Running in Place
Review of the Scirocco Drama Kindle eBook edition (July 21, 2022)

I usually only read plays that I have seen or am planning on seeing. I had missed The Runner when it premiered in Toronto a few years ago, but it came on my radar when I read about its planned 2024 performances being cancelled in British Columbia, Canada at Vancouver Festival drops play The Runner over Gaza tension in second cancellation by The Canadian Press, January 14, 2024.

I don't know about you, but if a book or play is banned or cancelled that makes me even more intrigued to read it or see it. Despite the perceived controversy, The Runner seeks to take a compassionate view as the one-person monologue involves an Israeli ZAKA (an abbreviation of the transliterated Hebrew for "Disaster Victim Identification") volunteer giving triage paramedical assistance to a suspected terrorist and then being criticized for it by family and co-workers.

This is a very short play and there isn't that much more to it. I think it would be more impactful through its staging (rather than on the page). That incorporates lighting and sound effects along with the performance being done on an active extra-long treadmill which slows or speeds up as required, with the actor then forced to run accordingly. ( )