The Naval Academy theater group the Masqueraders will perform Mary Zimmerman’s “Arabian Nights” Oct. 28-29 and Nov. 4-6 at 8 p.m. in the Mahan Hall theater.
Tickets can be purchased at the door or by calling 410-293-TIXX. Tickets cost $10 for the public, $5 for midshipmen.
The play is adapted from the classical collection of stories of the same name. Zimmerman, a theatre director and playwright, often transforms epic pieces of literature into dramatic performances based on a core group of actors, said the production’s director Christy Stanlake, a professor in the academy’s English department.
“In the case of this play, whereas the Arabian Nights collection of stories might take up three volumes of the written word, she selected about 12 of the stories and the stories are told by 16 actors, who are on stage the whole time,” said Stanlake. “They play multiple roles throughout many of the stories.”
The story begins with a Persian king named Shahryar, who is shocked to learn of his wife’s infidelity and immediately has her executed. He then begins to marry a series of virgins only to murder each one the following morning to prevent a recurrence of infidelity.
Eventually the vizier, whose duty it is to provide the king’s wives, cannot find any more virgins, and his daughter Scheherazade offers herself as the next bride. On their marriage night, she begins to tell the king a story, but does not end it. The king postpones her execution in order to hear the conclusion. The next night, she finishes the tale and begins a new one. The king, impatient to hear the conclusion, postpones her execution once again. This continues for 1,001 nights, and ultimately the experience changes the king.
Scheherzade’s stories bring back a sense of humanity, said Stanlake. “Scheherezade saves her community through storytelling and the king loses the pride that left him incapable of dealing with people and being a leader.”
The play opens up a new culture to the midshipmen who study it.
“We try to find some of those common points of connection between our culture and the culture we are interacting with right now,” said Stanlake.
“It is great to do a show like this, because it brings a lot of the Arab issues and teaches about different cultures,” said Midshipman 1st Class Kiley Provenzano, who plays Scheherezade.
Midshipman 1st Class Mark Pfender, who plays several roles, considers the play relevant to the roles the midshipmen will take on once they graduate.
“I don’t know much about Arab culture and truly enjoy the fact that we get to learn about it while there are two wars going on in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Pfender. “
According to Pfender, being part of the Masqueraders is an individual and team building experience.
“You not only have to rely on the other actors in order to produce such a marvelous piece of artwork, but as an individual, you’ll get to see the benefits if you really work hard, develop your character and put in the time to bond with other actors and actresses on stage,” said Pfender.
“The Masqueraders is a good choice for us as future officers because it allows us to be comfortable in front of people,” said Provenzano.
