‘Patch’ is drama of conscience

IF YOU GO:

* WHAT: “A Patch of Earth”

* WHERE: Orange Coast College Robert B. Moore Theater

* WHEN: Closing performances tonight at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m.

* COST: $7 - $8

* CALL: (714) 532-4880

Atrocities committed in a war half a world away, in which the United States (thankfully) is not involved, rarely translate into the type of headlines generated by the current situation in Iraq, though it certainly does not render them any less shocking.

Yet the wholesale slaughter of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims by members of the Serbian army a decade ago should prick the conscience of any caring human being. And playwright Kitty Felde has seen to it that this genocide does not go unnoticed in her compelling drama “A Patch of Earth.”

Felde, a graduate of UC Irvine and now an award-winning reporter with National Public Radio, specifically chose Orange Coast College as the venue for the West Coast premiere of her dramatization of a young Bosnian Croat soldier on trial for crimes against humanity committed during that struggle.

Her central figure, Drazen Erdemovic, is something of an anomaly, a Croat fighting as a mercenary for the hated Serbs -- then haunted by the ghosts of the men killed. At the cost of his marriage and family, and at risk to his life from the wrath of his wartime comrades, he insists on telling his story at a war crimes trial in the Netherlands.

OCC’s production, grippingly directed by Alex Golson, brings these atrocities front and center via some memorable performances by a huge student cast. It’s regrettable that “A Patch of Earth” is being presented for just one weekend, closing Sunday, in the college’s Robert B. Moore Theater.

The fulcrum of this arresting production is Trenton Smith’s powerfully mesmerizing performance as the conscience-stricken soldier who can’t dismiss the memory of his acts, as they continue to haunt him in the forms of faceless ghosts of the men he killed. Smith delves deeply into the agonies of his character and indelibly illustrates the war’s effect on him as a soldier, a son, a husband and father -- and, ultimately, as a human being.

Amy Barklow is poignantly effective as his loving wife who nevertheless cannot fathom his nightmares, nor his crazed mission. Andrew Vonderschmitt is exceptionally commanding as the demanding father he strives to please and ultimately alienates.

Another searing performance is rendered by Sean Engard as Drazen’s wartime buddy whose seething cruelty spills over into peacetime. Courtney Barr impresses as a barmaid eager to soothe the guilt-ridden soldier’s feelings.

Others contributing to the overall strength of the OCC production are Jennifer Stoneman as Drazen’s mother, incensed by his switch of allegiance; Averie Huffine as a sympathetic jailer, Patrick Koffel as Engard’s comrade in wrath, Emily Meade as the fair-minded trial prosecutor and James Barrett as an elderly victim of the massacre, representing the thousands of faceless corpses.

David Scaglione’s setting is a study in creative clutter, chairs piled atop one another resembling the prelude to a bonfire. Rick Golson’s mood lighting fits the production seamlessly.

Playgoers yearning for serious, mind-absorbing theater, with dramatic power behind the conscience-reaming message, should avail themselves of “A Patch of Earth” this weekend while time still allows. It is a shattering experience.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews appear Fridays.

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