El Camino showcased its last performance for “Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie” on Sunday, April 2 at 3 p.m. in the Campus Theatre.

The story focuses on juvenile delinquents that are also are heroin addicts, who are either trying to turn to sobriety or simply trying to stay alive until their next opportunity to get their next “high.”

Each audience member in attendance eagerly waited for the show to begin, discussing the raves and reviews they previously heard about the play.

The first act began with each juvenile addict scurrying to their first class. This scene focused on three of the addicts and their own personal experience with heroin addiction, their teacher had them express this through writing an essay.

“I enjoyed the dynamic of the characters,” Brian Diaz, 23, said. “(The play) is highlighting the different people with the same problems and that message is relatable.”

As the story progresses you can see more of the racial tension between the characters. Some characters choose to continue to escape their addiction through the use of more drugs and others are pushing to stop the addiction.

“The actors showed a lot of commitment and weren’t afraid to take risk to step outside their comfort zones,” Maya Hardison, 22, art major said.

Even though most of the play had a serious setting there were some parts where the crowd cheered in laughter.

In the final scene, the actors came together to rehearse a holiday and sing “Joy to the World.”

One character in the end left the rehabilitation center but, left the crowd open for speculation if the rest of the characters as well as the one departing will they be able to escape isolation and addiction.

A student and director of upcoming one act plays shares her input on the overall performance.

“It was very well done and it kept your attention,” Marion Singleton, 62, screen-writing major said. “Their life struggles felt all real, the actors did phenomenal and beautiful work.”

Vernell Rainey, 21, theater and communications major who was casted as Raul in the play discusses why he auditioned for the play.

“I read the play the summer before this semester,” he said. “I loved how human the play was, in a lot media you see drug addicts and it’s almost like a caricature.”

Rainey added that in some showings the audience will see the play more as a comedy with dramatic parts and other nights they’ll see it more as a drama with comedic parts.

One actor in the play said he felt the show had a “different vibe each night.”

“You always knew they (the audience) responded well,” Blessing Oluwole, 21, computer science major said. “At the end of the show people who came up to me, everybody was ecstatic and excited were like ‘wow’, ‘the show was great’ and ‘amazing’.”

Oluwole is cast as Conrad, who is an African-American drug addict that wants to recover and marry the character Linda.

Another actor talks about feedback she received about the play from the audience.

“No one expected to be what it was,” Jordan A. Hyman, 23, theater major said.

Hyman was cast as Linda, who is also an addict trying to survive in the rehabilitation center.

The Center of Arts next play will be the hit Broadway musical of Hairspray on Saturday, May 6.

To learn more about upcoming events visit EC’s Center for the Arts by clicking here.