By Elizabeth Lewis
A theatre and media arts student tells the fictional story of a BYU student who tries to create his own fantasy world in the comedic play “Faking Reality.”
Richard Salgado, a senior from Santa Monica, Calif., majoring in English, wrote and directed “Faking Reality” as part of the BYU Performing Arts Club.
Salgado previously directed “The Liars,” which played in the Varsity Theater during spring 2002.
“This is more of a mainstream comedy than ”The Liars”,” Salgado said. “The tag line is ”The world”s biggest rock star has the world”s biggest secret his freshman year at BYU.””
“Faking Reality” plays in room 214 of the Crabtree Building at 7:30 p.m. on March 28 and 29 and April 3, 11 and 12.
It also plays in the Varsity Theater on Thursday, April 3.
Pre-sale admission is $3 at the Wilkinson Student Center information desk and $4 at the door.
The play is about a freshman dropout, Scott, who went to Los Angeles and became a rock superstar, Salgado said. He returns to Provo with fame and fortune, while trying to hide his past.
“He has this squeaky-clean, perfect, good little Mormon kid past that doesn”t jive with the bad boy rock star,” he said.
Jared Gillins, a junior from Seattle majoring in political science, plays Scott.
He appears laden with Honor Code violations such as a goatee and earrings. But don”t worry upstanding students; he has a beard card from the Honor Code office.
Gillins said Scott thinks of his Provo life as false and living in a shell, but he slowly discovers the life he created in Los Angeles is the fake one.
“Scott is a fraud,” Gillins said. “He stole lyrics from his friend he used to play with in Provo. He”s passing them off as his own and riding this wave of success that really doesn”t belong to him at all. He thinks the world is about making money and buying new friends.”
Scott returns to Provo to connect with his idealistic ex-girlfriend Amanda, played by Michelle Millican, but Salgado says the theme of the play lies deeper than the surface comedic feel.
“It”s an exploration of Mormon culture to a degree,” Salgado said. “It”s an exploration of what it means to be representing the church within the larger context of the world. This has tons of themes but it”s very much a comedy from beginning to end.”
Millican, a sophomore from Georgia majoring in psychology, said she did not intend to pursue acting, but was cast to perform in “Faking Reality” because of an audition she attended for service hours.
She describes her character, Amanda, as the typical, high maintenance, ”I”m going to wrangle my missionary” BYU student.
“She”s going to hog tie him and take him to the altar if it kills her,” Millican said with a southern drawl.
Millican said issues highlighted in the play include the problem of looking at marriage as more of an end than a beginning.
“I think this play says a lot,” she said. “I”m from Georgia so it”s a very different culture for me. I see it more as a different culture and so I see the play more as touching on those things.”
Brent Anderson, a junior from Kaysville majoring in Marriage, Family and Human Development, plays Tyler, a friend of Scott”s, in “Faking Reality.”
Anderson said he likes how the play combines LDS and popular culture and looks at the reactions of people within the Provo realm to culture outside the area. He said he honestly thinks “Faking Reality” is a type of play people have not really seen before.
“This play is so much fun,” Anderson said. “It has a feel to it that it”s original and unique.”
