ÃKing aims to entertain through ensemble storytelling

By Christopher DaCosta

This Friday a 17-person cast will breathe life into Carlo Gozzi's 18th century fable, ìThe King Stag.î The performers of the main-stage play hope to provide a respite from hectic end-of-spring schedules, transporting students to a mythical fairyland while still presenting truths about human nature.

ìThe King Stag is a fairytale that uses storytelling and magic to discover truth and what it essentially means to be human,î said senior theater arts major Joey Jalalian.

In a dramatic amalgamation of genres, the Venetian playwright inextricably weaves tragedy and comedy together. ìIt is, essentially, a tragicomic fairy tale,î explained director and assistant professor of theater Michael Zampelli, S.J.

Zampelli goes on to describe the themes of ìKing.î

ìLike all good plays, The King Stag invites us to consider what it means to be human and humane.î

While exploring and capturing the range of human emotions, ìKingî sees its characters strive to find fulfillment and contentment, engaging its audience in the framework of the commedia dell'arte style, a 16th and 17th century Italian theater genre.

The plot of the play revolves around various quests for sincerity. ìIt's about a king who's looking for love, and what happens when everything is taken from him. It's about searching for truth, and being able to see past the surface facts to what is truly real on the inside,î said senior English major JR Franklin who portrays the archetypal commedia character of Pantolone - a kindly, old mentor type.

Zampelli added: ìIt's about the deceiving nature of appearances. It's about searching for sincerity and true love. It's about how the lust to possess people, the lust for power and position turns people into monsters.î

ìKingî is set in no particular era; it is a story that could occur at anytime. ì[As a character in the play] will tell you, theatre is Ãalways ephemeral...poised between here and nowhere...now and never.' When you come to watch ÃKing,' the actions take place five years prior, but the story we tell only takes place within the very moment you are experiencing it,î explained Jalalian.

Zampelli, a self-proclaimed commedia aficionado and theater historian, decided on ìKingî as the spring main-stage because of the genre's versatility. ìThe commedia was an actor-driven theatrical phenomenon in which the performers had the versatility to play everything from low comedy (fart jokes, for example) to high tragedy,î Zampelli exclaimed.

ìÃKing' is an 18th century incarnation of commedia theatricality. It is an unapologetic romp through the world of theatrical illusion in which the craft of the actor is the be-all and end-all of the experience.î

ìKingî truly is an ensemble experience involving collaboration from Kristin Kusanovich and Greg Schultz. ìWithout Greg Schultz, the production would have no soundscape, no musical texture,î Zampelli said. ìKristin is responsible for developing the physical vocabulary for this production; she led the company in some very intense physical work so that they could come to understand what they were capable of--as individuals and as a troupe.î

Inspiring a whole hearted team effort was one of the things Zampelli thought was the most difficult in producing ìKing.î

ìThe most challenging thing about producing this play has also been the most delightfully satisfying - from the beginning of the process, I wanted this production to be rooted in ensemble playing,î Zampelli said. ìIn this production, we try to highlight the fact that a troupe of actors is telling a story for the benefit of an audience. We've worked very hard to accomplish this, and I am very pleased with the results.î

The actors also enjoyed working with Zampelli; Franklin talked of his experience of working with the director. ìWorking with Father Zampelli is like working at candy store; you do awesome work, and you get a lot of treats.

He, Kristin Kusanovich and Greg Shultz are a killer team--they have pulled things out of us that I think no one realized we had in us,î Franklin said.

The play possesses an escapist nature, according to Zampelli, and the timing of the production couldn't be better. ìÃKing' provides you with a moment to catch your breath-to be refreshed and recreated-in a magical, transporting way. It is funny, touching, and energetic. It feeds your imagination and your sense of delight. With the end of term and finals approaching, what could be better than that.î