When Cesar Reyes explains the plot of “The Road Through Damascus,” he keeps the narrator of the play’s identity a secret. For Christina Holaday, the secret is the place where the characters converge. There are some surprises within the play, the two said, that are too good to spoil.
The play is an original work written by University of Idaho graduate student Robert Macke. Macke said he first wrote the play in 2014 while attending Northern Kentucky University and has been expanding on it since.
To further the play’s development, the UI Theatre Department is hosting a staged reading in the hopes of gauging audience interest.
Courtesy Photo | Argonaut
Mitchel Rowyer, Cesar Reyes, Sean Hendrickson, Bryce Gowey, and Alexa Lamers rehearse The Road Through Damascus, on Thursday.
The reading will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 16 and 17 as well as at 2 p.m. on Sept. 18 in the Forge Theater. Admission is free for UI students and $10 for the general public. Tickets are available 30 minutes before curtain.
Holaday, a UI graduate student and the director of the play, said staged readings focus more on the telling of the story rather than the visual elements of the play.
“This is a unique situation — there’s not like a set or props or all the things you think about with a full show,” Holaday said. “The actors will have their scripts, they’ll be on stage with chairs facing the audience and they’ll read the play. The point is to focus on the words that are being said.”
Cesar Reyes, a UI graduate student and actor within the play, said “The Road Through Damascus” is similar to Thorton Wilder’s play, “Our Town,” in that it tells the story of a single place and the people who live in it.
Holaday said the play also questions the existence of fate and the human experience.
“The play follows eight people who find themselves in this specific place and they’re recollecting on the events that led them to being in this place,” Holaday said. “They’re constantly stepping in and out of memories. One of the major themes is whether our lives and the events of our lives are determined by fate or if they’re just a ripple of other people’s choices.”
The exploration of fate within the play is subtle, Holaday said and prompts the audience to question their owns lives and the ways in which they live them.
Despite heavy subjects like fate, life and death, Reyes said the play is engaging and explores life in a more comedic and touching way.
“It deals with life and death and also, what it means to live and look back on our lives and how we live those lives,” Reyes said. “It’s a really smart play, it’s got a lot of good comedy in it and I think audiences will enjoy it very much.”
Reyes said the play’s presentation as a staged reading rather than a complete production makes it a special experience, as audiences are able to be a part of something in development.
“I love staged readings,” Reyes said. “It’s really humbling to get picked for something like this because you’re dealing with someone’s work that’s still in its infancy, so you’re kind of taking care of someone’s child and they’re entrusting you with it, so it’s pretty awesome.”
Holaday said the lack of set design and physical acting also allows the cast and audience to gain a better understanding of the story being told.
“The focus is honoring the playwright and their words,” Holaday said. “We’re making sure that we, as an ensemble, understand the story.”
Corrin Bond
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