AUK Library Stages "The Shattered Soul"

"The Shattered Soul" is a play that was written, directed, and performed entirely by students from the American University of Kuwait (AUK). The production was organized by the AUK Library, and was based on a story penned by Abdulrahman Al-Bastaki, an AUK alumnus who severed as an Intern there during the Spring 2014 semester. The production was open to members of the AUK community, as well as the family and friends of the cast and crew.

"The Shattered Soul" told the story of a young married couple, Charlotte and Michael Spaulding, who appeared to be in love and lived in marital bliss. In reality, however, Michael is a possessive husband who keeps his wife from interacting with the outside world. Early on in the play, Charlotte managed to persuade her husband to allow her to take violin lessons with a renowned violin professor named Victor Andreas, during which time she discovers she has a knack for the instrument. This led to her committing more of her time to practicing and less of her time with her husband. Throughout the course of the play, the audience witnessed Michael's jealously escalate to reach a point of violence, which causes Charlotte to disappear and leave him alone to face terrifying consequences.

Al-Bastaki, who also directed the play, is an avid reader. He explained that the play was inspired by stories he read like "A Tell, Tale Heart" by Edgar Alan Pole, "The Shinning" by Stephen King, and as well as other horror and mystery novels.

Playing the lead characters were Fahad Al-Failakawi and Dana Al-Zuraiqi, who were supported by Ahmed Abdel-Basset as Victor, Abdulmajid El-Kassem as Detective Danny Derbin, and Mariam Al-Eissa as Charlotte's only friend, Martha. The supporting cast also included Mariam Al-Hasan, who played Alice, the Spaulding's new housekeeper from New Jersey, and Muna Al-Muzayen, who played Charlotte's sister. The waitress sisters, Cindy and Tangi, were played by Kuwaitiya Al-Jutaili and Iqbal Al-Jutaili.

The play's scenery was designed by Fajer Al-Sharaf and Khaled Al-Abdulqader, who also managed the sound effects and music. Since the play had elements of horror, Khaled, together with Mohamed Al-Hamed, projected special visual effects. Ghadeer Ghafour and Mahsa Dashtaki applied make-up on the actors to transform them into their characters. The violin music heard during the production was a tune called "Dead Boy's Poem". It was originally written by the band "Nightwish", and was played by Fatemah Al-Attar. Zeinab Mohammed, Mahsa Dashtaki and Iqbal Al-Jutaili managed the publicity of the event. Ali Ali and Ghadeer Ghafour served as assistant directors.

The Library called for auditions for "The Shattered Soul" in June 2014. The production was implemented solely by students, without the show being part of a graded course or being paid for their contributions. The AUK Library Director, Ms. Asma Al-Kanan, recognized all of the participants by presenting them with Certificates of Appreciation in a small ceremony, during which she expressed the Library's commitment to such initiatives. "The Library thrives to support and nurture the intellects, creativity and talents of AUK students whenever possible," she added.

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 27th January 2015