PRESS RELEASE

THE WEIR

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The Weir, Conor McPherson's Spellbinding Play of Irish Ghost Stories and Isolation comes to Oberlin College's Little Theater

OBERLIN, OH—Sheer theatrical magic. I have rarely been so convinced that I have just seen a modern classic. Tremendous," says The London Daily Telegraph of Conor McPherson's The Weir. The Guardian (London) calls it "a spellbinder that transfixes you. No praise is in fact too high." Simple on the surface, the play reveals, through understated detail, unexpected humor and telling silences, a world marked by love, loss and loneliness, longing and missed opportunities, the desire to connect, and of people and communities haunted by the past.

Directed by Josh Luxenberg '06, The Weir will be performed in Oberlin College's Little Theater on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 4 - 7 at 8 pm, with matinee performances at 2 pm on Saturday and Sunday, the 6th and 7th. This play contains some strong language. Seating in Little Theater is limited, and there is no late seating. This production is sponsored by the Oberlin College Theater and Dance Program.

Synopsis/Production Notes
On a lonely night on the rocky rural western seacoast of Ireland, local men gather in a small pub: Jack, the curmudgeonly bachelor car-mechanic, Jim, who works with him at the garage, and Brendan, the bartender who keeps this small establishment that has been in his family for generations. When Finbar, a real-estate speculator and old friend of Jack's, brings in Valerie, an attractive single woman from Dublin who has just moved into the area, the men begin to tell spooky stories in an attempt to impress her-but as the night wears on, and the five begin to settle in around the fire, rural gossip and fireside yarns become more personal, leaving everyone with more than they bargained for.

The Weir was first performed in London's Royal Court Theatre Upstairs on July 4, 1997, and premiered in America on April 1, 1999 at Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre. "The Weir is firstly a ghost story, filled with ghost stories," says director Luxenberg. "It's a wonderful challenge for the actors. Storytelling is a very different kind of performance than a straightforward dialogue, and it's exciting to be able to try something new. But McPherson is not only a wonderful, talented storyteller, he also crafts this subtle, natural dialogue that draws you right in so that you feel like you're sitting in the pub with the characters, and at the same time it's very revealing, despite its simplicity."

Performers and Production Staff
The Weir is performed by Oberlin College students Barry Bryan '07 as Jack, Michael Blejer '06 as Brendan, James Keary '06 as Jim, Dan Cox '05 as Finbar and Jessica Bedwinek '05 as Valerie.

The production staff includes Oberlin College students and alumni: Elizabeth Burke '07 (stage manager), Tamar Daskin '07 (set designer and technical director), Aaron Mucciolo '02 and Jesse Garrison '07 (lighting design), Jonathan Levin '07 (sound design), Jamila Clarke '06 (costume design), Caitlin Roush '05 (set decorator), Marielle Solan '06 (photography), Valerie Njus '07 (assistant stage manager), Lizzie McAdam '06 (publicity coordinator) and Scott Melamed '07 (poster designer).

Who's Who
Conor Mcpherson (playwright), although still a relative newcomer in his field, has already been hailed as one of Ireland's greatest living playwrights. Born in Dublin in 1971, he attended University College Dublin where he began to write and direct. He co-founded the Fly By Night Theater Company in 1992 to produce new plays in Dublin's fringe venues. His work has since been performed internationally, winning numerous awards, including the 1999 Olivier Award for Best New Play for The Weir, the Stewart Parker award, the George Devine award, a Meyer-Whitworth award, the London Critics Circle award for Most Promising New Playwright, and the Evening Standard award for Best New Playwright. His work for cinema includes I Went Down, for which he received a Best Screenplay award at San Sebastian Film Festival.