PICT brings the mind of a murder to the stage with ‘Crime and Punishment’

Sometimes for actors, slipping into character isn’t as comfortable or easy as putting on a… Sometimes for actors, slipping into character isn’t as comfortable or easy as putting on a favorite pair of jeans. In fact, it often requires an actor to assume a whole new personality.

In Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre’s newest performance, “Crime and Punishment,” that is exactly what Joel Ripka had to do to play the devious and murderous Raskolnikov.

“I learned early on never to judge my character,” Ripka said. “We all have a saint and sinner inside depending on our behavior and the actions we take. The moment we find an answer to this question, we lose all the drama.”

“Crime and Punishment” is based on Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Russian novel, written in the mid-1860s. The novel tells the story of Raskolnikov, sometimes called Rodion, as he plans to commit two aimless murders and follows his psychological struggle as he figures out what to do in the aftermath of his crimes.

Ripka stands by his conflicted character. He believes there’s a bumbling likeability about him. Although he killed two people, Ripka claims that Rodion isn’t a malicious man. Misguided and naïve maybe, but not malicious.

In fact, it was Rodion’s character that pulled Ripka into the play.

Ripka never expected to segue into another show so quickly. He planned to take a month-long break before he auditioned for another show, having just finished another production.

“I got an e-mail from Andrew, a director I had worked with before, asking me to reconsider not auditioning for the show. I had just finished “Harry’s Friendly Service” at the Pittsburgh Public Theater and planned to take a month off.”

However, Ripka complied with the director’s request and read a copy of the script. He ending up falling in love with the character and felt compelled to tell his story. He auditioned for the role not long after.

Although staying true to both the theatric adaptation and the original novel may seem challenging to many, Ripka has not found it to be difficult.

“We are doing this play and not the novel,” he said. “Our only job is this play, to serve the playwright. It’s more about the theatrical experience of the play.”

Ripka explained that when acting in an adaptation, especially one that has several translations, worrying about satisfying all of its forms gets to be too much.

When he was initially cast in “Crime and Punishment,” Ripka read the novel to better understand and connect with Rodion. He said that while reading the novel helped in some ways, his ultimate goal was to portray the theatrical aspect of the story.

The production uses a minimal amount of props, with only two chairs, a table and a door onstage. Additionally, the other two actors (Susan Goodwillie and Larry John Meyers) each play multiple roles. Ripka said that it doesn’t affect him very much to see his co-stars changing roles while he plays only one character.

“It actually feels like they’re doing all of the work. All I have to do is respond to what they give to me,” he said.

Ripka said that the practice of assigning several roles to one actor is “disconcerting for both the audience and I.” He explained that this practice keeps him on his toes as an actor. He wants to be able to give each audience a fresh and new show every night.

Tickets for “Crime and Punishment” are available for shows on Tuesday through Saturday night of next week.

PICT