It is Wednesday afternoon.I am sitting on the couch, half asleep, thinking to myself “It is such a dull day! I don’t think I want to go to Theater Day, I’m way too tired from the first two orientations.” After repeating this to myself to justify not going, I finally decided that I was too curious about the play to just stay at home, so I headed toward the theater.

Then, as “The Indian Wants the Bronx” began, I must admit I was disappointed. It did not seem real to me. The wonderful thing about theater is that it’s so up close that it feels real to the audience. However, this play did not leave me enraptured. I felt sympathy for the Indian, and even for the two delinquents who had such conflicting emotions that they did not know what they were doing. On the other hand I thought the boys’ actions were too extreme, making it not seem real. It did not affect me as much as reading the play did.

Did anyone else notice that the Indian’s turban kept falling? It really bothered me because I did not think that was supposed to happen. This simple flaw in the costume took away from the feeling of reality. Other than that, I thought the costumes added to the understanding of the story. Two boys dressed in ordinary clothes come across someone who is obviously different from them. His clothes stand out to the two boys, and so they decide to bother him.

In this play Horovitz addresses the issues of hatred for someone that is different, which, although this play was written long ago, still occurs today. People are always intimidated by what they do not understand. On top of that, the boys are a commentary on the American justice system. They killed a man and stole a car, yet they are still roaming the streets. They have a social worker that, although she knows their background, gives them knives for Christmas. I found this particularly interesting. Also, instead of the boys trying to reform themselves after committing a crime, they act like children and abandon the Indian. Overall, the play was effective in commenting on these social issues.

I do not have much to say about the second play, “What Strong Fences Make”, except that I was utterly disheartened when I could not hear a thing. I was in the middle of the theater, leaning forward in my seat, and still did not grasp what it was about. Once someone told me the plot, I realized that the play was really interesting and I would have liked it. In this play Horowitz was commenting on a man’s dedication to his family over his country, since he blows up the bus terminal in response to their death.

The costume of the man on the right really confused me, because he had a cloth on top of his head, so I did not think this play took place in America. He looked like a foreigner. The soldier always appeared hesitant and was making quick movements, to show the audience that he was conflicted between his sense of duty and his friendship with the other man. This was an important part of the play because at the end he does not harm his old friend. Instead his friend hurts him, which shows he is more devoted to his mission than the soldier is. I do wish that there were more scenery though; it would make the play appear more realistic.

The last play, “Beirut Rocks” was my favorite of the three. It was intense and filled with emotion. There was more scenery than the first two plays, and this added to the story, because the characters were all stuck together in a cramped hotel room, and as the war rages on outside, the characters create tension and start a small war inside the hotel room. The sounds of the bombs scared me, and I felt as nervous as the four students in the small room. Nasa’s clothes, like the clothes of the Indian of the first play, separate her from the others, and once Benji sees this he accuses her of wearing a wire. This action is again a social commentary on people attacking those that are different. Benji displays racism, but after Nasa is violated she says the extreme remark of “the world would be better without Jews.” I was shocked when she said this; it made me lose all sympathy for her. I liked how this play surprised me until the very end, and although there was too much screaming I find it better than having to strain to hear anything.

Each play showed forms of hatred towards other races and people, which was for me shocking, emotional and intense. Ultimately, I was glad I came.