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PARK CLOSES AFTER DUSK
Photography © Imani Russell
Devised theater investigates complexity of human relations
By SABRINA OH
Posted on December 2, 2015 in Arts
"In Park Closes After Dusk, a playground offers both a retrospective and introspective lens into the lives of two high school students complexly linked together by a mutual friend. At the playground, they share their stories and secrets. The encounters develop into a raw concurrence. Rezes elaborated on the theme of this narrative. “The storyline focuses on two individuals entering a playground from both of their childhoods, neither having met the other. They are both in limbo concerning the well–being of a mutual third character whose fate is out of their hands. It focuses on relationships and the harsh themes of childhood that many people forget exist,” he explained.
"Possibly in an attempt to underscore the universality of the play’s thematic ideas, the characters lack defining traits. Rezes wrote, “Earlier this semester I decided to write a skeleton script. In this piece, I keep the overarching narrative of my characters’ lives intact, while allowing other writers/actors the chance to devise dialogue and backstories that are more true. The skeleton removes gender identity, sexuality and other defining qualities from the characters, allowing for completely neutral casting and devising.”
"By and large, Rezes hopes to peel away at the oversimplification of being a human. Through a microscopic look into the fibers of human emotions and relationships, he seeks to evoke a self–realization. Rezes explained, “We hope that the student body will see a play that explores the complexity of what it means to be human. There is no such thing as a true antagonist in this world, and this piece tries to expand on that idea.”
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