From the supernatural to the personally emotional, a series of stories unfold inside a remote Irish pub in PCPA Theaterfest’s production of The Weir. It plays in the Severson Theatre Sept. 12-Oct. 5.
Somewhere near Carrick in Leitrim Northwest Ireland, four local men and a young woman, who recently arrived from Dublin, meet for a few drinks and an evening of conversation. After gossip and talk of the weather, the group begins to share tales that blend the natural and the supernatural. We learn about the characters’ pasts and what has brought them to this place and time as they share the human and the otherworldly, sadness and humor, despair and delight.
“I guess I’m attracted and repelled by isolation. It scares me,” playwright Conor McPherson said. “And it’s why I tend to write about older characters too because for them, the stakes are somewhat higher.”
Director Patricia Troxel said this play is about “ordinary things” — about their eeriness and their familiarity, about nostalgia and charm, about the universality of humanity’s desire to fathom and to understand. She said McPherson continues a long tradition of great Irish storytellers whose tales amuse adults, entertain tourists and mark the distance we have come from the supposed credulity of our ancestors. They also teach us about the pain of isolation and the power of hearth, home and compassion to redeem us from the loneliness and fear rampant in our modern lives.
The cast features resident artists Peter Hadres as Jack, Andrew Philpot as Finbar and Elizabeth Stuart as Valerie. Also cast is Jerry Lee as Brendan and guest artist Evans Eden Jarnefeldt as Jim.
The design team headed by Troxel includes scenic designer Abby Hogan, costume designer Misti Bradford, lighting designer Mike Johnson, sound designer Jeremy Fryckman and stage manager Amy Barrick.
The Weir contains adult language.
Still playing this summer season are The Imaginary Invalid, Hot Mikado and The Weir.
The PCPA’s 45th anniversary season begins in November with a winter/spring line-up that includes:
» Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Nov. 6-Dec. 21.
» A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Feb. 12-March 1.
» InterPlay: The Stage Between, March 6-15.
» Les Misérables, April 9-May 10.
PCPA’s summer productions include:
Les Misérables, a Tony Award-winning musical (title to be announced), The Music Man, The Spitfire Grill and Distracted.
Subscriptions for the 2008-09 season are on sale now; single tickets go on sale Oct. 8.
For tickets, call the box office at 805.922.8313 between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, or purchase tickets online at www.pcpa.org. Information about sales for groups of 12 or more may be obtained by e-mailinkg groups@pcpa.org or by calling 800.PCPA.123.
Craig Shafer represents PCPA Theaterfest.