“Lovers” – a story of love, hope and the uncertainties of life – comes to Price Theater Nov. 29–Dec. 2.

Written by Brian Friel, who is considered to be Ireland's greatest living playwright, “Lovers” centers around two Irish teenagers who find themselves in a predicament.

“They have been expelled from their respective Catholic schools because Maggie has become pregnant,” said Kim Barber Knoll, director and Chair of the Theatre Arts Department. “They are being allowed to take their final exams.”

They meet on a hill to study, something that is very important to Joseph.

“He wants to be a math teacher, and he is very passionate about education,” said Joseph Thomas, a senior theatre major. “His life has changed because Mag has gotten pregnant. He is being forced to give up his dream, and become a man.”

But Maggie has other goals and dreams.

“Mag is very much in the moment,” said Sarah Joy Richards, a junior theatre and English double major. “She’s lively, chatty and doesn’t take things too seriously. She has a huge heart that she wears on her sleeve.”

Framing the story are two narrators, portrayed by Joanna Meyer and D.J. Grooms, both juniors. They deliver the facts, much like newscasters reporting a story.

Joanna said remaining impassive and removed from the action is difficult.

“It’s hard not to get emotionally invested in what you’re hearing,” she said. “You have to stay completely in the words.”

D.J. said the challenge of the play is to “unlearn” a lot of his training.

“Usually as an actor, you are supposed to always listen to what the other actors are saying and doing, and react to that,” he said. “Here, I can’t do that. I’ve learned to just read along with the words and try not to listen to them. It’s just the words.”

Friel also is the author of the Tony-award winner “Dancing at Lughnasa,” “Faith Healer” and “Translations.” Knoll said Friel has commented that the play isn’t about what really happens to the couple.  “Lovers” is actually two one-acts, one titled “Winners,” the other called “Losers.”  

“We are doing the first one-act, ‘Winners.’  The title reflects the idea that these two young lovers are still filled with hopes and dreams of their lives together, which makes what happens to them even more tragic, and makes the play so moving.  There is a shocking revelation midway through the piece that shocks us and changes everything.”

Learning the Irish accent wasn’t exactly easy, said Sarah Joy.

“Professor Knoll worked with us using Irish dialect recordings on our first rehearsal.  We learned vowel pronunciations and spoke lines and dialogue along with an Irish dialect specialist,” she said. “I giggled a lot at the beginning because I thought what they sounded like was silly, but it all started to make sense once we picked up the script.”

And Knoll said she is pleased with the result.

“They’ve both worked very hard to get this accent right, and the accent sounds very natural on both of them.”

However, this black box presentation will not be performed in the theater’s usual upstairs black box space.

“We’ve created a black box theatre on the main stage of Price,” Knoll said. “The seating will be onstage as well. This will allow us a little more flexibility with lighting and staging, and it will be a more intimate experience for the audience.”

The student actors said they’ve been moved by “Lovers.”

“As their relationship develops, I almost feel guilty because I know what is coming,” said Joanna. “But they have such hope, even in the bad times.”

D.J. agrees.

“It’s reminded me how important it is to enjoy what you have because you might not always have it.”

“Lovers” runs Nov. 29–Dec. 2, with showtimes at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and shows at 6 and 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for non-LC students and senior citizens.  For more information or to buy tickets, call the box office at (706) 880-8080.  The box office will be open Monday and Tuesday before closing for Thanksgiving break. It will reopen Nov. 28.