Dramatics Society to present The Foreigner

This coming weekend The Dramatics Society of Boston College will present The Foreigner, a farcical production based at a rural Georgia fishing lodge. The play centers on Charlie Baker, a shy and unobtrusive Englishman who tends to be socially anxious. While at the Georgia lodge, he pretends to not know his native language in order to avoid contact with the other guests. Successfully convincing the other guests that he cannot understand them, he becomes privy to information discussed in front of him that is both comical and threatening to the characters in the play.

The Foreigner, written by Larry Shue, is a side-splitting comedy that may seem absurd. The play won two Obies and two Outer Critics Circle Awards in 1984. Most of Shue's theatrical work is derived from mistaken identities, adding a level of crowd-pleasing anxiety to a performance. The play premiered at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre in 1982. Shue unfortunately died in a plane crash in 1985 at the age of 39. His two well-known shows The Foreigner and The Nerd remained hits after his death. The Foreigner enjoyed a successful off-Broadway run and has since been produced numerous times across the country.

Director Colin Garstka, A&S '04, has taken the comedy on as he directs an entirely student-run show. The show is driven by comical situations and acting, a tricky task for any director who desires to make the audience laugh. Driving the production is Christopher Tocco, A&S '06, who plays "the foreigner," Charlie Baker. Tocco has played parts in BC's performances of Hamlet and Proof.

Gastka chose the play partly because it was a comedy and also because its relevence to BC culture and today's community. "I chose the play because it is a show about forming new relationships and seeing beyond stereotypes," he said.

The message that Gastka hopes the audience will take away from the show is to "Have open eyes and open hearts and not be so quick to jump to conclusions."

Gastka is a theatre major and has had some directing experience in a high school production of Frog and Toad.

The Dramatics Society of Boston College is a theatre organization run exclusively by students. The Society often produces work written by students, and both technical and artistic aspects of all productions are accomplished by student collaboration. The Foreigner will play in the Bonn Studio on Oct. 30 and 31 and Nov. 1.