THE
CAST Anna Belikova - The Mother
(March 17, 19)
Mila Ionkova - The Mother (March 15, 18)
Tyler Kuhnert - John Sorel (March 15, 17, 18, 19)
Bryan Estabrooks - Secret Police Agent (March 15, 17)
Stephen King - Secret Police Agent (March 18,19)
Christopher Leung - Secret Policeman (March 15,18)
Ben Harper - Secret Policeman (March 17, 19)
Maria Knight - The Secretary (March 15. 18)
Loralie Kirkpatrick - The Secretary(March 17, 19)
David Lasker - Mr. Kofner (March 15, 17,18,19)
Andrea Naccarato - The Foreign Woman (March 15, 18)
Kiera Allison - The Foreign Woman (March 17, 19)
Kristine Dandavino - Magda Sorel (March 17, 18)
Caroline Johnson - Magda Sorel (March 15,19)
Ada Balon - Anna Gomez (March 15, 18)
Michelle Kettrick - Anna Gomez (March 17, 19)
James Tuttle - The Magician Nicolas Magadoff (March 15, 17, 18,
19)
Laura McAlpine - Vera Boronel (March 15, 17, 19)
Kiera Allison - Vera Boronel (March 18)
Ben Harper - Assan (March 15, 18)
Christopher Leung - Assan (March 17, 19)
Act I-Scene 1 John
Sorel, a freedom fighter, staggers home calling for his wife,
Magda. She and his mother rush in, and seeing that he is injured,
tend his wounds. John tells them his meeting was raided by the
secret police, whereupon Magda spots them approaching the house.
The women rush to conceal John. As the secret police arrive, Mother
is tending to her grandchild. The Secret Police Agent interrogates
the women and leaves unsatisfied. John emerges from hiding and
explains his plan: he will seek refuge in a neighboring country
and communicate with Magda and Mother through Assan the glass-cutter.
When their window is broken by a stone, they should contact Assan
for the message. Magda and John say their goodbyes, and John encourages
her to go to the Consul so she, Mother and their child can leave
the country.
Scene 2
The Consul's waiting room is full. One after another, people approach
the Secretary to seek visas and each is turned away on some pretext.
Magda seeks an audience with the Consul, but the Secretary informs
her that no one sees the Consul. When she gives her name, he tells
her that her name is a number and denies her again. A magician
approaches and tries to charm Vera Boronel, but the Vera is not
amused. The people despair over their situation in this oppressive
regime.
Act II -Scene 1 At home, Magda and Mother discuss their visa applications,
which, predictably, have been delayed. Magda frets over her sick
child, and Mother comforts the child with a lullaby. Magda, too,
is lulled to sleep, but she swiftly falls into a nightmare about
John, the Secretary and a vision of a dead child. She awakens
with a scream. Soon after, the signal arrives as a rock shatters
the glass in their window. Magda immediately calls Assan. Later,
the Secret Police Agent enters unwelcomed. He offers her visas
in exchange for information about John's friends, but Magda rebuffs
him furiously. Finally, Assan arrives to fix the window and shares
the news that John is waiting in the mountains until she has her
visa and can join him. Magda tells Assan to lie to John so he
will save himself. Assan promises to do so. Mother discovers that
the child has died in sleep but tries to hide it from Magda. Magda
unsettled by the Mother’s silence, comes to the realization
her baby has just died. The women grieve.
Scene 2 The Consul's waiting room is full again. Magda begs the
Magician to let her go ahead of him, and he agrees. But the Secretary
will have none of it as it will upset her system. The Magician
gives a dramatic turn in trying to get his visa, trying to impress
the Secretary with his great artistry in magic. With his initial
attempts having failed, The Magician hypnotizes the people and
makes them all dance. This distresses the Secretary. The Magician
releases the people from the hypnosis, the Magician leaves unsuccessful
in gaining a visa. Magda approaches the Secretary again and begs
to see the Consul. When the Secretary refuses her, Magda snaps
and rages against the Secretary and the whole bureaucracy. Finally
she relents and agrees to admit Magda when the Consul is finished
with an important visitor. The visitor turns out to be the Secret
Police Agent. Magda faints.
Act III-Scene 1 Magda continues to wait for the Consul, and the Secretary
warns that the consulate will be closing soon. Assan arrives,
looking for Magda. He tells her that John has discovered that
both his child and Mother have died and he is on his way. Magda
swiftly composes a note to dissuade John and sends it off with
Assan. Magda follows. Vera Boronel who has successfully obtained
a visa finalizes her paperwork. She notices Magda has left her
purse and gives it to the Secretary. Vera leaves. As the Secretary
prepares to go herself, John rushes in looking for Magda. The
Secretary tells John he should be able to catch up with her if
he hurries, but it is too late - the secret police who have been
tracking John descend on the consulate to arrest him. The Secretary
quickly phones Magda to warn her.
Scene 2
Magda arrives home in a daze and ignores the ringing phone. She
turns on the gas stove and covers her head with a sheet covering
the baby's cradle. She imagines that she sees all the people from
the consulate's waiting room, Assan, John and Mother. As she hears
the magician's voice calling her back to the gas stove, she dies
as the phone rings again.
