J CITY Theater presents a play by Mark St. Germain
Resembling a surgical theater, the audience sat on either side of — and slightly above — a conference room setting. In that room, a group of characters would manipulate emotions and push hot buttons for ninety minutes.
I was there for closing night.
Let me set the scene a little more for you. It’s St. Patrick’s day and there are four transplant candidates but only one heart. The clock is ticking. Our committee sifts thru the tension with gall and wit, anger and tears.
The occasional break of comic relief would set us up for another smack of drama. These characters tackled the questions of who is more deserving than another, meaning three of the four will die once their final decision is made.
You can see the personalities of characters unfold. New and green. Cynical and bitter. Resigned to a set of what they call truths.
What struck me about this — aside from the amazing performances — was how I’ve been in these meetings. Except, in my industry, at the end of the day all that is at stake is who will appear on the cover of a magazine or the homepage of a website. No one lives or dies by the stroke of our pens.
Hospital professionals who have seen this show say that it can be that cold, that calculating. We forget that there is a whole other side of the health industry that is a business. These types of cold, calculated gatherings do exist.
About J CITY Theater
J CITY Theater is a not-for-profit professional theater company based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It is a founding company of the Hudson County Theatre Alliance and has been producing locally since 2006. Recent productions include Archibald MacLeish’s J.B. Douglas Carter Beane’s As Bees In Honey Drown and last summer’s smash hit: Moon Over Buffalo.
They are also known for their engaging one act plays (Compression of a Casualty and The Spot) during HCTA’s annual One Acts Festival. J CITY Theater’s mission is to create quality, high energy theater that is told with sophisticated simplicity.
About The Underground Theater
This is the second production of J City Theater in this space in the basement of St. Michael’s Church (252 Ninth St, Jersey City). The church is part of the multi-cultural Parish of the Resurrection which includes St. Bridget, St. Mary and St. Peter churches. They’ve been serving Jersey City since 1831.
J City Theater Executive Producer Clay Cockrell says, “For many years we have looked longingly at shows that we wanted to produce but were unable due to space restriction. Thanks to Father Vic Kennedy and everyone at St. Michael’s Church, we are finally able realize our dream as a constantly producing theater company. We are extremely grateful for the luxury.”
See Also:
J CITY Theater
Hudson County Theatre Alliance
Parish of the Resurrection
