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Theatre Department opens new season with sexual daisy chain
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Boise State’s Department of Theatre is opening their season with a bizarre linkage of human sexual encounters.
The Blue Room, written by British playwright David Hare, is an adaptation of a 1921 play by Austrian playwright Arthur Schintzler.
The original play, Reigen, was so controversial the Vienna Police ended the run on its first night. In 1954, Max Ophulus made the play into a film, La Ronde.
Hare’s adaptation connects 10 strangers together, one after another, like a veritable monkeys in the barrel game.
Theatre professor Ann Hoste directs Boise State’s version of The Blue Room.
“The play is an adaptation of an existing work, so it’s in essence, already an interpretation of an interpretation. I’m not looking to reinterpret an interpretation of the original work. It’s a pretty straightforward production,” Hoste said.
The play, minus Hoste, is completely produced by students. The artistic staff consists of recent graduate, set designer Flint Weisser, and current students, costume designer Mika Freeman, lighting designer Melinda Richards and sound designer Christine Burnett.
Some of the actors in the ten-person cast are making their stage debut in The Blue Room.
The play starts with a girl’s encounter with a cab driver. He then meets an au pair. In turn, she meets a student. He connects with a married woman. She finds herself with a politician. The statesman falls into the arms of a model. She turns her attention to a playwright. He has a union with an actress. She has an affair with an aristocrat, and then the whole scenario goes full circle, back to the girl.
Because there are ten scenes in the play, Stage II of the Morrison Center will be set up in a proscenium configuration, which allows the audience to effectively see all of the action.
“Because of the multitude of the different scenes, we have to find a way to change the scenery quickly, efficiently, and we are relying on the audiences” imagination to flush-out the bare-boned essentials that we have included in the set. For instance, there is a park bench, signifying a park setting,” Hoste said.
Note: The play contains strong language and adult content.
If You Go:
The Blue Room opens at 7:30 p.m. today in Stage II of the Morrison Center. The play runs from Oct. 4-6 and Oct. 10-13 at 7:30 p.m., and Oct.7 and 14 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are free for all BSU students at the Student Union info desk.
The Blue Room Cast:
The Girl- Jessika Boyll
The Cab Driver- Aaron Kiefer
The Au Pair- Laura Baillie
The Student- Ryan Capps
The Married Woman-Rachael Hitchcock
The Politician- Zakk Luff
The Model- Belynda Starr
The Playwright- Dwayne Blackaller
The Actress- Heidi Reeder
The Aristocrat- Ken Rothwell
J. Patrick Kelly
