The Santa Barbara City College Theatre Arts Department will offer a student showcase production of Luke Yankee’s The Last Lifeboat, running through Nov. 17 in the Jurkowitz Theatre on the SBCC West Campus.
The play is directed by R. Michael Gros with scenic and lighting design by Patricia Frank, costumes by Pamela Shaw and sound design by Ben Crop. The student cast includes Hannah Brudney, Cameron Clouse, Manuel Davila, Lidia Dragone, Aurora Cassandra Gooch, Natalie Grace, Gustav Högmo, Jacqui Kokler, Isabelle Marchand, Penny O’Mahoney, Ryan Ostendorf, Jason Rogel, Liam Sheehan, Mimi Vörösmarthy and Johnny Waaler.
Yankee’s play, which has received 40 productions across the United States since its premiere in 2014, seeks to deliver some hitherto unknown facts about the 1912 sinking of the Titanic and — apparently — to correct a perceived historical injustice and redeem the reputation of the ship’s owner.
According to Yankee’s website, The Last Lifeboat “tells the story of J. Bruce Ismay, the chairman of the White Star Line. Ismay was an upper crust Englishman who always did what was expected of him. He went to the best schools, married the right society girl (even though he was in love with someone else), reluctantly took over the family business and did everything he could to please his cold, unforgiving father. On his father’s deathbed, he vowed that he would make him proud by building the biggest, grandest, most opulent ship the world had ever seen — the RMS Titanic. What an accomplishment! We all know the story of how the Titanic sank … or do we? Ismay saved as many people as he could, but felt that someone would need to set the record straight back home. With no women and children in sight, he stepped into the last lifeboat … and was branded a coward and a traitor forever.
“The world needed a scapegoat for the sinking of the Titanic, and Ismay became the perfect target. But why him? He had a powerful enemy in the United States — newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who condemned Ismay nationwide before the rescue ship Carpathia even landed in New York.
“William Alden Smith was a Joseph McCarthy-like senator of his day who led a witch hunt style investigation into this high-profile disaster. Although there was no solid evidence against Ismay, Senator Smith managed to drag the hearings on for months. More than 3,000 passengers brought lawsuits against the White Star Line for loss of life and property, which only fueled the intense survivor’s guilt Ismay was already feeling. He spent the rest of his days as a recluse at his estate in Ireland, haunted by the ghosts of that fateful night to the point of near insanity. Shadows of victims like John Jacob Astor, Capt. William Smith and the nameless faces of immigrants who drowned appear to him in flashbacks of that horrible event for the rest of his life.”
Following the 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, there will be a free talkback with the playwright Yankee.
Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday and Nov. 17. Sunday’s performance will be live-captioned for the hearing impaired.
Tickets are $18 for general admission, $15 for seniors and SBCC staff, and $10 for students. Seating is general. Because of the intimate nature of the Jurkowitz Theatre, no late seating is permitted. Parking is free and near the theatre on SBCC’s West Campus, 900 block of Cliff Drive. Call the Garvin Theatre box office at 805.965.5935 or purchase tickets online by clicking here.
— Gerald Carpenter covers the arts as a Noozhawk contributing writer. He can be reached at gerald.carpenter@gmail.com. The opinions expressed are his own.