Starting next week, the Tower Players will perform “Translations,” by Brian Friel, a drama that documents the English colonization of Ireland. 

Set in 1833, the plot revolves around British soldiers who, while surveying Ireland, anglicize the Gaelic town names. The play follows the tensions that result.

 “We find out as we explore the names of these places that there’s a whole story that goes along with why this place was named that, and when you translate it into English, it’s lost,” theatre department chairman James Brandon said.

 The loss of these stories causes great upheaval among the Irish people. The audience is taken through the emotional journey of the Irish people’s oppression in a historically accurate fashion.

Senior Brooklyn Little said the opportunity to put on a play with these themes is uncommon in Hillsdale. 

“It’s a rare occasion the Tower Players are going to do a serious, realistic drama,” Little said. 

The play poses philosophical questions about communication, language, and culture, junior Nikoleta Klikovac explained. It asks how man preserves culture while also learning to adapt. Despite not speaking the same language, one surveyor, an Englishman named Yolland, falls in love with an Irish peasant named Máire— which only exacerbates growing tensions. Their romance over the course of the play proves the complexity of human connection.  

“I want people to leave the show understanding that there’s more to a connection with somebody than the spoken word,” Klikovac said. 

All shows will take place in Markel Auditorium, located in the Fine Arts Center. The show runs from Sept. 28 – Oct. 2, with a faculty-led discussion following the performance on Sept. 29.