A light in the center of the stage turns on and a heartbeat takes over the room. An anxious Raskolnikov sits under the light, grasping his chest. And so, begins Iona College Theatre Ensemble’s performance of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, adapted by Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus.

All seven characters remained on the stage the entire time, forcing them to stay in character throughout the hour-long performance. The conflicted Raskolnikov, played by junior Pieter Maddens and senior Brian Sears, questions morals and man’s ability to kill. He is interrogated by detective Porfiry, played by senior Greg Morra, who engages in psychological games to convince Raskolnikov to confess to the murders of Alyona, played by junior Eva Renski, and Lizavetta, played by junior Paige Murray and sophomore Victoria Zito.

The scenes change as fast as Raskolnikov’s stream of conscious—characters leave their positions to knock on the door, only to turn around and engage in a conversation. While Raskolnikov wonders aloud, “God grants peace to the dead,” Sonia, played by sophomores Alex Arso and Brynna Pawlows, tries to remind him of his faith.

When she complains about her father’s incompetence, an alcoholic Marmeladov, played by sophomores Thomas Worden and Ryan Dempsey, appears and forcefully asks Raskolnikov if he knows what it is like to have nowhere to turn. Raskolnikov’s mother, played by freshman Kali Steverson, appears onstage twice but does not have a dialogue with her son. Instead, she speaks into the light with compassion and weariness by taking the form of her letter, while Raskolnikov stands to the side, listening and reacting to his mother’s words.

A mature play that tests out utilitarian thinking, Crime and Punishment was performed with high energy and intensity. The makeup and gray hair aged the young actors, but it was their impressive acting that forced the audience to question whether or not it is moral to kill a “useless” pawnbroker if her money can be used for good deeds. More importantly, it is questioned if some men, the extraordinary ones, are born with an ability and natural right to commit crimes for the greater good of humanity.

Morra did a wonderful job of transitioning from a non-threatening, average detective to a demanding and powerful figure. His ease on stage juxtaposed with the criminal, who paced and struggled with his inner conflict. Maddens and Sears clearly understood the character but rendered it differently. Maddens focused on the physical—his shaking hands and constant clutching of his hair raised the tension, and the audience was immersed in a stifled room as he considered confession. Sears played the internal thinker—his eyes shone as that of a madman’s and his twitching glances made it clear that Raskolnikov is capable of losing his morals and sanity. Both actors, however, broke the fourth wall perfectly and directly questioned the audience about our responsibility to correct nature.

Worden represented a bitter man and father who can no longer support his family, and he showed his anger by slamming his cane or an empty bottle of vodka to gain Raskolnikov’s attention. Renski encompassed the sternness of an aging, stingy pawnbroker, and Murray and Zito displayed the naïveté of a young woman who has yet to encounter the world. While Arso depicted a sorrowful and fallen Sonia, Pawlows presented her character as assertive and dominating. Both actresses interpreted the same character differently without losing sight of their motives.

The dim lighting, the dark set and the dreary music set the tone, but it was the actors who brought the screenplay to life. Without leaving the stage, each actor added to the tension, and the play ended suddenly as Raskolnikov questioned whether his belief in God matters, to which the audience receives an inconclusive answer: “It might.”

This production was directed and produced by Thomas Donnarumma. The stage manager was Melissa Windfield, the crew supervisor was Paul Madonna and graphics were done by Jason Kattenhorn. Kate Zehr and Michael Lounsbery were lighting designers, Rudy Guerrero and Phillip Jordan provided the set design and Sherry Kfare designed the costumes.