The CSUN Theater Department hosted their interpretation of “Guarded” from Oct. 16 to 19 in the Little Theater located in Nordhoff Hall.

During the Oct. 17 performance, the audience was transported to the backstage of a Los Angeles movie set during a heatwave. Sitting in front of the movie set were two security guards holding flashlights, protecting the set from unwanted individuals.

Viewers of the “Guarded” experienced a wide range of emotions during the play, including . happiness, shock, humor and sadness. It is an excellent play for those interested in learning more about the film industry.

The set was decorated with various structures. On the left was the makeup trailer, where makeup artist Bebe Myers, played by Emma Langsam, prepared the actors for their scenes.In the center was the trailer of Jeremiah Parnell, a famous actor struggling with his sexuality and career, portrayed by Shamar Martin. Jeremiah’s character was joined by his cousin Chaletra Hendricks, played by Tiffany Aineruhanga, and his manager Aubrey Wright, played by Wren Grant.

Near the makeup trailer was the food stand where Ramona Randall, a religious Hispanic woman played by Maliya Elizondo, worked. On the right was the home of Obah and Ina, a homeless couple played by Liia Opanasiuk and Zarion Denney.

Ina opened the show by organizing her makeshift home, along the sidewalk of the movie set. As a homeless woman enduring the extreme heat, her primary goal was to find a chair that wouldn’t burn her when she sat down. Ina also enjoys collecting recyclables, which she hoped to exchange for some money.

Her partner, Obah was in charge of finding items to make their home more comfortable and clean.Though Obah tries to make a home for himself. Ina and Obah were a crowd favorite, because of their adorable yet witty interactions.

Every actor displayed their role perfectly. The audience was visually engaged with the storyline and found humor in the characters’ interactions. The character that the audience reacted to the most was Malachi Shelton, a witty security guard, played by Wyatt Spencer. Malachi’s dynamic with his senior security officer Wayne Sanford, played by Kevin Boecher, left the audience in tears of laughter. Wayne was an obedient man, while Malachi was a rebellious one and carefree.

“Every character is very distinct and has very strong dynamics with each other, which I think is really strong, especially for a school show,” said Maya Forster.

The character dynamic that received the most reactions from the audience was between Jeremiah and Malachi. Jeremiah struggles with being open about his sexuality because he is a gay man that plays predominantly straight roles. For the movie depicted in the play, Jeremiah is having to “act” as a gay man while also being straight. Jeremiah is attracted to Malachi, who is a fan, but struggles with identifying whether Malachi feels the same. While rehearsing lines with Malachi, Jeremiah begins to cry because he is acting as if he were dealing with the loss of his partner in the film. While Malachi consoles him, Jeremiah decides to kiss him. Malachi then pushes him off, and proceeds to kiss Jeremiah back.

The most heartbreaking moment is when Malachi and Jeremiah leave the trailer and see that all the other characters are outside. Malachi then proceeds to punch Jeremiah and call him a slur as the audience collectively made a sympathetic sound as Jeremiah laid on the ground.

The play was well executed with actors fully embodying their characters captivating the audience. put together very well. -The actors connected to their characters and performed their roles perfectly. The audience was fully engaging with the storyline, their reaction evident through the laughter, gaps and murmurs that filled the theater.

CSUN Theater Department will also open their interpretation of “Wit” as their next theater production, on Oct. 30 to Nov. 2 in the Experimental Theatre located on campus. Tickets are available now here.