"No Exit" but Plenty of Insight in SF's Production of the Enduring Classic

September 25, 2024

A student cast and crew will present Jean-Paul Sartre's "No Exit," a thought-provoking play that asks, "Is hell other people?" The performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, October 16 and 17, 2024, in the Jackson N. Sasser Fine Arts Hall at Santa Fe College's Northwest Campus, 3000 NW 83 Street, Gainesville.

Tickets are $16 for adults; $10 for seniors, students, military service members and children 12 and under; and free for SF students, faculty, and staff with college ID cards. Tickets are available from the Fine Arts Hall Box Office at 352-395-4181 or online from Showpass at showpass.com/no-exit.

Russell Schultz, Associate Professor Theatre, directs the student cast. Schultz believes that Sartre's ideas have shaped how we see the world today, making the play relevant in our modern times.

"Sartre's obsession with his idea of 'freedom' and what that meant is in the culture all around us," Schultz said. "The play forces us to ask questions about the real meaning of that word and the consequences we unintentionally invite when we consider what a world without objective standards means in practice. Who are we seeking freedom from and why?"

Schultz hopes students realize that the ideas in "No Exit" are not just relics of the past but are still present and continue to influence both what we think about and how we think. To emphasize this timeless connection, he has chosen to highlight these ideas through the production's visual style.

"Reflecting the themes of the play," Schultz said, "this production will be done in grayscale, which will be like watching an old black and white TV show."

"No Exit" is sponsored and organized by the Santa Fe College Fine Arts and Entertainment Technology Department.