Thursday, April 2, 2015

Live From Pod 305

Play #82 - Live From Pod 305 by Ashley Marinaccio

Eze and Sam are cellmates in a women's correctional facility. Sam has only recently been placed in the general population with Eze because since her sentencing she has been under suicide watch. Eze is an exuberant young woman who sees her burning of an animal research facility as fully justified, herself a political prisoner, and the humans and animals who were killed by her fire as "collateral damage." Sam, on the other hand, has a PhD and taught musicology before an unfortunate bike accident led to the death of an unborn child. Each night Eze uses a collection of objects that she has assembled to "broadcast" a radio show that she believes is keeping her radical political message alive for her listeners. Tonight, Sam has finally had enough and she begins to argue with Eze. First she merely wants it quiet, but things escalate quickly as Sam discusses her own pain, and then challenges Eze's ideology. This eventually throws Eze into a rage, and she is taken out by the guards, leaving Sam on her own again.

The idea behind this play is sort of interesting, but honestly, with something like Orange is the New Black out there in the world, it's sort of hard to see anything else about a women's prison without begging the comparison... and with the compared item coming up short. Also, the climax is sort of sudden and unfinished - even for a short play. Eze is taken away, but what has this done to Sam? What has this changed for her? There really isn't any sense of resolution. 

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