A Story of Brotherhood: 14th Grade Players Present True West

BY DZHULETTA AVANESIAN

                 

Fourteenth Grade Players present True West Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 14-16 at Lisner downstage.

The cast and director see the show different than any student theater performance before it. It takes a classic script and brings a new look to it. The cast is experienced and bring their best for this tale of two brothers. 

“It's really one of the best acted shows that I’ve seen in student theater,'' says Kevin Palermo, who plays Saul.

This is the second show directed by Jeremy Neff and his direction appears to transform the famous script.

“Jeremy has come to this play in such a different way than any director I have ever worked with,” said Andy Brown, who plays Lee. “I have never had a director who got this deep into the text and it has been a huge help to me as an actor.''

The play was written by  American playwright Sam Shepard in 1980 and is the story of two brothers, Lee and Austin, who struggle because of their family background and present emotional states.

“The two brothers have not seen each other in years and think that they have nothing in common,” said Josh Bierman, who plays Austin.

The play will leave its audience with different reactions because it has a variety of both sad and funny moments.

“I want the audience to leave thinking about things a little bit differently and maybe even go home and call their family and say, hey, I love you,” says Bierman.

The title of the show is not only related to the story but also makes the audience think about self-existence and future.   

“One of the reasons that this play is so important now particularily to a college audience is as much as it's about old family issues, more of it is about trying to define yourself and that's where it gets its title,” says Neff.

The plays exemplifies the family dynamics perfectly and the scenes are relatable to diverse members of the audience.

“It's a very interesting examination of family dynamics and also what it means to be successful, which is applicable in any time period,” says Rachel Matusewicz, who plays the Mom.

The show costs five dollars and begins at 8:00 PM on Thursday and 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM on Friday and Saturday.