On The Verge, or; The Geography of Yearning 

by Eric Overmeyer

presented by the Boston College Dramatics Society in the Bonn Studio Theater

October 25th-28th, 2018

scenic design by Hal Knowlton

lighting design by Evyn Newton

costume design by Noelle Scarlett

sound design by Elizabeth Reilly

props design by Catherine Tobia

photos by Taylor Badoyen

Director’s Note:

When I first proposed to direct On the Verge I would have told you that I did it because it is a female centered show full of whimsy and spirit, and that would have been the end of the conversation. I hadn’t really thought too deeply about the play. That is, until several weeks into the rehearsal process when I realized I was missing something critical.

When you remove all the zaniness and nonsense from this play it becomes a story about what it means to choose for oneself. What it means to venture out into the unknown and leave what has always been safe. In the year and a half since I graduated from college I have been asked to do this time and again. Upon graduation, I no longer knew exactly where I would be or what I would be doing. There was no one telling me what I should do or who I should be. I could go anywhere, do anything, and be anyone. And frankly, that was terrifying. Freedom is not always as freeing as one thinks. Sometimes when you can do anything, you end up doing nothing.

And this is where the women of this play come in. They are forced to choose again and again to either move forward or stay where they are. As they encounter each new location, person, or problem they must choose to stay or to go. While they do not always know the right answer immediately, they ultimately always choose what is best for them because they know who they are. This inspires me to always do the same. I know who I am; both as an artist and as a person. I feel confident in what makes me, me, and where the road ahead leads. So, in the words of the fearless Mary Baltimore, “I have such yearning for the future! It is boundless!”