Rural Irish Ghost Stories Come to Life in ‘The Weir’

Aleah Gracia

Staff Writer

The Weir is a contemporary yet spooky play set in a small town named Sligo, in modern day Ireland. Valerie, played by DeAnne Jones-Foley, is a young woman looking to buy a house in the area. Her realtor Finbar, played by Bob Koroluck, being a local boy himself, takes her to the pub where she meets a few other natives.

While there, she is introduced to Jack (Dean Williams); a middle aged man with a jovial nature and a constant thirst. Brendan (James Hutchinson) is the bartender, and Jim (Levi Goldin) is a quiet young man in the corner with a story of his own. In an effort to impress Valerie, the boys start telling ghost stories over a couple of pints and a glass of white wine. Each man has his own to tell, with one of the stories taking place in the house she is thinking of purchasing. At the end, she tells her story with devastation that brings the new comrades together.

“A weir is a dam set up on a river,” says director Robert Soffian. “Behind the weir, the water is very calm and peaceful. When you are at and when you get past the dam, the water turns and is very rough. Much like the undercurrent of the play.” Throughout the stories, everyone deals with some old phantoms, great losses, and missed loves, creating the undercurrent of emotional rough waters.

The Weir was originally created for the Royal Court Theatre in London. It won an Evening Standard Most Promising Playwright Award and two Olivier Awards, including Best New Play. It came to the United States in Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theatre, where it earned the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Play. The play will be on tour – a notable feat for the actors at Shasta College, not only for being a highly awarded play, but also because they have never taken a play on tour before, according to Soffian.

“You shed all sense of time at this beautiful new play,” said the New York Times of The Weir. The London Daily Telegraph called it “sheer theatrical magic. Tremendous.”

The Play will be performing up at the Trinity Alps Theater on Nov 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th at 7:30 p.m. On the 5^th there will be a Matinee at 2:00 pm. Admission is $10.

On Nov 10^th and 11^th the Weir will be performing at the Shasta College at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $7 for general admission or $5 for students and seniors.