The Shafer Alliance Laboratory Theatre is presenting
Frank McGuinness’ “Someone Who’ll Watch
Over Me,” a play that addresses the sensitive issue
of Islamic radical kidnappings that have frightened
Westerners for decades.
“It’s more than just a play about some historical
instances. It’s a play about human beings and how
they treat each other in times of crisis,” director
Sarah Yount said.
“It’s about male companionship. It was interesting
for me as a female to take on a play like this and to
try to get to the meat of the issue while working with
a cast of all men, and just finding the differences
in directing and how you go about doing that and
how to really connect with them.”
Yount, a second-year graduate student, said the
gravity of the plot required meticulous research and
heightened awareness of social issues surrounding
the conflict-so much so that four dramaturgs had
to be called in to enlighten the cast and director.
Matthew Shiflett was one of two historical and
political dramaturgs for the play and is a second-year
graduate student.
“My job was to be the director’s advisor on
historical accuracy and factual research and help
the director with their artistic choices-basically
another set of ears on the set.”
“Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me” is a play
about three prisoners – an Irishman, an Englishman
and an American – who get kidnapped during
the Lebanese Civil War in the 1980s and become
prisoners in a make-shift Lebanese prison in an
unknown location.
To keep themselves sane, the prisoners must
entertain one another constantly; they discuss politics
and pop culture. Giving the dialogue historical accuracy
was important to the writers. The connection
the prisoners share aims to strengthen the message
of the play.
“Because they’re in this extreme situation, sometimes
emotions run very high,” Yount said.
All three of the play’s actors say they felt greater responsibility
participating in a socially conscious play.
“It was a different level of responsibility from
community theater and high school. Having people
come in and tell us about the historical significance
of what we’re doing and what makes my character
act the way he does was helpful, but I had never
thought about using those resources before,” freshman
Zach Betz said.
Junior Alex Gerber plays the American doctor
who is disconnected from world politics. Gerber
said he found some parallels between his character’s
obliviousness and his own worldly awareness.
“It’s interesting to think about it from a point of
view of an actor and the character that was unaware
of what’s going on out there. The more we learned
about what was going on, history of the region and
such, the play started to take on a great importance.
I’ve done a lot of fun theater, but it’s really exciting
to be a part of something with social relevance,”
Gerber said.
Junior Brian Gartland, who plays the Englishman,
said the learning process opened his eyes to another
world of politics.
“(The conflict) all seemed so black and white,
but when we were doing our research, it hit us how
many different factions there were and who wants
what,” Gartland said.
Even though the play is on the tip of the iceberg
of the Middle East conflict, Shiflett pointed out the
difference between plays about the Middle East and
“Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me.”
“Something we talked about early on-this isn’t
a play about Lebanon. This is a play about three
people; none of whom are Lebanese. It’s a universal
story with universal themes. I think it’s the play’s
strength that it does not try to portray any Lebanese
characters and therefore risk portraying them
wrongly,” Shiflett said.
“Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me” runs Friday at
7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday
at 8 p.m. at the Newdick Theatre in the Shafer Street
Playhouse. Admission is free to the public.