CSUSB Pushes Boundaries of Power with the Balcony

The Cal State San Bernardino theatre arts department concludes its 2013-2014 season of “Image vs. Reality” with the Jean Genet classic, “The Balcony,” directed by Professor Terry Donovan Smith. Just released, “The Balcony” explores the blurred lines between sex and power. The Grand Balcony is a lavish French brothel, where anything can happen, and nothing is shocking. While Madam Irma casts and directs performances in her house of mirrors, everyday men don the garb of bishops, judges and generals to play out their wildest fantasies, while just outside its doors a violent revolution rages, threatening the lives of everyone inside. As the line between fantasy and reality obscures, the meaning of real power becomes clearer. “Genet wrote ‘The Balcony’ in the late 1950s, but it seems as if he had a crystal ball. The notion that reality is merely what you can get folks to believe is even more important today, where countries are invaded while public relations assures us that it's all for the good of the people,” said director Terry Donovan Smith. “I want the audience first to be entertained--but I also want them to think about what they see with, what they believe to be true." “The Balcony” opens Friday, May 30, and runs for seven performances, closing on Sunday, June 8. Performances begin at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. on June 1 and 8. The production is in the Ronald E. Barnes Theatre on the CSUSB campus. Tickets are $15 for general admission; $12 for senior citizens, military, CSUSB faculty, staff and non-CSUSB students; and $6 for CSUSB students (with valid ID) and children under 17. “The Balcony” contains material that may not be suitable for younger audiences. Parking at CSUSB is $5 per day. For tickets and information, call (909) 537-5884 or visit theatre.csusb.edu.