About Us
This past May, Michael Quinn, MCAS ‘19, held a virtual fundraising event for his original play, Get it Together. The play was first showcased at BC in 2018 as a single-act production that was part of “New Voices,” a theater program that puts on plays written by Boston College students. Quinn penned a second act during quarantine and the complete work is now running at Zephyr Theater in Los Angeles. The first act works to establish a relationship between the two main characters while the second act investigates how time has altered their relationship.
The performance is a romance that centers around two college students, Harold and Mary, who connect as they sneak off to a separate room at a house party. The play is filled with heartfelt declarations and emotionally challenging conversations that explore the relationship between two young people trying to find themselves among the chaos of young adult life. The second act reconnects with the protagonists after a period of time and explores the effects of time on relationships and conversation.
Most of the inspiration for the play comes from Quinn’s own experiences. As someone who attended a Jesuit high school before BC, Quinn aimed to create a piece of counterculture with characters that rivaled what he believed to be the archetypal Jesuit scholar. Through one of the work’s leads, Mary, Quinn has intentionally composed a strong female voice that strives for open dialogue and portrays his views in a way that “resonates more with femininity.” Her male counterpart, Harold, is also carefully constructed as a direct contradiction to the emotional unavailability that Quinn equates with BC’s culture.
The Zoom event the alum hosted also offered a small performed snippet of the play. The two characters engage in a hypothetical argument present in the piece in order to test their theatrical abilities. The conversation centers around Harold attempting to convince Mary to get an abortion that she doesn’t agree to. Harold’s forcefulness and Mary’s defense bring a slight edge to the play, but the tension certainly is palpable. The Zoom closed with a short Q&A and a word of thanks.
Quinn’s reasoning for using abortion as a topic stems from his desire to create “high stakes drama.” Although it is used in this case, as well as many others, as merely a political talking point, the implications of an abortion extend far beyond the bounds of a climactic scene. The ramifications of the Roe v. Wade decision felt by millions further demonstrate that abortion is first and foremost a right that needs to be protected for all people. It is definitely more than a political talking point; the voices of those directly affected are the only ones that should be involved in such conversations.
The play will run from July 19th to August 7th with tickets ranging from $25-$45. Quinn, along with fellow BC alumni and stage manager Ally Lardner, LSOEHD '21, are looking to reach their goal of $13,000 to have the production filmed and make it more accessible for an audience beyond the West Coast.
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