No Exit at Olympia Little Theater

by John Longenbaugh

Anna “Andi” Holbrook as Estelle and Jamie Flynn as Cradeau

Jean-Paul Sartre wasn’t just a playwright, he was a novelist, a cultural icon, a major philosopher, a political radical and a world-class grouch. (He remains the only person to ever decline a Nobel Peace Prize.) The romantic partner of Simon de Beauvoir, they joined a Resistance movement called Socialisme et Liberté after the Nazis occupied France. At one point Sartre suggested they start assassinating various French politicians turned collaborators, but this was rejected by the group because, as Beauvoir noted, none of them knew how to make bombs or hurl grenades. The group disbanded soon after. (One can imagine them all shrugging, saying “c’est impossible,” lighting cigarettes, and getting drunk on cheap red wine.)

Instead of direct Resistance action, Sartre hunkered down in Occupied Paris and wrote, including his philosophical heavyweight L’être et le néant  (Being and Nothingness) and one absolute crackerjack one-act play, Huis Clos (1943), often translated into English as No Exit. A deviously clever dark comedy/drama, it’s set in the Afterlife, in a single room where three people are introduced to each other—and let’s just say that it’s not The Good Place. (Though Good Place creator Michael Shur cheerfully acknowledges his debt to this existentialist masterpiece.)

The play’s famous aphorism “L’enfer, c’est les autres” generally translated as “Hell is other people,” has become common parlance for the tiresome behavior of human beings, but it’s worth remembering this was written in occupied France, where the native Parisians referred to the invaders in their midst as “les autres,” or “the others.” When you’re literally surrounded by Nazis and potential collaborators, it’s no surprise you’d get jaded about humankind—and the alternate version “Hell is the Nazis occupying your beloved city” might have gotten him in big trouble. (That being said, Sartre then went on to premiere the show in Paris while the Nazis were still there, the most “don’t-give-a-French” thing possible.)

Michael Shipley as The Bell Boy

A perennial classic in smaller theatres thanks to its single set and small cast, the director of the upcoming production of No Exit thinks the themes of the play are just as relevant now as when they were written. “It’s so timeless,” says Sebastian de la Cruz, who’s helming the upcoming production at Olympia Little Theatre. “every time I read it, I feel that these are people you could still meet, whether that’s good or bad. Each of the characters is so lost within themselves that they’ve dug their own hole.”

De la Cruz was Inspired by a production he saw at WWU a few years ago and submitted a proposal to Olympia Little Theatre, and was pleasantly surprised when they gave him a slot. His cast are all local Olympians, with Jamie Keenan DeVargas, Alexa Martin Del Campo, and Anna Holbrook as the new arrivals to the room, and Michael Shipley as the valet.

While there’s little shock in gradually learning each new arrival to “the room” deserves to be there, de la Cruz has been working with the actors to find the deep empathy to their characters he believes can be lacking from productions. “I’m trying to challenge the actors to find the sympathetic elements of the characters. I want this to be an emotional piece, with living, breathing people.”

The toughest challenge, de la Cruz believes, is measuring the relationship of the performance to its spectators. “I find it’s challenging to figure out how to immerse the audience into the experience. I want them to feel alongside the characters, but I want them to teeter on the edge of curiosity and want to learn more.”

Anna “Andi” Holbrook as Estelle

And hopefully the audience won’t feel too immersed in the show; the play is after all a one-act, and unlike the unfortunates in the diabolical triangle of sex, jealousy and hate we’re watching, we get to leave when the lights come up.

WHAT:
No Exit

WHEN:
7:25 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 1:55 p.m. Sunday Jan. 31 to Feb. 16

WHERE:
Olympia Little Theatre, 1925 Miller Ave NE, Olympia

COST:
Opening night $10-$12, weekends $12-$16, Thursday, Feb. 13 $12-14

LEARN MORE:
https://olympialittletheater.org/
(360) 786-9484

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