BEN DAVIDOFF

Fine arts sophomore Nat Cassidy, who plays the character Able in Tucson playwright Stuart Bousel's original production of "The Exiled," discusses relationship dilemmas with Jenny, played by molecular and cellular biology/political science sophomore Sarah Calvert. "The Exiled" follows the lives of friends and lovers surrounded by conflicts spurned from questions dealing with life direction.

Monday August 27, 2001 |

Arizona Daily Wildcat

Local playwright puts on 'The Exiled' this weekend

Searching for one's identity has never been so difficult - or amusing.

Making its second appearance at Tucson's Arizona Theatre Company is

local playwright Stuart Bousel's production of his self-proclaimed "date comedy," "The Exiled."

The story follows the life of the main character - Chester, a video store manager who, unlike his musician/actor friends, is not searching for stardom to give his life a sense of completion.

"He's a secondary city, small-time businessman (who is) very proud of his accomplishments, but (he is) terrified that his happiness is unacceptable," Bousel said of the main character.

Throughout the play, both Chester and his friends struggle with past and present relationships, ambitions - or a lack thereof - and other life conflicts in order to make sense of their direction in life.

While audience members will likely be driven to evaluate their own life direction as well, they won't do so without the accompaniment of laughter, as the play is abundant with humor.

Anne Heintz, actress and recent graduate of the University of Arizona, said "The Exiled" is similar to a stage performance of the film "American Pie."

"It's about college students, young people - artists," she said. "It's about relationships and sex."

Heintz, who plays Imogen, Chester's ex-girlfriend, added that college students should relate to the play due to its being based on situations occurring to characters in their post-collegiate years.

Bousel made an additional comparison of the story line to that of author and composer Jonathan Larson, the brains behind "Rent."

"Imagine 'Rent' told from the perspective of the guy who doesn't belong there," he said. "(He) doesn't have AIDS, doesn't want to be an artist, doesn't want to be a dancer - (he's) neurotic about the fact that all he wants is to own his own video store."

While "The Exiled" is unlike most of his other work, Bousel said audiences still seem to enjoy it.

"'(The) Exiled,' which is virtually plotless, contains more character sketches than actual characters, and is largely preoccupied with its own microcosmic world of gossip, sex and lazy ambition," he wrote in his director's note. "But people love it."

Bousel, who wrote and directed the play, has formed his own production company, titled "Horror Unspeakable Productions," and added that while he has shown much of his work at ATC, the two companies (ATC and Horror Unspeakable) are two separate entities.

"We're definitely not ATC," Bousel said. "(Horror Unspeakable) is an avant garde, independent, freelance theater group composed of a lot of young people from around town."

"We're sort of becoming their independent theatre company," he added.

"The Exiled," which opened Friday, will be performed again this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave.

Heintz said audiences should expect a comical performance "with some really true commentary on what it's like to be a young adult in the 21st century."

Tickets are $6. For more ticket information, call 884-4967.