Do cages make animals?

Audiences will wrangle with this question as Depression-era convicts struggle to rise up against a warped and abusive prison system in the Tennessee Williams play "Not About Nightingales." The play, darker and more disturbing than Williams’ better-known works, premiered Feb. 17 and runs through
March 13 at Theatre Rhinoceros in San Francisco.

Set in a large American prison in the summer of 1938, "Nightingales" depicts a hellacious environment where few of even the strongest prisoners could hope to survive.

With audience members enclosing the stage on all sides, a cast of 17 actors mesmerized viewers with their portrayal of prisoners, prison guards, and fanciful lovers.

The play's director, 41-year-old SF State film graduate John Fisher, plays the antagonistic role of the prison warden. His character, Boss Whelan, a drunken womanizer, works to ensure that prisoners are on their toes and that talk of abuse stays within prison walls. When prisoners retaliate from abuse with a hunger strike, Boss Whelan sentences them to a pitch-black, scorching hot pit called Klondike.

In Klondike, prisoners litter the floor, moaning as rivets of hot steam envelope their bodies and scald their flesh. Their faces crinkle and their bodies writhe in horror as they fight for the tiny pockets of air that flow through a pin-sized hole.

This scene and other disturbing looks at prison life make the play an intense experience.
San Francisco resident Denis Chicola said after watching “Nightingales” that he couldn't believe the level of physicality in the play.

"There is such incredible raw talent, and it was inspiring to see people put on a classic like that," he said.

A lot of the play's energy stems from the close proximity between the audience and actors. This was a decision made by Fisher to make the audience more of a part of the prison, according to 38-year-old actor David Bicha, who played the part of Butch O’Fallon in the play.

O'Fallon, who leads the prisoners’ hunger strike, is the one character who keeps his head held high and his pride even higher. He is determined to survive and he uses his own fantasies, namely a seductive lover named Goldie, played by Floriana Alessandria, to escape the atrocities that face him each day.

Bicha truly brings O’Fallon to life through his contribution of boldness, physicality, and unmatched intensity in the play.

"This role is a departure for me," said Bicha. "I'm used to doing broad comedy and I honestly didn't know if I could do this."

Bicha is joined in his memorable performance by cast members Pete Caslavka, Cheree A. Sagar, and Wilton Yeung.

Caslavka and Sagar play the central parts of Jim and Eva, a couple who work together in close quarters with the warden. The two lovers work together to escape the prison and to "out" the evil that takes place there.

Yeung portrays innocent-natured Jeremy Trout, or "Swifty," a hopeful young runner who is imprisoned and then taken under O’Fallon’s wing.

"The role is a lot of fun," he said. “The first night when the audience is there staring back at you, you get thrown for a little bit, but you try not to focus on it."

Yeung, who graduated from SF State's film program last year, said that his time at SF State greatly prepared him for his work in the play.

Artistic Director Fisher said that the all the actors have done an excellent job, especially in carrying out the message of the play which is to show the imbalance of the relationship between prisoners and those in control.

"I would hope for people to walk away from the play with a stronger sense of the true helplessness of the incarcerated,” he said. “With all that's gone on in Iraq and with the abuse of prisoners, people need to be reminded that those in positions of authority have responsibility to behave with humanity."

Fisher added that the prisoners in the play are innocent in that they make no distinctions between race or sexual orientation. This ties back to the theatre’s mission to serve as a safe haven and creative outlet for the gay and lesbian community.

The theatre, which was founded in 1977, puts on seven to 11 shows per year, most of which are gay or lesbian oriented but which are aimed at audiences of all sexual orientations, according to Fisher.

In an effort to attract more viewers and to be all-inclusive, the theatre features a "straight night out," which celebrates non-gay patrons with a post-performance wine reception on the first Thursday after each play’s opening. The special shows are run partly in response to the "queer night out" offered by the American Conservatory Theatre and Berkeley Repertory Theatre, according to Carol Langlois, box office and marketing manager at Theatre Rhinoceros.

"Not About Nightingales" will continue through March 13 at Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St. in San Francisco. Tickets are $15-25 depending on the day of performance and can be purchased at the theatre’s Web site at http://www.therhino.org.