6A - Wednesday, February 13, 2013

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com


'Tape' to highlight
character work

Basement Arts to
present acting-
intensive play
By ANNA SADOVSKAYA
Senior Arts Editor
Pulling out the tape recorder,
Vince realizes he has finally
gotten what he wants: Jon has
admitted to
date-raping Tape
Amy Randall,
both Vince's Thursday at 7
and Jon's ex- p.m., Fridayat
girlfriend, and 7 and11p.m.
Vince has it on and Saturday
tape. In this at7 p.m.
motel room, Walgreen
right before Drama Center
Jon's newest
film shows in Free
a Lansing film
festival, Vince has finally gotten
redemption for the years he has
spent in search of the truth ... but,
now what?
Stephen Belber's one-act, no-
intermission play, "Tape," cen-
ters around three characters:
Jon, Vince and Amy, all of whom
are dealing with their pres-
ent while inadvertently being
dragged into the past. As Amy
comes face-to-face with Jon and
Vince, all three must realize a
way to move forward from the
harrowing event.
Elliot Cruz, School of Music,
Theatre & Dance junior and
director of the play, acknowl-
edged that the darker perfor-
mance isn't a typical Basement
Arts production.
"It definitely seems like it
wouldn't be a go-to Basement

show," Cruz said. "But I actu-
ally think that 'Tape' is a per-
fect Basement show, because it's
so short and because it's set in
one location, there's not a lot of
moving around, and so there's a
tightness to it that is really satis-
fying. But it's short enough that
it still resonates."
Constructing the set,
Cruz employed a minimalist
approach. Though the produc-
tion is usually done by recreat-
ing a motel room on stage, Cruz
relied on the actors' perfor-
mance and audience's inference
to create the space.
"(Building) walls for Base-
ment scares me," Cruz admit-
ted. "I'm always worried they're
going to fall over or something.
"So my stage manager,
Tristan, and I went out the other
day and got a sink. We're also
getting a toilet," Cruz contin-
ued. "It's the little things like
that that give you an ides:This is
a bathroom because there's a toi-
let over there. And this is obvi-
ously a motel room, because you
have the two full-sized beds -
these things that really denotea
motel without building an entire
room."
Similar to the uncluttered set,
the story is linear and simple,
relying on the acting to carry it
forward. Belber wrote the script
with the actors in mind, design-
ing it as a play to show their act-
ing prowess rather than moving
the audience with a meaningful
message.
"It is completely actor-driv-
en," Cruz said. "Because of that,
it's super important to know
that this is first and foremost an
actor's play - there's nothing to

distract from it."
To help keep the production
fast-paced, Cruz and the actors
had to dive deep into the motives
of the characters and discover
what it was that made them act
the way they did.
"There are a lot of questions
about these characters and noth-
ing is revealed in the script, so
you have to do a lot of character
work," Cruz explained. "That's
been the biggest challenge for me
as a director and for the actors -
just trying to find reason to stay
on stage when you know (as the
character) you should leave."
Though leaving the audi-
ence with more questions than
answers, Cruz said he hopes the
viewers will be able to appre-
ciate the intense acting and to
place themselves in the shoes. of
the performers, internalizing the
conflicts and deciding what they
would do themselves.
"There are a few moments
that really are meant to shock the
audience, and turn everything
on its ear," Cruz said. "I'm sure
audience members will walk out
wondering, 'What about this,'
'What about that,' but the play-
wright said, 'If there is a reason
for ambiguity, it's to turn the
question the audience is asking
on themselves.'"
"Tape" opens on Valentine's
Day, hoping to draw theater-
lovebirds together through the
art of performance.
"I want them to walk away
with an experience of enjoy-
ment, or a great piece of theater,"
Cruz said. "But it's very much
a play where you walk away
thinking, 'That was interesting.
I wonder ... I just wonder."'

