Find out who Scheherezade is
Rachel Reid

"Just pretend I’m in a movie instead of in your face!" exclaims the self-sure Sukie, one of three characters in this one-woman, one-act play. This is not difficult to do, as she later invokes that unforgettable Meg Ryan scene in "When Harry Met Sally." via one of her many comedic outbursts of the play.

Scheherezade is a lyric comedy framed within a tragic drama: a genre as multi-faceted as the women whom it is it’s purpose to portray. It confronts poignantly, yet humourously, the struggle of women to live beyond expectations so they cannot be ignored.

"I want a huge, snorty laugh in quiet restaurants. This is life, this is life out loud! And I want to be revered, not reformed."

The three characters in the play are Scheherezade, Sukie, and Sarah. Writer and director Linda Carson has made use of the legend of Scheherezade, a woman who told the 1001 stories in the Arabian Nights to distract a lustful and murderous sultan and thereby save her own life and the lives of many women.

Carson’s Scheherezade is a tough, practical Scottish woman who recounts to the audience her life as a king’s storyteller. As Carson explains, "Scheherezade is not a name really, more of a job description." She assumes these two other identities as characters of her stories. Sarah is a broken woman, "snapped like pulled taffy." Her storyline poses the question, "How does the girl become the woman becoming the lost soul?" Sukie is a vibrant character who appears on stage declaring, "Breathtaking, aren’t!? Larger than life!"

This play speaks to its entire audience, most particularly to women. Scheherezade proclaims, "In my stories, women are clever, kind, funny, stupid, reckless, tender... I want to tell stories where women are."

I Am Scheherezade will premiere at 8:00 pm on Wednesday, January 27th and plays for four nights, concluding on Saturday January 30th.

The University Players have also premiered Carson’s plays "Suffragette Koans," and "Pisces is a Water Sign." Carson enjoys working with student crews in university venues. "I’ve been able to push my writing in all new directions (with University Players). "What a writer needs is a stage... Being able to put something out there and test it makes it easier to get up in the morning and put something in the keyboard." She enjoys the receptivity of the audiences:

"The university audience is especially exciting.

"These people are intellectually charged and about to get on with their lives. They are interested in seeing a play that takes chances... we couldn’t have done the work we’ve done here anywhere else."

The Theatre Auditorium has been transformed for the play. The tidy set incorporates the backdrops for each of the three characters allowing for a one-act play that doesn’t require stoppages for set-ups. As a result the audience, which is closely gathered around the warmly lit set, can form the close relationship with the play that it demands.

There is no hiding behind a curtain to change character or scenery. This intensifies the message of the play: Live out loud. Adam Coulter, the play’s producer says "I always enjoy the opportunity to take this space and turn it into a theatre. We play around, try new things all the time... It is my theory that if we’ve tried something and it works, that is as good a reason as any to never do it again".

This production is different from other University Players presentations in that it’s star, Darlene Spencer, is a professional. Says Coulter, "This is unlike most of the productions we put on. We’re offering a professional show." Having the kind of experience that Spencer brings to the production is a learning opportunity for her undergraduate crew.

Carson expostulates, "Darlene brings stuff to the party. If I am unsure about a line or a portrayal or a stage direction, she has ideas. It was tremendously collaborative. Darlene brings so much to the party." We can expect to see more from this intriguing pair in the future.

Linda Carson teaches stagecraft and play writing, and produces for University Players, on top of her day job. Spencer is a U of W graduate and Master of Fine Arts grad from York University. She has been an instructor at the University of Waterloo for six years and is herself a director and playwright as well as actress. She is currently juggling several acting opportunities in Toronto. Spencer approached Carson in May 1998 and expressed an interest in working with the writer on something that displayed her talents. Coulter offered them the January slot here at WLU and the whole rushed process was set in motion. "I gave Darlene pieces of the script, like last minute essays that still smell hot from the copier, and she would dive in, try them, see what we had," explains Carson. It was a collaborative process. "Because of the storyline, Darlene wanted to try an accent with it...it really brought the words to life."

Spencer explains her attraction to the stage, "For me, the enjoyment of theatre is that its unpredictable...I can’t tell where to expect a reaction [from the audience]... sometimes I get one where I didn’t expect it."

Expect an entertaining and provocative show. Scheherezade offers the observation, "Your boots are stained with a bit of everything you’ve ever stepped in." So, step into the Theatre Auditorium and stain your soul with "I am Scheherezade." Ticket information is available at extension 4882.