The latest from Theatre South Carolina goes back in time to tell a gripping, humorous tale. “Translations,” a tale about a small Irish town and its attempt to adapt to a changing world, comes alive with humor and heartache. The play runs from Feb. 20-28 at the Longstreet Theatre.
The characters are members of a community in which everyone knows each other — they attend school in a wooden schoolhouse where stories of travel and gossip unfold. As British cartographers come to their town with the aim of changing their place names from Gaelic to English, their way of life and interpersonal relationships become threatened.
Wes Williams, asecond-year theatre student, plays one of these townsfolk. He brings a hearty innocence to the stage, rich with satisfaction for his small-town existence.
“The one thing I really enjoy about this play is the dynamic between the British and the Irish and how funny that is,” Williamssaid. “For my character specifically, he’s really to get laughs. I’m really looking forward to getting laughs out of people and entertaining.”
The play’s title comes into action from the very start — not only is one of the characters nearly mute, but there is a constant discord between the characters due to their differing languages. This theme is not only a struggle when it comes to communication between the townsfolk and the British soldiers, but for the cast themselves, as they have to emphasize these dialects, all the while acting in English.
The play is directed by Paul Savas, Executive and Artistic Director of The Warehouse Theatre in Greenville, South Carolina. The play has had its challenges, but he has worked hard to overcome them.
“It’s a play that, like most great plays, needs an active audience,” Savas said. “It’s not one for the passive. You have to think, and you have to listen, and you have to be attentive to what the words mean and what the intentions of the actors are.”
Each actor deftly handles their character’s role in a town that is obviously on the verge of serious change. With humor and mystery sprinkled into the plot and chemistry between the actors, the play eloquently elaborates on a distinct moment in U.K. history.
The plot refers to countless places throughout England and Ireland that can be somewhat hard to understand and visualize for the average audience member. Savas has stressed to the actors the importance of differentiating between the languages while remaining in character.
“When actors believe enough,” he said, “audiences see and hear that.”
It is his first time directing at USC, but he has had a rewarding experience working with this cast. None of them are familiar faces to him, and they're all in different stages of their lives and careers.
“For me, what’s always the most fun is working with actors and helping them arrive at big and small choices that help best tell the story at hand,” Savas said. “That is really where I get the most satisfaction in directing a show. Everyone was so very game to try a lot of things and also to take a lot of their own initiative in making choices and where they do things. Learning who they are and what’s motivating them personally is kind of helpful for how I choose to communicate with them.”
The story draws in the audience, forcing them to focus on the hardships at hand. Whether it’s the language discrepancy, the heartbreaking love story or the imagination it takes to wonder what happens after the curtain closes, the play works overtime to keep the viewer engaged.