In The W. Scott McLucas Studio Theatre
by John O’Keefe
directed by David Elliot
November 30- December 17, 1995
The solo actor in Shimmer tells the story by becoming each character in turn. The play takes place in 1956, in a harsh Midwestern juvenile detention center, where two boys befriend each other. To survive the brutal environment, the two create their own fantasy world, in which the movement of streams and breezes becomes a language that travels between dimensions, a language the boys call “shimmer.” The two boys are eventually locked up, and they are ultimately forced to carefully plan and carry out an escape.
“a good old fashioned ripping yarn, a sort of Boy’s Own version of growing up in a children;s home in 1950s Iowa… sharp & enjoyable.” -New York Times
“Without author John O’Keefe as actor in Shimmer, the piece still shines. Jud Meyers makes the autobiography his own.”- L.A. Times