The Citrus College Theatre Arts department and Haugh Performing Arts Center hosted a virtual performance of “Sonnets for an Old Century” by Jose Rivera on Oct. 16 online.
The performance was directed by acting instructor Jeremy Lewis.
A link and password to the performance was provided on the Haugh PAC’s website between 6:45 p.m. and 9 p.m. with free admission.
The video was recorded in natural scenery, with effects such as fades and flashes added in post. Each character’s monologue was delivered while sitting on a log in front of a background of forestry.
The diverse characters came from rags and riches, cities and suburbs and various age groups and ethnicities.
The characters’ words represent the last piece of themselves they leave behind in the universe.
Their monologues recounted trivial experiences from their daily lives: watching a polluted sunset in Los Angeles, having sex in an apartment under a leaky roof, battling a brain tumor and getting struck by a vehicle in the city among other moments.
Theater students managed to deliver compelling monologues despite not having an audience to interact with, nor their typical setting to perform in. The costumes and accents were thoughtfully chosen for characters.
The setting, however, was constant throughout the play and wasn’t always consistent with the character’s experience. The video format opened up new possibilities such as on-screen text and fading transitions, which the production took advantage of.
Jose Rivera’s play bears a special relevance in today’s world, when our own daily lives have changed course.
The pre-show description described America in the 2000s, when the play was published, as “purgatory,” where characters have “one last chance to leave a piece of themselves behind to build a better world.”
As we live through a global pandemic, systemic racism and divisive politics, “Sonnets for an Old Century” reminds us that we can call upon our own life experiences to make the world a better place.
