SF State makes mark in Shotgun Players' 'Faust, Part I'

The latest production of the Shotgun Players, “Faust, Part I,” is another debut adaptation by alum Mark Jackson. It just so happens that nearly half of the cast and crew are either Theatre Arts students, faculty or alumni.

“A few months ago when we had our first production meeting and I looked around the table and realized how well represented the SF State Theatre Arts Department was, I felt quite proud,” said Jackson, who teaches and directs at his alma mater on occasion.

Professor Joan Arhelger is the production’s lighting designer, and alum Nina Ball is the set designer. Current students involved in “Faust, Part I” are Dara Yazdani (actor, as Student/Valentin), Matt Stines (sound designer), Michelle Smith (stage manager), Ashley Costa (sound board operator/assistant stage manager) and Krista Smith (lighting assistant).

Taking note of SF State’s participation in this production, SF Weekly critic Chloe Veltman wrote on her blog May 15 about the success of the Theatre Arts Department in developing a plethora of the Bay Area’s talent.

“The sheer number of alumni from the school who not only continue to make theatre but also continue to do so in the Bay Area often in collaboration with other SF State graduates is formidably high,” Veltman wrote.“And much of the work being produced both in the program itself and out in the professional theatre world is of a high quality or at the very least conceptually interesting.”

“Faust, Part I” plays at the Ashby Stage in Berkeley from May 20 to June 21.