When Louis Sachar’s young adult novel Holes was published in 1998, director Jeff Frank so loved the story that he read it to his wife and the daughter growing in her womb. Sachar’s mystery fantasy is a tale of wrongs—some slight, some monstrous—made right by a new generation. It suggests that while the sins of fathers are indeed visited upon their children, children have the power to redeem past crimes and change the direction of history. What a great subject for young actors and audiences!
Frank sought the rights to dramatize the novel for First Stage, but the Seattle Children’s Theatre beat him to it, commissioning a script from Sachar himself. Disney also produced a film version in 2003. Frank staged Sachar’s script in 2004 in his new role as First Stage artistic director. His production stands among the company’s most popular ever. Now he’s reviving it. It seems well timed since racism motivates the crime at the center of the story and the script considers whether, with respect to race and other sorrows in America, history is destiny.
The plot is quite complex. Stanley Yelnats—the name is a palindrome—is a 14-year-old student falsely arrested and sent to a reform camp located in a dried-up lake in the American West. He and the other young inmates are forced to dig holes in this desert landscape. There’s a secret reason, as it turns out. But Stanley accepts the unjust punishment as part of a curse on his family that began when an ancestor failed to make good on a promise.
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“In Stanley’s efforts to learn the truth of this so-called family curse,” Frank says, “we go to Latvia in the 1800s and then out West at the turn of the century. Staging-wise, we’re often in both the present and the past. They overlap. The way the pieces come together is amazing. I find audiences so engaged by the mystery, the unraveling and the connections; but through it all, the play deals with significant social issues, prejudice, racism, abuse of power and authority; and also simpler truths like what it means to be a friend.”
Back when the lake has water, a black man and a white woman share a comforting kiss. They’re seen by the rich rancher who runs the town. Consequently, the African American is murdered by the townsfolk and the woman, after suffering verbal abuse, turns outlaw. History for several key characters flows toward and away from these events. To say more might spoil the play, which as I read it, had me chuckling, wincing and swelling with tears.
In fact, the story is so cleverly complex and resonant that you’ll want to talk about it afterwards to compare notes and sort out details. That’s why, says Frank, “it’s such a great show for families to see together, particularly those upper elementary and middle-school kids who are locked into their devices. It opens minds and eyes and provides an opportunity for parents and kids to actually talk to one another again.
I asked him if he’s ever criticized for choosing scripts that address important social issues. “At times we get flack, but we don’t care. I think stories move us toward understanding and away from divisiveness and hate which there’s too much of in the world. Anything that we can do to promote understanding and empathy, we’ll do. When you see a well-told story and real characters with diverse backgrounds, played by actors as real human beings for the first time, I would hope it has an impact. Some people have said, ‘Why are you always telling stories about the terrible white man?’ But the main character here is a white boy trying to come to an understanding. We did The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and I’m told I’m too irreverent with the Christian faith. I’m a devout Christian but I also think God has a sense of humor.
“As an organization that deals in stories,” he continues, “we love plays that celebrate the power of stories. A well-told story can lead people to think more deeply. Ultimately, if I may be so bold, it’s about changing thinking. But that’s up to each person; all we can do is offer food for thought. As humans, we look to the past to understand where we are today and where we still need to go. This play can illuminate some of those truths and the challenges we’re still dealing with.”
The multicultural cast includes 12 children. I watched the fine young actors in rehearsal as they followed their instincts regarding the material, making moment-to-moment choices and somehow connecting with their own ancestral histories to create a story about correcting historical mistakes.
Jan. 15-Feb. 14 at the Marcus Center’s Todd Wehr Theater, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, call 414-267-2961 or visit firststage.org. The play is recommended for ages 9 and up.
