Swordfights and Satire

Go back to 15th-century Spain, when every noble had a servant, a sword and a shrewd sense of chivalry. This is the world of poet and playwright Pedro Calderon de la Barca and his play The Phantom Lady, now playing at the UW's very own Playhouse Theatre.

The Phantom Lady, a title that would strike fear into the heart of even the most courageous four-year-old, is actually a comedy that pokes fun at 15th-century chivalry and customs. Mark Jared Zufelt, the play's director and a second-year graduate student in the directing program at the UW, says that The Phantom Lady also effectively pokes fun at close-minded individuals.

"People who have a really inflexible way of thinking ... that's the type of person that [this play tries] to skewer," Zufelt said.

Although Zufelt sees that in the play, he does not think that everyone who sees it is going be inspired to take on a new perspective. Apart from the subtle message, watching the play is simply an enjoyable experience. Swordfights and comic relief are all part of the package, though some may be offended by jokes aimed at women.

At Sunday's preview, the actors, who are mostly undergraduate students, delivered energetic and surprisingly polished performances. In fact, graduate acting student Shad Willingham, the actor who played Don Juan, was a last-minute addition and had only rehearsed for part of an afternoon. Had it not been for an announcement at the beginning of the performance by Zufelt, nobody in the audience would have known.

The plot of The Phantom Lady is a typical love story expected from the period in which it was written. It reeks of Romeo and Juliet-ness: love at first sight and forbidden love included.

Zufelt, who studied directing as an undergraduate at UC-Irvine, acknowledges the competitive nature of the directing field but believes he has a good start after attending the UW's three-year graduate-directing program, which is ranked third nationally and only accepts about two directing students a year.

"It's a pretty tough field," said Zufelt. "[After graduating] you go out and you have to kind of prove yourself for a while."

Being a professional director isn't quite as tough as being a professional actor, said Zufelt. The sheer numbers are what is prohibitive. In a play, there may only be a few main parts and hundreds of actors aspiring for those parts, but there is only one director.

"The numbers aren't in favor of the actors as opposed to the directors," said Zufelt. "There's one of me and twelve actors."

As a director at the UW, Zufelt has had the challenge of dealing with a small budget -- which was a miniscule $200 for The Phantom Lady.

"Particularly when you first get out [into the professional world], you have to deal with a limited budget," said Zufelt.

Even though $200 made the play, you would not know it. The lush costuming and appropriate set fit the play to a T. Zufelt credits his technical crew with much of the genius behind the visual presentation; he can't imagine a better way to present the play.

"I don't know what we'd do if we had more money," said Zufelt.

The Phantom Lady opened yesterday and runs though June 9. Performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. There are no performances on Monday or Tuesday. Tickets are always $7 for students and $8-12 for everybody else, depending on the day. For more information, visit the drama department homepage at ascc.artsci.washington.edu/drama.