Alumnus plays the devil’s part in ‘The Last Days of Judas Iscariot’

How long does it take for one of the 12 apostles to remove himself so completely from his holy role that he actually becomes the devil?

The Urban Theatre Movement’s production of “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” gives a pretty concrete answer: 21 months.

Stephen Adly Guirgis penned his courtroom drama about the fallen apostle in 2005. But the transformation from disciple to devil mentioned above has nothing to do with Judas Iscariot.

No, this is about Levi (David) Sochet, who graduated from UCLA in June with a master of fine arts in acting.

In February 2009, Sochet played the role of Simon the Zealot in UCLA’s production of “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot.” Less than two years later, Sochet traded in his humble apostolic robes for the Gucci suit and leather jacket of Guirgis’ modern-day Satan.

“My only goal is to woo every audience member into thinking that hell is the place to be because I’m the cool guy,” Sochet said.

“Judas is not so cool. My rep is misrepresented by numerous people. … One of my goals here (is) I want them to love me and come down ““ come down to my place.”

After sifting through 200 hopeful souls who auditioned for the play’s 27 roles, director Jeremy Aluma still had no Satan. He said that he had seen a UCLA production of a Commedia dell’Arte play, “Il Sogno d’Arlecchino,” in which Sochet played Il Dottore, the doctor archetype.

“He was really powerful and really funny. Those were the two qualities I was looking for the role, and that’s the fact why I didn’t cast anyone,” Aluma said.

The director handpicked 10 actors and invited them to audition for Satan. Sochet eventually got the part, and Aluma said it was the actor’s excellent voice that got him cast.

“We found people who were powerful, but not funny. We found people who were funny, but not powerful ““ I didn’t feel like we had both. David (Sochet) really just nailed both,” Aluma said.

“Il Sogno d’Arlecchino” also helped Adam Smith, who graduated from UCLA with a master of fine arts in sound design in 2009, get a technical position in “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot.”

“Il Sogno d’Arlecchino” was not the only play that involved both Smith and Sochet. Smith said that the two also worked together in “Our Town,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and UCLA’s production of “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot.”

Smith, a Florida native, had been working as an assistant technical director, house manager and sound designer for a small college in Florida. He recalled the long title, low pay and knee and back pains.

“UCLA was the answer to not having to swing a wrench. That’s why I first came here. … I love sound, and I didn’t want to blow my knees out and throw my back out,” Smith said.

“I get the feeling that the reason I didn’t stay (in Florida) was that I wanted the ability in an MFA degree to be able to one, teach, and two, to progress my career.”

Similarly, Sochet had been living and acting professionally in his hometown of New York City before starting his graduate studies at UCLA.

“I’m better trained than I was before. … I can play more because I trust myself and the text more often than I did before,” Sochet said, citing his improved ability to process texts, vocal strength and body language.

Returning to school was mostly a professional decision for Sochet, who said that work in New York City is harder to come by without a master’s degree but also said he felt more connected to others in the theater world now.

When creating his rendition of Satan, he said he wanted to emphasize the play’s focus on humanity. This meant playing with other characters’ vices and weaknesses, while showing that Satan also has his own deficiencies. Sochet said that he understood that Guirgis wrote a more human Prince of Darkness.

“The responsibility of the artist is to be like a tree, to take in … all the garbage and process it through our systems and produce oxygen to help people breathe,” Guirgis said. “Theater at its best can be a real oxygenating experience.”