Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, VA  2009

Kelsey Landes and Brent Anders as Jake and Charlie

In Marie Jones’ Stones in His Pockets, Charlie and Jake are a pair of Irish lads, down on their luck, but convinced that working as extras is just the first step on their road to stardom. Charlie has a screenplay he wants to sell and Jake is soon approached by the beautiful American star of the film, who has a reputation for “going native” on her location shoots. But when filming is threatened by the intrusion of reality, the tension between the demands of Hollywood illusion and day-to-day life in a small, Irish village generates some surprising complications.  In a highly theatrical way, this play about the way Hollywood creates Ireland becomes a play in which Ireland returns the favor – and reclaims some of its messy, un-cinematic authenticity in the process. 

Kelsey Landes and Brent Anders