6
1

I see dead people.
The exciting, controlled
reality of feeling fear

By TEHREEM SAJJAD
Daily Arts Writer
I still remember sitting on my
living room couch and watch-
ing this scene from the HBO
show, "Game of Thrones": Old
Nan, wearing a woven hat, mit-
tens and several layers of warm
clothing, sits with her back to
the fireplace. Knitting hast-
ily, Old Nan speaks to the young
lord, Bran: "Oh, my sweet sum-
mer child. What do you know
of fear? Fear is for the winter,
when the snows fall a hundred
feet deep and the ice wind comes
howling out of the north. Fear is
for the long night, when the sun
hides its face for years at a time
... Thousands of years ago, there
came a night that lasted a gen-
eration. Kings froze to death in
their castles, same as the shep-
herds in their huts, and women
smothered their babies rather

cheeks.
story t
other h
indicati
scared.
Fear
thingt
experie
so conc
emotior
it, dar
sadness
come to
to avoid
us. How
ronmen
As a m
we craN
scared'
chocola
Old

FOLLOW THE
YELLOW BRICK ROAD.

@ michdailyarts

than see them starve, and wept vie
and felt the tears freeze on their
As a
Call: #734-418-4115 much ,
Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com 10-year
knows)
that'sp

So is this the kind of feel when we take a rollercoast-
hat you like?" Like all er ride or walk into a haunted
uman beings, Bran nods, house? How can it be if every lit-
ing that he wants to be tle thing around us is intention-
ally created to make sure that we
is a feeling; it's not some- don't actually experience fear?
tangible, yet when we Roller coaster designers spend
nce it, it seems so real - years building their newest rides
rete. It's a very powerful using sophisticated computer
n, and when we consider programs long before the first
kness, death, the night, piece of track is ordered. Engi-
(and, perhaps, crows?) neers calculate the exact amount
mind. Generally, we try of force a rider would experience
d fear because it weakens every foot of the way. Other fac-
wever, in controlled envi- tors, including angles and speed,
its, fear is kind of fun. are taken into consideration
atter of fact, sometimes before a design is approved. If
ve the feeling of "getting one turn or hill is too sharp, steep
like we crave a bar of or dangerous, the designer must
te. go back onto the drawing table
to modify his original blueprint
of the roller coaster. Restraints
Nan teaches are tested to ensure that they
can accommodate the rider and
Bran and second braking systems are cru-
cial to incorporate as well. As a
Wers a lesson matter of fact, a computer track-
ing system is always monitor-
in fright. ing every roller coaster car as it
moves on the track. The slightest
sign of trouble activates emer-
gency brakes until the problem
woman who has seen can be resolved. With all of these
more than Bran, a mere safety measures in place, how
'-old child, Old Nan it is possible for us to feel fear?
what true fear is like, and Instead, we can only react to it
precisely why she is able and sense it.
ide such a clear and dis- Fear follows a very com-
escription of fear. How- mon rule of nature: Purity isn't
Bran only understands always good. No one likes pure
sation of fear. What he evil, and perfection isn't always
see is that he would find admirable. Thus, Bran can only
:sure in fear if he could appreciate the sensation of fear,
nce it in its raw form. He while Old Nan has experienced
aves the sensation. His it and knows that it's best to
n to a controlled fearful avoid. As a natural part of life,
n is mindless because pure fear is like poison. We don't
cting to something that's avoid the sensation of fear; we
g more than an illusion. avoid true fear. It's the sensation
's something to think of it that we ask for because this
How can we be fear- sensation allows us to distance
something that we have ourselves from reality and lose
eared? Is it fear that we ourselves in a world of illusions.

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J


RELEASE DATE- Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
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1 Medical amts. dawns 36 Spa treatment 49 Fed thelfire
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coupons 1 Poolside know 52 Depleted layer
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collaborator 2Springtime 40 Cultivate lovers
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genre 3Tapering tops 44 Unit of resistance 59 Justite Dept.
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compartment on 7 Fingerprint ridge
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19 "All_": 1931 pioneer Brian JOBS OKRA Y A L T A
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66 Very dark By Janice Luttrell and PattVarol 02/1313
(c)2013Tribune Media Services, Inc.

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