Loyal Women is not your polite British sitting room drama.
Instead, it is a theatrical portrait of brash, often violent modern-day Ireland, set in December 1995. The play, put on by Duke Players, tells the story of Brenda Ford-a mother and grandmother trying to simultaneously protect her family and maintain loyalties to the Ulster Defense Associate (UDA), the Protestant group allied with Britain.
Already having to care for a 16 year-old daughter, a newborn grandchild and a bed-ridden mother-in-law, Brenda's hapless husband returns from prison. Brenda's struggle continues-balancing the familial with the political.
Senior Vanessa Rodriguez, Loyal Women's director, faced several challenges in bringing the play to life.
The biggest of such obstacles was making the play's content seem less distant to an American audience. "All of the people represented by these characters are faced with this kind of violence everyday," Rodriguez said. "We Americans do not face these challenges, and I wanted to tackle this problem of detachment."
Gary Mitchell, the playwright and a sympathizer with the UDA, was recently forced to flee Ireland due to hostility from the opposing Catholic Ireland Republican Association (IRA). Such fear-that is, of being forced out of your home at any time-is foreign to most Americans. Yet Rodriguez attempts to really instill this fear, a feat she deftly completes. While the subject matter is political on one level, it still addresses the universal problems faced by women. The female members of the cast skillfully portray common problems women face in the context of political turmoil.
Sophomore Madeleine Lambert firmly commands her character's person-that of a woman who must cope with increasing pressures in and out of her family. Another notable performance is that of Maggie Chambers, a senior, as Gail, the bully of the group. Chambers takes us into the deeper sexual complexities of her character.
Irish accents, coached by Jay O'Berski, professor of theater studies, enhance the performances as well. The actors extensive training to master the dialect gives the play consistency and a level of truthfulness.
The play's actions unfold over three days; at the end, the audience is left wondering at the violence and hatefulness depicted. Loyal Women lends a sense of urgency and forces us as American viewers to grapple with a world that we usually keep at a comfortable distance.
Loyal Women, senior Vanessa Rodriguez's senior honors project, will show Feb. 9-11 at 8 p.m., and Feb. 12 at 2 p.m. in Sheafer Lab Theater.
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