The Cosumnes River College Theater Department presented the semester’s first production, “Sonnets for an Old Century” on Oct. 14.

This live performance which was written by Playwright José Rivera was directed by Theatre Arts Professor Michelle Torres Maxson.

The production was centered on various monologues from strangers who meet and speak about their own experiences. The monologues relate to similar experiences the characters have gone through.

The play was set up to use one set throughout the performance. It looked like gateways and walls with graffiti on them, as well as stone blocks to sit on while the characters watched one character give a monologue. The same process continued as the play progressed.

There was no real narrative or setting present in the production. A lot that was depicted was open for interpretation by the audience. During some of the monologues, what added to them were the visual effects. Some of the lighting techniques included imagery of rain, as well as skylines. These added to the feel of what the actor was saying.

With the exception of one actor, the majority of the cast portrayed different characters and presented a monologue for that one particular character. What stood out about this was it showed each actor had range to pull off the performance of said character, even when not long before they portrayed a different one. The actors came out in different costumes when it was time for their performance.

The actors did a phenomenal job in their performances. Some of the added emotions felt genuine. One of the standouts was one actress who portrayed a crazy woman that made the portrayal feel real. Even the reactions from the fellow cast members felt genuine. It was clear that they rehearsed the play a lot to perfect it and it showed.

Overall, the performance was exceptional with their live performances and effects.