Niles West Theatre presented its premier production of the school year, “No Exit,” an existentialist play written by Jean-Paul Sartre. The philosophical drama tells a story about three strangers trapped in Hell, only to realize they are each others’ torture. It centers on the malicious Inez Serrano, vain Estelle Rigault, and cowardly Vincent Cradeau.

The production opened on Thursday, Aug. 29, and had show dates the following Friday and Saturday.

“It’s really about thinking about what happens to us, whether [it’s] good or bad after we die, and the legacy that we leave behind on earth and how that shapes our quote-on-quote future,” director Sam Rosenfeld said.

Rosenfeld chose this show because it is taught in upper-grade English classes and college courses. Senior Amelia Gottschalk describes her character, Inez Serrano.

“Inez, like all the characters in this play, is a pretty awful person. She’s manipulative and deeply lonely. One of the words I first came up with to describe her was ‘spiky’. She doesn’t want help from others and she wants love from others. Inez isn’t really sure how to love them back, but she’d do anything to keep people near her,” Gottschalk said.

The characters are meant to be unpleasant, progressively getting more unlikable as the show continues.

“If you leave here hating the characters, you’d be right,” junior acting as Estelle Rigualt Jamie Hoffman said

Upon opening night, Gottschalk was eager to see how people reacted to her character.

“I’m most excited to see what people think of my character! All the characters in this show have such strong personalities, so I’m just hoping I did mine justice,” says Gottschalk.

In the attached behind-the-scenes video, the members of the cast and director give more insight into the process and some of their favorite moments.