We're working on a production of Ike Holter's play Hit the Wall and I prepared this synopsis for the program.
24 Hours of Change (A Synopsis with Time Stamps)
Time and temperature announcements in Hit the Wall offer a sense of specific moments in the lives of these characters, with some connection to actual weather reports and to times recorded in police reports. Tano’s tendency to use clock positions to indicate direction offer a humorous counterpoint to the numerous time stamps in the play.
Friday, June 27, 1969. Noon: “Hot Fun in the Summertime.” Tano and Mika comment on other characters including Newbie, Roberta, Cliff, and Carson.
1:30 PM: Carson and Cliff attend Judy Garland’s funeral. Their presence upsets Madeline.
3:30 PM: Peg asks Tano and Mika for assistance. “Concerned citizen” Alex offers help, at the cost of violence and erasure. Peg then unwittingly attends Roberta's W.I.L.D. meeting. A-Gay invites Newbie to his apartment. Several characters make plans to meet at the Stonewall Inn near midnight.
11:30 PM: Outside of Stonewall. Alex sets the scene. Carson and Cliff arrive at the bar.
Saturday, June 28. Midnight: “I Need a Drink.” / The Stonewall Inn. Dance party.
1:30 AM: The Raid. Most characters exit the bar. Cop assaults Peg and Carson in the bathroom.
1:45 AM: Outside Stonewall. People gather. Peg, handcuffed, shouts “No More Watching” and is beaten.
1:55 AM: A Riot. Crowd surges.
3:00 AM/2:15 AM: Riot Squad and tear gas. Roberta urges crowd not to retreat and makes phone calls to the press. Madeline searches for the police station. Cliff searches for Carson. Tano searches for Mika. A-Gay searches for sex and is rebuffed.
3:45 AM: Madeline finds Peg at the police station and offers help, at the cost of erasure. They lose each other again.
4:45 AM: Mika and Tano connect with Roberta. Newbie reflects on the past and the future.
