The Sinclair production is here. The production’s first show will be April 8 at 8 p.m. and you can check online through Sinclair with the “Student Life” tab and then “Theatre Productions” to find the rest of the schedule. Patti Celek, marketer and advertiser for the production, said that arriving between an hour before the show is a way for you to guarantee a ticket and a chance to actually get in and see the show. No last minute tickets — if you arrive five minutes before the show, you’ve already missed your chance and the doors will have closed.
For the majority of the times (except Wednesdays and Thursdays) the price will be $18.00 ($15.00 with your Tartan card). On “Throwback Thursdays,” the price for all tickets will be dropped to $10.00. You can purchase tickets online (through the Sinclair “Brush Fire App”) or pay at the door. They take cards and cash. On Wednesday the 13 at 10:00 a.m. the price will be dropped all the way down to $5.00 with a Tartan card.
The play is based on the book written in 1962 by Ken Kasey. The play shortly followed in 1963 and then later a movie in 1967 starring Jack Nicholson. The play is set in the ‘60s about a mental ward in Oregon with a strict nurse (Nurse Ratched) who runs a tight ship. The protagonist (Randle McMurphy) arrives as a patient who stirs up the pot and causes trouble, yet ends up gaining the devotion of the other patients.
Director of the play, Nelson Sheeley, said all the actors in the play have experience in acting in at least one play previously. What’s the play’s message to the audience? Neeley said, “I think it’s basically about freedom — and gaining one’s freedom from whatever prison you happen to be in.” The inspiration for the title actually appears in the play. It’s an old child’s game from a poem that’s an analogy for the story. “One flew east, one flew west, one flew over the cuckoo’s nest,” which resembles the protagonist who seeks freedom from the mental ward.
Both Patti and Sheeley pointed out the diversity in their cast. They said the cast is purely chosen based on talent; ethnic background never comes into play with their decision making process. That being the case, the talent actually happens to be quite diverse in this production with a large range of backgrounds. It certainly makes for an interesting and unique cast. Sheeley said that the cast has bonded with one another which is suiting because the storyline for the play has bonding between the patients. Sheeley said the only choreography was for certain fight scenes so they can come across as natural, believable, and of course are safe.
Sheeley teaches acting at Sinclair and said, “I usually direct a play here at least once a year.” Sheeley said he has directed professionally for almost forty years. Sheeley and Celek point out that with Sinclair, the cast has better opportunities for receiving varying parts where four-year colleges tend to be more difficult and strenuous to be on stage. Celek said that gives students a good chance to discover if they have a talent for the stage.
High expectations are now placed on the play, hopefully you can be one to attend and witness its production for yourself.
Ehron Ostendorf
Copy Editor