The Augustana theater department puts “Betrayal” into the spotlight. Written by Harold Pinter, the play is directed by senior Roger Pavey. The show focuses on the lives of three main characters, examining the complicated relationships of Emma, Jerry and Robert.
Although the show opened on Oct. 26, it was originally set to begin on Oct. 5. There was a sickness going around at the time which prevented them from taking the stage at the set date. This change gave those involved three more weeks until their performance, which caused some frustration for the crew members but also gave them more time to prepare to take the stage.
Sophomore Madeline Hutchinson, assistant stage manager and waitress in the play, said she was frustrated when the show got postponed and pushed back, but was also grateful to receive more time to prepare the show.
“It gave us time to fix blocking to make it as smooth [and] seamless as possible and give us time to make sure the show gets the time that it deserves,” Hutchinson said.
Senior Celeaciya Olvera plays Emma, the lead in the showcase and had to be part of the production whether that was performing, directing or creating the production. Olvera said her experience with the show was chaotic, but the additional time made everything come out better.
“It really did give us time to better develop our characters, and it really helped the production crew when it came to leading and directing us,” Olvera said.
Junior Anya Giordano is the hair, makeup and costume designer for “Betrayal.” Giordano said each character betrays each other at one point throughout the play. The story centers around three different characters, all involved in a love triangle. The play is also told from end to beginning, which gives away what the end results were and lead to how it all started.
Hutchinson says what makes this performance different from others is that there is no singular victim, all of the characters hurt each other in some way.
“In this show, no one is a good person. There is no hero here in this story,” Hutchinson said. “It’s just sort of a slice of life of people trying to figure things out.”
Giordano says there’s a lot of complicated people trying to figure out how they feel and how to move forward with their actions.
“It’s basically showing the affair between the two main characters and Jerry,” Giordano said.
Giordano said that audience members should think about this story from all different angles and perspectives.
“There can be different aspects that people have themselves, that people hide from different things, that people lie about and that’s part of the complexity of human nature,” Giordano said.
A love triangle, an affair and forbidden love are all important pieces in this play, but do not expect to find a hero. Emma, Robert and Jerry all wronged each other, but there’s no telling who betrayed whom first.
“Betrayal” took place at the Black Box Theatre at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 26-27. Those interested in finding out more about Emma, Robert and Jerry’s fate can attend the performance on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 1:30 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are free for Augustana students with ID.
Celeaciya Olvera formerly worked for the Observer.