Drip...drip...drip... The sound of water, slowly beading up on a pipe,
falling onto the cold, hard floor of a dank jail cell. The sound of three minds,
attempting to come to terms with their situation.
What happens when three innocent men are chained to a prison wall in the Middle East?
This is the question that the TACIT production, Someone Who'll Watch Over Me,
attempts to answer. And it does so in a realistic setting. The play will be performed near the entrance to the steam tunnels, in the Ping-Pong room underneath the Student Activities Center, between Fleming and Ricketts houses. The graffiti, the dank dripping pipes, and the goosebumps on the prisoner's arms will all be authentic.
The ply, published in 1992 by Frank McGuinness - who won the London Evening Standard's
Most Promising Playright Award in 1985 for Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme -
explores the life of the political hostage. "However, the play itself is not political," says
director Shirley Marneus. "It's about morality and the identification of self. It humanizes,
and makes us more aware of the feelings of the hostage, who must come to terms with
morality. It's a very intense, difficult play." And yet, Marneus also emphasizes, "The
play is not all grim times. The humorous interactino among the three characters is almost
enough to make them (and us) forget their harsh situation".
The three hostages in the play share the same "crime", but beyond that they are as different
as the reasons that propelled them to the Middle East. The first character, Adam, an
American psychologist in his late 20s, is in the area promoting the welfare of children. Adam
is played by undergraduate Brett Tolman, a junior in mechanical engineering and Page
House president. The second character, Eddie, is an Irish journalist, also in his 20s,
who came to the Middle East seeking the next hot story. Eddie is played by James Gleeson,
a graduate student and TA in applied math. Rounding out the trio is Michael, a widower in his
40s, who came to the area to teach Middle English and medieval studies. Michael is played by
alumnus Allen Corcorran, who received his BS in Engineering in 1991.
Tickets are available through the Ticket Office at 626.395.4652 and at the door; seating is limited to roughly 20 people per show. Because of this, Someone Who'll Watch Over Me will be performed ten times, on Friday-Monday May 22-25,
Friday-Sunday May 29-31, and Friday-Sunday June 5-7 Friday and Saturday performances are at 8 pm; Sunday and Monday at 2 pm The area is wheelchair accessible.