By Elizabeth Ward, '08 |Staff Reporter

Bryan Williams (seated) and Janine Weyls rehearse a scene from the Friars' Club fall production "The Diviners."

Photo by Samantha DePentu, '08

The Diviners, the Morrisville State College fall play presented by the Friars drama club, had an exceptionally good turnout on its premiere night on Friday, October 27 in the STUAC theater. It was worth the trip.

Written by Jim Leonard Jr, The Diviners takes place in rural Indiana during the Depression era.

The main focus of the play is on Buddy Layman and former preacher C.C Showers. Buddy is  left brain damaged after almost drowning at a young age, while C.C is a former preacher who is in search for work when he stumbles upon Buddy. The plot also circles vaguely around the other townspeople’s everyday lives; but mostly everything that is said or done is somehow connected with Buddy or C.C.

Buddy’s performance was brought to life by a very energetic Bryan Williams, who portrayed the naive, outspoken boy very well. C.C Showers, played by Aaron Lehman, was extremely convincing as he played the former preacher who wanted to nothing to do with his past. Buddy’s concerned and caring sister Jeannie Mae was played very well by Janine Weyls. Their stern but somewhat lenient father Ferris Layman was played by Robert Bostwick.

Even though the play is interesting, C.C showers broughtthe majority of feeling to the play. In his first scene, C.C is given a chance to work for Ferris. As he begins working in town, he befriends Buddy as well as others. He also manages to catch the eye of Jennie Mae. In the one scene that C.C and Jennie Mae have by themselves things start to warm up. Jennie Mae begins to massage C.C’s back and he begins to partially explain how he became a preacher. He also talks about how good of a preacher his own father was and how he was expected by all to live up to those same expectations.

The simple one-scene set worked amazingly throughout the play, and went well with the whole atmosphere. Light and sound effects set the tone when moods changed.