In their first show of the year, the Tower Players premiered ‘Translations” by Brian Friel on Wednesday, and will continue performances through the weekend.
Director James Brandon, chair of the theatre department, said he’s wanted to direct “Translations” since he was a student himself.
“I’ve been thinking about this show for a long time,” Brandon said. “We haven’t done an Irish play in a while. And we thought it was a good showcase of our students.”
The play opens in a 19th-century Irish school as Manus, the headmaster’s son, attempts to teach Sarah, a young woman with a speech impediment, how to say her name. Manus is in love with another student, Maire. But a love triangle quickly evolves as Maire finds herself falling for an English soldier who arrived to survey the land and anglicize Gaelic town names. Manus’ brother, Owen, serves as a translator between the Irish and English throughout the play.
“It’s a great post-colonial play,” Brandon said. “Literally something as simple as changing place names from their traditional language to, in this case, English. I love the nuances and subtleties and all these little bits of Irish history that Owen knows. And then once we change the names, all of that just disappears.”
As the soldiers rename the Gaelic towns, the Irish characters must learn to adapt, navigate change, and begrudgingly accept the loss of their culture. The colonization and overtaking of language by the British reveals the power of words and more importantly– who controls them.
“The Brits did the same thing in Ireland as they did with a lot of Native American tribes: they sent them to schools where they couldn’t learn their native language,” Brandon said. “It’s ironic that Friel writes this play and he has to write it in English because his Irish audience for the most part doesn’t speak Irish anymore.”
Despite its darker themes, the play has elements of humor, hope, and love that transcend linguistic barriers.
“It’s very Irish, but it’s also very human,” Brandon said. “That’s why you have Yoland, this British character who falls in love with literally the countryside but also with an Irish woman, to show what’s possible. It’s not a comedy, obviously, and it’s got some serious elements, but it’s not a tragedy either. There is hope for some of the characters, which I glom onto as a director.”
Senior Brooklyn Little, who plays Sarah, said it is difficult to play a character who speaks only a few words.
“I’ve played a lot of roles and it was probably the most challenging one to approach,” Little said. “But it’s been a ton of fun. The subject matter is so dark that compartmentalizing it to the stage and not letting it bleed into life has been crazy. It’s been a totally jarring experience as an actor to have to do something like that.”
Little said she views her character as symbolic of the conflicts between Ireland and England.
“I really like how the playwright is able to tie history in but it still has a story; it’s still plot-driven,” Little said. “I think it’s really interesting how my character represents Ireland as a whole. At the beginning of the play, she stands up and says something and by the end of the play she’s literally silenced by the British.”
Sophomore Ciaran Smith, who plays Captain Lancey, said it was a unique role because he had to learn how to look down on the other characters.
“I think it’s really interesting seeing the British perspective of Ireland,” Smith said. “They saw themselves as civilizing them so they could excuse any moral failings that they came across. And that honestly was the way Britain dealt with Ireland–looking at them as backwater people.”
The Tower Players will perform “Translations” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. A faculty roundtable will take place immediately after Thursday’s performance. All shows will take place in the Markel Auditorium in the Fine Arts Center.