A barbed and steely border wall cuts the stage in half diagonally like a infected wound. Warning signs adorn the fence as the gentle sound of lapping water almost gives a sense of calm, until the occasional breach of gunfire punctuates and echoes in the background. Two girls divided across these lines attempt to communicate, sympathize, and try to help each other survive, even while not fully comprehending the other’s perspective as their countries are at conflict.
As explained to us by director Christina Foltz in a post-show discussion, “Inside/Outside” is meant to take place in a location similar to Israel/Palestine border in Gaza. Playwright Brie Knight explained it was originally set in Turkey, or even the US/Mexico border, but it could be multiple locations, and the fact these circumstances are global enough to be generalized can be disheartening on its own. While not dissimilar to the concept of “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”, the motivations of the play are well intentioned, if not a bit simplistic (as they do take place from the eyes of children).
Natalie Merola plays the 10-year-old child deemed Inside, a slightly bratty but good-hearted girl that doesn’t quite understand the privilege she has compared to her neighboring country. She throws tantrums, talks to her favorite stuffed dolphin, and initially seems more upset that the fence blocks where she used to be able to play in the nearby sea. Merola plays the naivety and wild emotions with more caricature of a kid than a real one, but it still reads believably. Her counterpart, Outside, played by Anna Schneeberger, encapsulates the wearying joy and terror of being so close to freedom and possibly being reunited with loved ones, only to be denied that safety by mere centimeters or electrified fencing. Brent Custer rounds out the cast as a series of soldiers and workers maintaining and patrolling the perimeter of the border, the ever present threat and banality of the ubiquitous, violent regime.
The contrast of the goodness of the children offset the awfulness of the world they occupy; there is no moral grey to this play beyond the metallic sheen of the fence. While not necessarily a long play, the use of heavy pauses, random gunfire, and the use of lighting help create the desperate passage of time as we await the fate of these two children, and they nations they unknowingly represent.
