The Sacramento State Theatre and Dance Department will help welcome the spring season with the production of the “Under a Western Sky.” Under the direction of theatre professor Manuel Pickett, the performance will run at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and continue May 4 to 7 at the Playwrights’ Theatre in Shasta Hall.

The play is based on a true story of a young couple living in a small rural Texas town in the ’80s. After a young woman is gang raped at an illegal cock fight, the town is turned upside down as it tries to collectively cope with the atrocious and violent crime. The young couple finds that the secure and comfortable environment they once knew is nothing more than a thin, opaque veil hiding lies and betrayal. The pain of the incident is further magnified when the eyes of the nation focus on the town and exposes the overarching damage it has caused.

Written by playwright Amparo Garcia Crow, the play is composed of a five actors taking on multiple roles. Depicted in Crow’s hometown of San Diego, Texas, the play uses the diverse perspectives of townsfolk surrounding the crime and details their deteriorating relationships in its wake. Pickett divided the roles in a diplomatic fashion.

“It was difficult to coordinate because it’s a very different kind of theatre,” Pickett said. “There are five actors playing 19 characters.”

Pickett feels that using only five actors, rather than a larger cast, has its advantages.

“The actors have to transform into different people with different relationships,” Pickett said. “If we had used 19 different actors I think it would have taken away from the beauty of it.”

“You really get to be more one-on-one and you don’t get lost in the crowd of a large cast,” theatre graduate Rafael Chavez said. “You connect a little more; you get to be a little more personal with the other actors.”

Chavez is cast as both Frankie, the cold hearted rapist, as well as Jesse, the husband of the victim. Chavez said playing opposing roles and making the distinctive personality transitions has been demanding, but has helped him develop his craft.

“It’s really challenging as an actor to have to play two different extremes,” Chavez said. “And it’s especially tough when you have to make the transition from one to the other so quickly and in front of a live audience.”

Sophomore theatre major Deanna Tercero, who plays Yolanda, the rape victim, as well as the legendary artist Georgia O’Keefe, felt working with such a small cast helped build the relationships with her fellow actors.

“When you’re offstage you’re able to build friendships and it’s easier to work with the actors if I know them on a personal level,” Tercero said. “That’s what makes the relationships in the play so much better.”

Tickets for “Under a Western Sky” are $15 general, $12 for students and Sac State staff and $10 for senior citizens and high school students.

Josh Huggett can be reached at [email protected]