It feels like the last two years have lasted a decade. As society struggled through a pandemic many of us longed for a time where everything could go back to normal. Finally, that wish is slowly getting granted and one step back to normality is the comeback of live theater! For the last two years, SFCC has been forced to do their theater productions over streams. This June, the theater program is finally coming back to the Spartan theater, with a reimagined production of Moliere’s JT: Tartuffe. The theater itself isn’t the only thing making a comeback this year though. The director of the play, Craig Rickett, is making his return to theater for the first time in ten years.
When asked about his return, Rickett did not hold back his excitement saying, “I missed everything about the theater. I love watching the actors work together and make each other better performers. It’s very invigorating.”
The actors themselves, also seem to be excited to be able to perform in front of a live audience once again. The lead roles will be Scott Larson as Oral Pernell, Jazz Vega as Emily Rose Pernell, and Aaron Maddox as JT, with Chris Hansen in charge of set design.
{Rickett} stated that, “The actors are very excited to perform live again. I’ve gotten to watch a lot of them make discoveries about themselves and who they are as actors. I hope the audience is prepared to be entertained.” Rickett himself wrote the adaptation of Moliere’s play. He worked from August to March in order to translate not only from French to English, but translate the language between eras as well. Even with challenges such as this, and COVID, Rickett remained optimistic. When asked about the transition from COVID,
{Rickett} stated, “It was much easier than I thought it was going to be. The students have been very helpful and have taken to it very quickly.”
It seems that not even a global pandemic can crush the spirits of the theater.
Rickett also delved into the history of the play, informing that Molier’s original work was banned by the church for using them as a basis of a lot of his jokes. Rickett and his actors are certainly excited for the return to theater and are most definitely doing everything in their power to make this show a memorable one. Audience members should expect a night of comedy and entertainment at the Spartan Theater. Tickets are available online and if you’re a student at SFCC, then they’re completely free! The show opens on June 2nd, and runs until June 5th at 7:30 pm Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and 2 pm on Sunday. So, if you’re a lover of the theater, and want to see our student production back in action again, make sure to head on down to see their production of JT: Tartuffe and bring your two years of waiting for normality to a close!
