The Submission." Running through May 9 at MacGowan Hall’s Little
Theater, the one-act absurdist play serves as the last production
for Brian Frishman, a third-year student in the theater
department’s directing program.
As a Master of Fine Arts candidate, Frishman has also invested
effort into the play as his thesis project. Although this created
an added pressure, Frishman believes the audience will enjoy the
exaggerated dramatic and sitcom-ish elements within the play.
"It runs this full gamut of acting styles, which is what
(playwright) Ionesco wants in this play. He wants every element of
the theater to be used its utmost. He kind of likes that just for
fun, and I’m sure for meaning too," Frishman explains. "My feeling
was that without the sound and without the lighting of the sets
it’s impossible to achieve what he’s going for. I would never try
to do this play without a lot of these resources."
According to Frishman, despite the exaggeration and humor within
the play, there are underlying themes which audiences can easily
relate back to their own lives.
Eugene Ionesco believed in an existential philosophy – that
people who spend their time preparing for an afterlife become
engrossed in trivial matters when they should appreciate and make
the most of each moment.
"It’s pretty tough stuff to get across, preaching it like I do.
(Ionesco) tries to do it in humorous, absurdist ways," Frishman
says. "People will look at their lives and say, ‘What am I doing on
a daily basis?’"
The lighting also plays a crucial role in supporting the story.
Aside from creating the mood, the scene’s lighting hints to the
audience a character’s psychological state and adherence to
Ionesco’s own philosophy
"The direction the play takes is one when the character
eventually becomes submissive. So, the play ends up taking sort of
a dark turn in order to teach the audience that lesson Ionesco
portrayed," says David Levy, a first-year graduate in lighting
design. "We end up getting very dark and unnatural, and the
characters become very grotesque."
Another unique twist is the story’s time span. The character’s
journey proceeds without any scene changes or time lapses.
"You see an (actual) hour of his life. It takes you from his
defiance and all the cultural, personal forces and tricks, and
sexual manipulations by his arranged engagement. All these forces
combine to break him throughout this hour," Frishman says.
The director journeyed as well, from Santa Rosa. Before coming
to UCLA, Frishman directed shows for his own theater company up
north. His company consisted of about 10 to 12 actors. Although the
situation seemed ideal, Frishman decided to pursue an M.F.A. degree
as a way to learn through the production resources only a
university theater department could offer.
"It’s just so fun to have other elements. Before, all my shows
were just actors. If the actors weren’t good, the show wasn’t
good," Frishman explains. "Here, the actors are a large part of it,
but there’s more things to help, which is one reason I think it’s
good to do a challenging play here."
In his first professional production, Peter Smith, a second-year
theater student who plays the title role of Jack, still feels
immense pressure. But, the actor cannot contain his optimism about
the final product of Frishman’s design.
"I don’t think there is one weak link in this show. I have been
in a few shows like this, but every time we go into tech and I
leave, especially this last week, it feels like it’s successful. I
feel like I’m seeing an improvement every time I leave. And that’s
exciting," Smith says.
"Ultimately, we’ll know we’re successful if people are thinking
about this play beyond tonight," Frishman says. "Any good art is
something that stays with you."
THEATER: "Jack or The Submission" will run in repertory with "A
La Porte" through May 9 at MacGowan Hall’s Little Theater.
Admission is $15, $10 and $7 with UCLA ID. For more information,
call (310) 825-2101.
PATIL ARMENIAN
Robert (Jason Medburry) and his wife (Shannon Shepard) present
their daughter Roberta (Kristin Hanggi) to a potential husband.