Preparations for the New Fall Production Begin: Lights, Camera, Action! 

Edited by: Mariam Shoukry

Photo Taken By: Jumana Labib

As the new semester in AUC begins, so do the preparations for fall’s theatrical production. Every semester, the theater department presents two productions that tackle different stories and issues. 

This fall, the theater department is presenting “No Exit,” a French play written by Jean-Paul Sartre in 1944. 

“No Exit” is a one-act play that consists of four characters: the Valet, performed by Youssef Ahmed, Ineze, performed by Dan Ashraf, Estelle, performed by Sohair Ahmed and Garcien, performed by Youssef Ghannam. 

The Valet brings the three characters into a room that is presumably hell. They spend the rest of the play trapped in the room, talking about their past and trying to figure out why the three of them are in this room together. 

“Our version of ‘No Exit’ is set in the modern era, so we are making slight changes to word order and references to make the text fit the environment our characters are exploring,” said Eliza Boyanton, the assistant director. 

Preparations for the play started at the beginning of September, and the actors began rehearsals by blocking the whole play. Blocking is a theatrical term for the actors knowing their precise movements on stage throughout the play. 

“Rehearsals for the play will take about a month. I believe everything is going smoothly so far. The actors rehearse six times a week for about four hours,” said Mariam Ayoub, the assistant stage manager. 

The actors start off the rehearsals by warming up to make sure that their bodies, minds, and voices are ready to work. These warmups usually end with an exercise or game related to the scene they’ll be working on this day.

Assistant Director Boyanton uses techniques such as tongue twisters, physical games, vocal exercises, and viewpoints to help the actors get into character and develop a better sense of who they are.

“Sometimes it’s planned well ahead of time; others, it’s what I feel we need at the moment to succeed for the rest of the rehearsal. Currently, we are going scene by scene, discussing the character’s intentions, wants, worries, and exploring how those will manifest physically,” said Boyanton. 

Preparing for the character can sometimes be tricky. 

Youssef Ahmed, the Valet, prepares for his character by practicing his accent and watching a lot of movies and TV shows that include characters similar to his. 

Youssef Ghannam, who is playing Garcein, tries to incorporate his character into his life and create a past, present, and future for them as if they were alive. 

“My character, Garcin, is a nervous facade that always has a front to mask his real feelings and real emotions. Usually, he doesn’t want to show fear and anxiety to others, but sometimes it takes control of him,” said Ghannam. 

The actors cannot bring the characters to life on their own; they need the assistance of Ahd Sakr, the play’s costume designer.

To get a sense of the character, Sakr reads the script and analyzes the characters. She said that this is an important step that helps her understand the nature of the characters and develop a sense of their appearance.

“Usually, the script includes hints of how the character would dress,” said Sakr. 

She also researches, watches old movies, and understands the director’s preferences to form a picture of the character’s costume. 

Sakr often refers to the costume shop, a room with clothes that were used in previous productions, and uses clothes she believes would fit the characters. 

When asked about her vision, Maryam Shafik, the director, said that her ultimate goal is to make the audience uncomfortable. She wants them to feel the same way the actors feel throughout the play while they are in hell and trying to figure out what is happening.

“My vision is to portray hell as obnoxiously uncomfortable rather than scary,” said Shafik.

 According to her, this is translated through the set, the acting, and the visuals. When the audience enters, they will see the exact opposite of what they thought they would see.

Although preparing for a play could be fun, there are also challenges that come along with preparations. Shafik’s challenge is incorporating movement, lights, and shadows within the context of the play.   

She said that the original text has none of that, so she came up with different elements to deliver the message to the audience visually rather than mere dialogue. 

“Adding in new elements while maintaining the same feel as the original text is a challenge on its own,” said Shafik

Boyanton left a message to the audience saying that the play is not existential. She said that it is real and that people experience the struggles the characters go through every day without noticing. 

“Forget what you’ve been told about Sartre and Hell, and be ready to explore something completely new,” said Boyanton. 

The play is taking place on  October 18,19,21,24, 25, and 26 in Gerhart Theater at AUC’s New Cairo campus.