by Stuart Overbey
Daily Lobo
Although "True North: A Mystery Play" draws on playwright Kevin Paul's long-time fascination with survival stories, he promises there is no cannibalism in the play.
"There's only a brief mention of it," Paul said. "Nothing horrible happens."
A man obsessed with the aurora borealis embarks on a research expedition to the Arctic, accompanied by his two teenage children. Their plane crashes and the Arctic becomes the setting for Kevin Paul's fable/farce/survival story.
The three plane-crash victims meet an Inuit woman, Esther, who is a shape-shifter. Her ability to travel in and out of the spirit world forces the other characters to question their perception of reality.
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"On the surface, certain things that occur are bizarre," director Tim Schettino said. "But they're actually a part of our reality. That's going to, hopefully, push viewers to an uncomfortable, but powerful, place."
Schettino, who also plays the father, Sam, has created the arctic setting with background slides, lights and self-constructed props. He relies on soundscaping, combining realistic sounds like arctic winds with music. With help from his fiancÇe Sarah Preston and using a relative's workshop, Schettino has constructed an airplane wing for the set out of scavenged wood and metal.
Paul's inspiration for the play came from a poem he had written several years ago.
"[The Poem is] a poetic travelogue about soaring over the Arctic," Paul said. "'True North' is a very strange piece. You don't know whether to feel bad for these people, or to laugh at them, and all of that is intentional."
Paul is in the Dance and Theater Department's program for his master's in Fine Arts in dramatic writing. He chose theater because it allowed him a venue in which he could fuse his experiences as a musician, a writer and a visual artist. Paul has a bachelor's in Fine Arts in sculpture and has been writing poetry, prose and drama since childhood. He has published and performed texts while at UNM, but True North is the first full-length play he has produced here.
Paul said he appreciated the enthusiasm Schettino had for the play, and the competence he showed as a director. Although "True North" needs no choreography per se, Schettino, as he directs, is "very conscious of choreographing the bodies in space," Paul said.
Schettino brings his experience as a dancer, choreographer and actor to the task of directing True North. He has danced and acted in numerous works while a student at UNM.
Last spring, he danced with Linda Tonko to "Music from France" by the Albuquerque Baroque Players; in October, he played the priest in "Dracula" at the Popejoy; and most recently performed from trampoline as The Cow in the Readymade Dance Theatre's "Corn Ballet." He has many more performances to his credit, and is currently working toward his master's in Dance.
The characters of the teenage children in True North, Dora and Will, are played by Brianne Passariello and Brad Rahmlow, respectively. Jennifer Stephenson plays Esther.
Passariello, Rahmlow and Stephens are undergraduate students in the Dance and Theater Department.
"True North" is one act, about an hour long.
Performances will be at Tricklock Theatre on Nov. 15 and 16 at 7:30 p.m., and Nov. 17, at 6 p.m. Tickets are $7 for general admission and $5 for student and seniors. The Tricklock Theatre is on 118 Washington St. SE. For more information call 254-8393.
