By Lisa Y. Garibay
UTEP News Service
Raquel Gomez has been cast in many Department of Theatre & Dance productions during her years at The University of Texas at El Paso, but this performance in The Arabian Nights will be her last.
“I’m so grateful and honored,” said the senior theatre arts performance major, who graduates in May. Gomez will portray Scheherazade in the department’s staging of the legendary tale.
In The Arabian Nights, King Shahryar marries and then kills a different woman every night, instilling great fear in his people. When it is Scheherazade’s turn to marry the king, she enacts a cunning plan, mesmerizing him with fantastical, captivating stories that cause him to forget his deadly tradition and keep her alive night after night.
Gomez added, “Over time, (Scheherazade) falls in love with him and the stories become more about teaching him to be a better person.”
This adaptation of The Arabian Nights — which people may also know as 1,001 Nights — is written by Mary Zimmerman and directed by Rebecca Rivas, visiting assistant professor of theatre and dance. It opens at 8 p.m. Friday, March 21 and runs through March 30 at the Wise Family Theatre.
Zimmerman’s adaptation was selected for its offering of a mixture of familiar and not-so-familiar fables. Some of these fables are well-known in today’s popular culture, including “Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp” (which was adapted into the Disney animated feature Aladdin), while previous generations are probably more familiar with “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” and “Sinbad the Sailor.”
The department hopes entire families will come out to see the timeless story during its two-week run.
Senior linguistics major Omar Freitekh — who is minoring in theatre arts performance and is another department acting veteran alongside Gomez — is playing the role of King Shahryar as well as Aziz, a character in one of Scheherazade’s stories whose life ends in heartache through a lifestyle that mirrors the king’s. While the role duality was hard work for Freitekh, there was a larger obstacle that he had to overcome.
“One of my biggest challenges was working with so many different bodies every day all the time,” Freitekh said. “Unlike in A Christmas Carol, where people get on and off stage, this play has everyone on stage the whole time. I have never done a production where that has been the basis of the whole play.”
Freitekh admits sharing the stage with such a robust cast also had its upside.
“The best part is actually being able to see the other actors turn into their different characters,” he said. “I would argue that the real stars are everyone that make the stories happen. It has been very interesting and enlightening to see everyone do their work.”
Rivas, who teaches Acting, Dialects and all sections of Voice and Movement at UTEP, agrees with her lead male when it comes to the richness of the performers involved in the production.
“I have an incredibly talented cast and have enjoyed seeing my actors and students grow throughout the process,” she said, adding that she’s looking forward to watching them blossom even further once the show opens.
The director also had her challenges when it came to the multilayered quality of The Arabian Nights. It takes a deft touch to portray stories within stories, especially within the confines of a theatrical stage versus a movie. But she characterizes it as “a happy challenge.” She added, “This piece allows for many opportunities for creativity in movement and I’ve enjoyed working through those challenges very much.”
Creativity came to life as the actors dug deep to find their characters within themselves with the help of Rivas’ direction.
“When I first read the play and parts of the book, I had this specific idea of what I thought Scheherazade should be,” Gomez said. “Instead of playing with the circumstances and what was given to me moment-to-moment, I portrayed this idea and felt stuck playing the same thing over and over again. My director really helped me see that Scheherazade is just as human as I am. She cries and she gets scared, frustrated, angry and happy, just like me.”
After honing her acting chops at UTEP, Gomez couldn’t be happier to end on this note, especially given the emotional bond she feels has galvanized the cast and crew into a family.
“I know in my heart this is going to be an amazing show,” she said. “I’m lucky to work with this cast and I feel blessed to work with one of the best directors at UTEP.”
Show Information
The Arabian Nights
Wise Family Theatre, 2nd Floor, Fox Fine Arts Center, UTEP campus
Performance Dates:
March 21, 22, 27, 28, 29 at 8 p.m.
March 23 and 30 at 2:30 p.m.
TICKETS:
Adults: $13; UTEP faculty, staff and alumni (with card), seniors, military, groups (10+), and non-UTEP students: $11; UTEP students and children (4-12): $9.
FOR TICKETS AND INFORMATION: 915-747-5118
SPECIAL NIGHTS:
UTEP Alumni Night is March 22 at 8 p.m.: All alumni with a valid alumni card are eligible for a buy-one-get-one free offer.
UTEP Faculty and Staff Night is March 27 at 8 p.m.: UTEP faculty and staff with a valid ID are eligible for a buy-one-get-one free offer.
Military Night is March 28 at 8 p.m.: All military personnel with a valid military ID are eligible for a buy-one-get-one free offer.
El Paso City Employee Night is March 30 at 2:30 p.m.: El Paso city employees with a valid ID are eligible for a buy-one-get-one free offer.