Though the fight for equality continues, civil rights in the United States have changed greatly over the past 80 years. In the mid-1920s, the Ku Klux Klan had reached the peak of its influence, with an estimated 4 million members nationwide. The Southern-born white supremacist group was even expanding into the North. Karen Hesse's acclaimed children's novel, Witness (Scholastic Press), weaves a tale of fiction around the very real history of the Klan in the North during 1924. Hesse explores the nature of violence, racism and hope in simple free verse that compellingly delivers the horror and drama of early-20th-century racism. This week First Stage Children's Theater brings Hesse's drama to the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts in an adaptation of the novel by playwright John Urquhart.
Part of the power of Hesse's story derives from her use of plain words stripped of excessive ornamentation. Urquhart's script preserves much of this economy of language, though any stage production is likely to deviate somewhat from the book's minimalism. But if any children's theater company has the talent and resources to put together a top-quality production of this script, it's First Stage. The company will have to tackle some complex issues with Witness, a task not lost on director John Maclay. He says he has a great deal of respect for the story, describing Urquhart's script as a "well written, intelligent and important piece of theater."
Two children lie at the heart of Witness, a story otherwise dominated by adults in a small Vermont town. Leanora Sutter, a 12-year-old African-American girl, befriends Esther Hirsh,who is hated by the Klan because of her Jewish religion rather than her skin color. We also see the effect of the Klan through the tale of Harvey and Viola Pettibone, who own and run a grocery store in town. Harvey is tempted to join the group because it promotes itself with pro-American rhetoric that avoids talk of hatred and violence.
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Talented local actors Dan Katula and Jacque Troy portray Harvey and Viola. The cast also features Equity actors Robert Spencer, Sarah Day, James Fletcher and Richard Ganoung. Two different casts of eight young actors will alternate throughout the show's monthlong run.
First Stage's production of Witness runs Jan. 23 through Feb. 22 at the Marcus Center's Todd Wehr Theater.
