A Few Good Men to be performed in Big Room

In just two months, the theater program’s production of Aaron Sorkin’s A Few Good Men will take the stage. Since the mid-1980s, the school’s major productions have occurred in Centennial Hall, a space designed for large-scale productions with full support of the stage crew. This year, Mr. Hengst and the production team decided to move the play into the Big Room.

Mr. Hengst said, “It takes place in two places: Cuba and Guantanamo Bay. Two Marines perform what’s called a “code red” on another Marine, which is where they tie him up and shave his head for acting out of line. The Marine ends up dying from this, and the two Marines end up going under investigation for murder. As the plot unfolds, the lawyer realizes there’s more to the story.”

While the play itself is known for its intensity and complexity, what makes this year’s production stand out is not just the story, but where Mr. Hengst is choosing to perform it.
Taking away all the special lighting, sound systems, and huge set designs that the stage crew is known for was not an easy decision to make.

“I want to strip away all the technical stuff and just focus on acting,” Mr. Hengst said. “There’s a different kind of acting that we can do up there that we can’t do in Centennial [Hall].”
Due to the small space in the Big Room, Mr. Hengst had to use a different type of stage. For this play, the audience is going to be on two sides of the stage, which is called a “traverse theater.”
The play offers a large number of male roles and requires a big ensemble, giving many students the opportunity to participate.

“I hope audiences come to see our guys and their skills. We could see that with Enron last year. There were so many lights and technical [things] for that play, and I want the audience to just focus on the boys’ acting,”

Mr. Hengst

Last year’s production of Enron dazzled audiences with its technical complexity. This year’s show is designed to highlight the talent of Haverford’s actors.

“I hope audiences come to see our guys and their skills. We could see that with Enron last year. There were so many lights and technical [things] for that play, and I want the audience to just focus on the boys’ acting,” Mr. Hengst said.

Another major difference from past productions is the flow of the play itself. Unlike shows that rely on scene changes and breaks, A Few Good Men unfolds without any interruptions.
“There are no breaks in the action of the play. There’s no ending scene or starting scene,” Mr. Hengst said.

The production requires a new level of focus for participants, both on the acting and technical sides.

Mr. Hengst said, “There are no microphones for this play, so I will really be focusing on the actors’ diction and on their projection.”