Students to depict that "hell is other people" during performances of "No Exit"

Three people, who have never met before, are brought into a strange room by a mysterious Bellboy who gives them barely any information about their situation except for the knowledge that they will be in that room together for the rest of eternity.

All three characters only have one thing in common: they’re all dead.

This is the foundation of the plot for the upcoming play, “No Exit,” which will be produced and performed by Grand Valley theater students as a part of the annual Performance Studios Series.

The P.S. Series gives upper-level theater students the opportunity to use the practical skills they have learned in the classroom. During P.S. Series productions, students have creative control over directing, acting, backstage production, set design and costume design.

Performances of “No Exit” will take place April 5, 6, and 7, at 7:30 p.m. and April 8 at 2 p.m. All shows will take place the Linn Maxwell Keller Black Box Theatre, located in the Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts. General admission tickets will be $6, and tickets can be purchased through the Louis Armstrong Box Office by calling (616) 331-2300, or by visiting Startickets.com.

In “No Exit,” Cradeau, a French journalist; Inez, a Spanish secretary; and Estelle, an American socialite, quickly discover that the mysterious room they have entered is actually hell.

“This show is an exploration of why those characters find themselves in hell, what mistakes they made in the past and how living a fake life can lead you to ruin,” said Bruno Streck Rodrigues, a senior majoring in theater and communication studies who will sit in the director’s chair for “No Exit.” “Having to accept the fact that they are dead, unable to touch the outside world and slowly being forgotten, is a big part of the show.”

Expecting to find some kind of torturer in the hellish venue, the three characters quickly learn that the real torture is spending eternity with each other.

“They have to learn to ‘live’ with each other, but the problem of ‘living’ with each other, as the show itself says, is that ‘hell is other people,’” said Streck Rodrigues. “They can’t stand the thought that the other two people in the room are judging them for every little thing they do, and that is the real torture.”

“No Exit” marks Streck Rodrigues’ directorial debut, and the São Carlos, Brazil, native said it is his favorite play primarily because of the diversity of the characters.

“The show was written in 1943 by French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre, and yet one of the main characters is a lesbian, which is groundbreaking,” said Streck Rodrigues. “The male character in the original version of the play is Brazilian, like me, so I also really like my country being represented in theater."

Grand Valley's production of "No Exit" will be adopting the translated version by Paul Bowles in which the nationalities of Cradeau and Estelle were changed to French and American, respectively.

Streck Rodrigues said that dissecting the multiple nuances of “No Exit” has made his first attempt at directing challenging yet rewarding.

“I have been doing research alongside my dramaturg, theater student Robbie Bell, so we can bring information to the actors and they can go deeper into it as well,” said Streck Rodrigues. “Because Cradeau is French and Inez is Spanish, I also brought a dialect coach to the production, vocal pathology student Jenny Shaffer, so the actors could perfect those accents.”

Jacob Miller, who plays Cradeau, said he is excited to switch gears away from portraying his usual comedic roles in Grand Valley productions.

“Having the chance to play a very serious character who has very little humor and is sadistic is a thrill for me,” said Miller, a junior majoring in theater and history. “I am most excited to show the audience that no one is who they seem. Everyone has their own agenda and past, and when that leaks through, it becomes clear who they really are.”

Rachel Renaud, a senior elementary education, English and theater major, said she has been having fun playing the manipulative character of Estelle.

“It is always fun to play evil and not have to worry about expectations with a role,” said Renaud. “Estelle has a lot of fun using the other characters, and it has been fun developing her. Also, the ending is going to be so wild; I cannot wait for everyone to be shocked.”

Emily Cobb, who plays Inez, said she looks forward to audiences reflecting on the themes of death, freedom and judgement found in “No Exit.”

“I believe this show will get people to think about life and death and it will leave an impression on them,” said Cobb, a sophomore majoring in psychology and theater. “A lot of great people put in the work to make this come to life and the results are spectacular.”