The WVU School of Theatre and Dance will perform “Sueño,” a tale of fate and free will, March 5-7 and March 10-13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Gladys G. Davis Theatre at the Canady Creative Arts Center.
“Sueño” is Jose Rivera’s adaptation of Pedro Calderon de la Barca’s 1630s play “La vida es sueño” (“Life is a dream”), blending romance and tragedy, drama and comedy, introspection and action.
Set in 17th-century Spain, “Sueño” follows Prince Segismundo, who has been imprisoned since his birth after astrologers predicted his reign would ruin the kingdom. His only companions are his jailer and guardian Clotaldo and a God whose existence he questions.
When King Basilio fails to produce another heir, he brings Segismundo out of isolation to test the prophecy. If Segismundo proves to be a gentle and fair leader, he will be permitted to remain on the throne. If, however, he displays the wild and barbaric traits the astrologers feared, he will be given a sleeping potion, sent back to his tower and told his brief time of power and freedom was nothing more than a dream.
“This play asks many of the big questions that we have all had to deal with: fate vs. free will, dreams vs. reality and what really separates man from animals. I wanted to give the cast and the audience a chance to recognize their own thoughts and beliefs around these big life questions,” said “Sueño” director Shelby Garrett, a Visiting Assistant Professor of Acting in the School of Theatre and Dance.
“Segismundo has an arc in this story where he goes from having nothing, to having everything, to having nothing again,” said senior Acting major Luke Belcher, who plays the prince. “There’s also this idea of living in the moment and not worrying about the existential questions. He isn’t sure what’s a dream and what’s not, but he knows what he needs to do.”
To bring the dream theme to life, the stage floor of the Gladys G. Davis Theatre has been painted to resemble a starry sky, bordered with pastel clouds and gold lines. According to Garrett, she and her team wanted to incorporate King Basilio’s astrological and religious beliefs into the set.
As Stage Manager T. Knight, a Design Tech major with an emphasis in stage management, explained: “It’s essentially a star map that's been broken apart and fragmented to show the production’s interpretation of breaking from reality. The broken floor even goes into our set, because half of it is more star/ethereal, and the other half is like a true palace.”
Scenic designer Sophie Pfluger and charge artist Daney Brookover, with the help of student painters, brought the play’s dreamlike aesthetic to life, and Rosco donated the metallic gold paint that makes the stage floor gleam.
Senior Acting major Charlie Mattingly loves the way “Sueño” blends elements of classical and contemporary shows. There are passionate and elaborate monologues akin to something from Shakespeare mixed with modern language, giving the audience “the understandability and ease of listening to a contemporary play.”
“This was my ‘Goldilocks’ show,” said Mattingly, who plays Clarin. “It’s the perfect blend of comedy and drama, with sword fights and ornate costumes. And just wait until you see the set. It’s everything I like about different kinds of shows all meshed into one.”
“You should watch the show twice. Once for the story, and once for the technical elements, because we have a lot of really cool special effects,” Knight added. “There are a lot of things you won't notice the first time you watch it, because you're watching for the story. But the second time, you'll see all of the cool things we do.”
Like a fairytale
Ethan Maxwell, a senior Acting major who plays Clotaldo, says “Sueño” reminds him of a classic fairytale—the kind of story appearing across cultures and passed through the generations because of the universal truths it tells.
“It reminds me of a redemption story, because it’s about a test to see if a man who had his fate predicted as a baby can defy fate and choose his own future,” Maxwell said.
Also in line with many classic fairytales and ancient myths, King Basilio’s story arc explores how a ruler’s—and a father’s—pride can lead to ruin.
“He’s listening to the stars and the word of God and trying to run his country. But he tries to go against the stars and God,” said Sven Hargis, a second year MFA Acting student who plays King Basilio.
“I am a father,” he continued, “and I’ve realized that there is no manual for being a parent. But when you get to be older, you want to be told that you did things right and you set up your offspring well. King Basilio is this case study in the lengths to which people will go to prove their decisions were right.”
Of royal schemes, scorned lovers and comedic relief
The subplots in “Sueño” follow a cast of colorful characters as each pursues their own goals. Estrella and Astolfo are scheming to take the throne while Astolfo’s scorned lover Rosaura, accompanied by her manservant Clarin, has come seeking revenge.
“Estrella is a really dynamic character, and it’s the first time I’ve gotten to play a character who is empowered by her sexuality and is open about what she wants,” said Dwedee Kobah, a second-year MFA Acting student.
“Even though her journey through the play is controversial, it’s been great to explore her duality and what it means to be a woman at that time. It’s also interesting to be able to bring the aspect of being a Black woman to her character,” Kobah added.
As Kobah summed it up: “Estrella is a baddie and so am I.”
Junior Acting major Heather Lacy is thrilled to being playing the spirited Rosaura, a Polish noblewoman fallen from grace after Astolfo loves her and leaves her, after portraying Lucy in “Dracula: a feminist revenge fantasy, really” in the fall.
“Both women have a tragic backstory, but the big difference is Rosaura does something about it,” said Lacy. “That’s what drew me to her. She’s not a background character whose story gets forgotten. She has a voice and she does things for herself. But Rosaura still has to fight to be heard, and women today are still fighting to be seen and heard. I’m playing her, but I look up to her at the same time.”
While Kobah and Lacy have been exploring the dynamic female leads, second-year MFA Acting student Ethan Pante and Mattingly have had fun leaning into roles that felt much like themselves.
Pante, who plays Astolfo, describes his character as “pretentious,” with a “Restoration-era foppish-ness” that can read as flamboyant in modern context.
“I went into callbacks for ‘Sueño’ just looking to make Shelby Garrett laugh. And in the process, I discovered Astolfo has this grandiose nature that’s very fun to portray,” Pante said.
Mattingly has happily taken on Clarin’s role as the comedic relief.
“Getting to be in a show where my entire job is to make people laugh is rewarding, and it’s a quality I really value in myself,” he said.
A dream show
For Belcher, “Sueño” is the best kind of last hurrah.
“Everybody from my senior Acting cohort got cast in this show, and Shelby Garrett was one of my first acting teachers, so it’s a full circle kind of thing,” said Belcher.
Maxwell agreed.
“Working with this cast—not just the actors playing the main characters, but also our ensemble, the ladies-in-waiting, the guards and servants—has been awesome. Just seeing the effort from all of them and the design team has been really uplifting, and it’s been a fantastic collaboration,” said Maxwell.
“This production has taught me that the people around you are always there to help you out,” he added. “I remember one day, I was really struggling with the sword choreography. Instead of getting frustrated with me, everyone was encouraging, telling me that I got this.”
“This show exhibits the collaboration of the theatre department and all the powers we have to create live theater,” said Hargis.
The Gladys G. Davis Theatre’s thrust-style stage and intimate space bring the audience right into the action, so that “it feels like film, but you’re living inside of it,” Hargis said.
Despite being nearly 400 years old, “Sueño” deals with themes that are still relevant today, said Mattingly. “It reminds us of being human and what it means to live and what it means to dream.”
“Sueño” runs Thursday, March 5, through Saturday, March 7, at the Gladys G. Davis Theatre, then returns Tuesday, March 10, through Friday, March 13. All shows are at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children and can be purchased at go.wvu.edu/sueno, by phone at 304-293-SHOW or in person at the box office in the main lobby of the WVU Canady Creative Arts Center, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.