Stage II’s Production “Anon(ymous)” Deemed Phenomenal and Heartfelt

The cast and crew of “Anon(ymous).” Photo Courtesy / Stage II The cast and crew of “Anon(ymous).” Photo Courtesy / Stage II
The cast and crew of “Anon(ymous).” Photo Courtesy / Stage II
The cast and crew of “Anon(ymous).”
Photo Courtesy / Stage II

By Edita Bardhi
Staff Writer

ESU’s Fine & Performing Arts Center held “Anon(ymous),” a play created by Naomi Iizuka.

The production was directed and performed by members of Stage II Theater Organization at the Dale Show Theatre from Nov. 17 to the 20th.

The first showing of the play began at 7 p.m. on Thursday. The theatre department performed it again on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, it was performed at 2 p.m.

After students, families and friends exchanged money for a seat in the theatre, the usher escorted them into a darkened room.

As everyone entered, their attention quickly began to focus on the multi-colored spotlights reflected upon the stage.

With a pamphlet distributed at the entrance, attendees skimmed through the description of the play.

The play received its name from the main character, Anon. In the play, Anon is unaware of who his birth-mother is, for he was taken away from her. As a young refugee, Anon encounters multiple people.

As an individual, he is kind and thoughtful, however he witnesses both unpleasant and generous companions.

On his own, Anon travels around the United States to find his mother in the adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey. While doing so, he struggles to receive food products, clothing, and a place he can call home.

Without any hint towards what will happen to Anon, the audience grew more and more fearful of the plot.

Gasps and silence spread throughout the theatre.

Although the performance ran without any interruptions, it still led the audience to curiosity. They could not figure out Anon’s destiny.

Some scenes made the audience believe Anon would never see his mother.

He befriended a few people, however like his mother, he had to say goodbye to them after a short period.

“Where I come from soldiers came to my village. When you’re old and you look back, will you remember me? Will you remember a friend who died long ago?” asked Pascal, a close friend of Anon’s.

In one setting, Anon had to fight against an enemy. The fighting scene included swords and strong desires to win the battle.

Throughout the play, the numerous features were a good attribute to the scenes. As part of the audience, I enjoyed the creativeness of the features.

Every one of them fit perfectly into the scene.

“I loved watching my actors grow and stretch,” explained Director John Lauri. “I purposefully cast some of them against type because I wanted to challenge them and they all surpassed my expectations.”

As I watched it, I could tell how much the actors loved what they were doing.

As a fan of the performance, I knew I would not be able to leave the theater without applauding every actor individually.

“I think everyone who worked on it has some were all ownership over the play and we were all proud to have worked on it,” said Lauri.

“It was a different experience I’ve never had before because everyone was determined to put in the work. I have been in two shows previously and this is by far my favorite one. When it’s show time, who doesn’t get a little nervous? How I had it is by calming my mind and getting into character and focusing on coming with confidence. In the end, it was great while it lasted and it happened in a blink of an eye. Four weeks of rehearsal and four days of performing to an audience. The theatre cast and crew worked hard and it was worth it,” shared Tyrell Clark, an ESU student and actor of Pascal.

“I think this play really upped the ante for Stage II. I hope after I graduate the club is able to keep working on challenging and relevant shows,”concluded Lauri.

Email Edita at:
ebardhi@live.esu.edu