Violence in our schools is nothing new. We read about it in the paper almost every day and we see it on our television sets just as often. It has got to the point that even the most innocuous of school items can be perceived as threats, and minor infractions once considered part of growing up become a lingering fixture in a young person’s permanent record.

At a time when there is exploding unrest and violence in schools in this country, THE MONKEY JAR is a timely play addressing the fears of educators who have to deal with conflicting personalities, politically correct behavior and a school’s desire to keep a pristine reputation. When a young student brings a gun to class in a charter public school that has heavy parental involvement, pride in high test scores and an enviable reputation, everyone is panicked. The stakes are enormous. With multiple ethnicities involved - a first year African-American principal; a Japanese-American teacher who is privately gay; and an Asian-American student whose adoptive parents are Jewish – the possibility looms for an explosive situation that could ruin lives and forever tarnish the school’s reputation.

I was able to take a moment and sit down with the playwright to discuss some aspects of his new play–from origins to influences.

OM: What is the origin of this play?

RMH: The genesis of the play came from my daughter’s elementary school at the time. She went to a school similar to the one in the play. There was a lot of parental involvement volunteering in the classroom. A situation happened one day where she was made fun of by her teacher and classmates and so I wanted to write a play about that.

OM: How does the title of the play, The Monkey Jar, fit into the themes of the play?

RMH: A monkey jar is device used in Brazil to trap Tamarin monkeys. It’s a jar that has a wider bottom and a long neck so that when the monkey reaches in to take the food, it makes a fist and so it gets stuck there. All the monkey has to do to get free is let go of the food, but it won’t. So even when the hunter approaches it, it it holds fast and this helps the hunter catch it and put it in the cage. In the play, this is used as a metaphor for the education system.

OM: How long was the process for writing this play?

RMH: Well, my daughter is in the 11th grade now and this happened when she was in the 4th grade. I’ve been writing it constantly for seven years. For the last two and a half years, it has had six or seven readings around the country. It has really developed over the last couple of years. The reason it got readings is because it got selected in competition with about 5 or 6 other plays so its always been thought as positively.

OM: What is important to you in the development of a new play?

RMH: There are several things that are important: That it make sense, that it is intelligent, that it is substantial—that it has some kind of meaning and hopefully that it causes the audience to think about what they have just seen.

OM: There is a microcosm of cultures in this play. Race, sexuality, religion play a part in it. Do you expect this play to generate controversy because of this?

RMH: Well, the play takes place in an area that is presumably more liberal and tolerant. When you mix certain cultures together, sexual persuasions, they will complicate the issue and what happens, is things come up. Everybody is right and everybody is wrong–everybody has a positive aspect to what they’re saying and doing but there is also a negative aspect to it, too. The play tries to balance that turmoil and leaves the audience to figure out what the truth is, there is no right answer.

OM: How would the play be different if it was set in a different socio-economic demongraphic?

RMH: Some of the issues would be the same, but its important for me to write what I know and this was based on my experience. Some of the core issues are the same but it would be a different focus.

OM: What writers have influenced your writing?

RMH: I read a lot of plays, I like Lanford Wilson, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, David Mamet, Neil LaBute–modern playwright and the classics. I majored in economics in school. I did minor in literature, but I am now learning now about them. I go to a lot of plays.

OM:You also write a lot of 10 minute and One Act plays. How is that process different from the full length plays?

RMH: It is a different aspect of the craft of playwriting. With the shorter plays you have a limited time to develop an idea. One Act plays are situational and must be more focused. Full length plays have an arc in which characters must come to an understanding and make a change–I think that is important. Deciding to write a shorter play or a full length really depends on what the situation is at the time for the writer.

OM: Going back to your play, The Monkey Jar, what would you say is the focus of the play?

RMH: The play is textured on different levels. On a larger level, it is about the public education and how we teach in this country. Then it goes down to a more precise level: the charter school system in California and the parental involvement; and then more specifically how the parents value test scores and how the government places values on these scores rather than just learning. And then more specifically you have a student bringing a gun to school and you’re not sure why he’s done it–whether to impress a teacher with an antique or to threaten them. Then it shows how everyone is affected by it.

OM: And the result?

RMH: It’s not a black and white issue. It’s not “this is how it should be.” It is mainly to get the audience to talk about it after. This is what happened at the readings and I hope this is something that will happen after the show.

Richard Martin Hirsch is a graduate of UCLA and has written over two dozen plays for the stage. His work has been performed in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, and Spokane, as well as in other cities in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and California. He is currently a member of the Theatre 40 Professional Resident Theatre Company in Beverly Hills, California, as well as the Coronet Theatre Writers’ Lab in Los Angeles. He is also a member of the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights as well as the Dramatists Guild and the Association of Jewish Theatres. Over the years he has participated in numerous playwriting workshops as part of the UCLA Writers’ Program and at the Los Angeles Actors Theatre (led by such notable mentors as the late Miguel Piñero and Patrick Tovatt) as well as privately with the late, great Neil Flanagan.

For more information on Richard you can check him out on his website at richardmartinhirsch.com.

“THE MONKEY JAR” (THEATRE 40 in The Reuben Cordova Theatre on the Campus of Beverly Hills High School, 241 Moreno Drive – adjacent to Century City just off Little Santa Monica Blvd.) - Map

Opens February 2, plays in Repertory with “ANOTHER VERMEER” through March 9th.

Monday through Saturday at 8:00 PM and Saturday and Sunday Matinees at 2:00 PM.

Ticket prices are $20.00 Monday through Friday. All Saturday and Sunday performances are $22.00. Students and members of the 4A’s are half-price on Stand-by at the door. .

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