The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

Loading Recent Classifieds...
The Girls Who Code club met together in Sierra Hall, on Friday, Sept. 15, in Northridge, Calif. Club members played around with a program to create a virtual game.
The CSUN club that’s encouraging women in STEM
Miya Hantman, Reporter • September 18, 2023

CSUN’s Girls Who Code club is just one of many across many campuses and countries, including 110 in...

Students form a crowd for DJ Mal-Ski on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023 in Northridge, Calif.
Matador Nights carnival makes a splash at the USU
Ryan Romero, Sports Editor • September 21, 2023

The University Student Union hosted “Matador Nights” on Sept. 8 from 7 p.m. to midnight. The...

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock by FiledIMAGE.
Women’s Soccer has Closed the Competitive Gap
Luis Silva, Reporter • September 19, 2023

There is no longer a significant competitive gap in the sport of women’s soccer. There is a brighter...

The line for concert merchandise on the second night of The Eras Tour in Paradise, Nev., on Saturday, March 25, 2023.
My experience at The Eras Tour
Miley Alfaro, Sports Reporter • September 18, 2023

It’s been a long time coming. I began watching The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift’s ongoing concert trek,...

Within the Oaxacan town of Asuncion Nochixtlan, we find my mother’s birthplace, Buena Vista. Photo taken July 29, 2023.
I Love Being Mexican
September 12, 2023
A student holds up a sign during a rally outside of the CSU Board of Trustees meeting in Long Beach, Calif., on Sept. 12, 2023.
CSU board approves tuition increase amid protests
Trisha Anas, Editor in Chief • September 15, 2023

The California State Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved a 6% tuition increase for the next five...

group of mena and women touching hands
Miracles In Action Restores Patients’ Lives and Actualizes their Potential

‘The Graduate’ gets unzipped at the Plaza del Sol

Benjamin Braddock finds himself in a sticky situation with his parents good friend, Mrs. Robinson, played by Heidi Dippold. L.A. Theatre Works The Graduate made its final stop at CSUNs Plaza Del Sol Saturday evening. Photo Credit: Madeline Sensibile / Daily Sundial
Madeline Sensibile
Benjamin Braddock finds himself in a sticky situation with his parents’ good friend, Mrs. Robinson, played by Heidi Dippold. L.A. Theatre Works’ ‘The Graduate’ made its final stop at CSUN’s Plaza Del Sol Saturday evening. Photo Credit: Madeline Sensibile / Daily Sundial
Benjamin Braddock finds himself in a sticky situation with his parents' good friend, Mrs. Robinson, played by Heidi Dippold. L.A. Theatre Works' 'The Graduate' made its final stop at CSUN's Plaza Del Sol Saturday evening. Photo Credit: Madeline Sensibile / Daily Sundial
Benjamin Braddock finds himself in a sticky situation with his parents’ good friend, Mrs. Robinson, played by Heidi Dippold. L.A. Theatre Works’ ‘The Graduate’ made its final stop at CSUN’s Plaza Del Sol Saturday evening. Photo Credit: Madeline Sensibile / Daily Sundial

As traditional play and radio theatre are married in the LA Theatre Works’ interpretation of “The Graduate,” the ballad of seduction and disillusionment synthesizes into a highly entertaining and emotionally charged show.

“The Graduate” is a sixties relic percolating in the taboo relationship between a young Benjamin Braddock and a much older Mrs. Robinson, a relationship which he later comes to regret as he falls in love with her daughter Elaine. “The Graduate” movie, an adaptation of the 1963 novel written by Charles Webb, is an exploration into values and nonconformity set to the music of Simon and Garfunkel. The uncertainty of the era is fused with transformation, and the generational conflict comes across in the inherently old timey dramatization of radio theatre.

For the duration of the performance, the actors used stand-up mics facing the audience allowing viewers to slip into a more intimate and involved connection with the performers. Mrs. Robinson, played by Heidi Dippold, explains that this unique setup is, “so distilled in fashion, people can really hear words and some people really dig that.” The lack of an elaborate stage set encourages an audience that can chisel away at the sound effects and unpeel the scene layer by layer whether it’s the ice rattling against a whiskey glass, a cigarette being lit with a satisfying crackle, the rotary phone clicking with that polished fifties twang or the gritty unzipping of a dress. All the sounds effects are projected with actual objects from a table visible to the audience channeling a more focused and raw aural experience.

Although the translation of “The Graduate” might forgo some of the most iconic scenes popularized by the movie, it replaces them with equally entertaining and fitting scenarios. Likewise, performers such as Brian Tichnell playing Benjamin Braddock inject part of their own personalities into the character. Robinson (Heidi Dippold) has a voice that drunkenly flounders across the stage with a lush brandied rasp while a gawky Benjamin Braddock (Brian Tichnell) exhibits a new sort of charm muddled with confusion and persistence.
The simplicity of the set allows for an intensified focus of the performers, the dialogue and the sounds. Though this format might not work for everyone, the lack of distractions enhances the experience and navigates all the senses in the right direction.

More to Discover