It is said that there are two sides to every story, but rarely do we get to experience both sides in intimate detail. Donna-Michelle St. Bernard’s 3 Fingers Back allows us to do just that. A pairing of two plays, expertly co-directed by Yvette Nolan and Cole Alvis, 3 Fingers Back asks us to bear witness not only to the horrors faced by two young women who are incarcerated, but also to the pressures and politics which create the ones committing these heinous acts. Powerful and poignant, 3 Fingers Back will stay with you long after the performance has come to a close.

3 Fingers Back is comprised of two portions of St. Bernard’s 54ology; a series of plays to represent each country in the African continent. Give It Up and The Smell of Horses could easily be stand-alone one act plays; told in tandem as they are with 3 Fingers Back, gives each one a life inside the other. Give It Up focuses on two incarcerated young women who are part of an all-female rebellion called The Sarahs. Both were on their way to meet their leader to warn her of an impending attack when they were captured. As they negotiate their potential fates while enduring unending torture, we witness their united strength in the face of oppression. The Smell of Horses focuses on the oppressors, the men of the militia who are holding and torturing these young women. Inside this outpost we find a whole other set of issues: toxic masculinity and homophobia run rampant, and the understanding that their authority is being stripped away is a reality they refuse to face. For them, power and violence go hand in hand, no matter the incalculable cost.

The strength of 3 Fingers Back lies in how it’s structured. Throughout Give It Up, I was mystified as to why there were set changes happening on the left side of the stage which wasn’t being used; I understood why we could often see other soldiers through the cell bars who we hadn’t been introduced to, but to move around the set into these strange configurations while our attention was to be elsewhere was initially baffling. That is, until The Smell of Horses began, and we can see the two girls in their cells, but only their silhouettes against the cell walls, and now our attention is being drawn to that room on the left side of the stage. Suddenly it clicks: these two stories are happening at the same time in the same place, and now we get the other side of the story. The brilliance is undeniable as it both reinforces and subverts the opinions we’ve formed in each part of the play.

I want to make special mention of Aria Evans’ impressive movement and intimacy direction in this production. Both pieces have moments of beautiful, impactful movement pieces performed by the characters which adds a whole other level of storytelling to an already detailed and intricate story. Both the young women and one of their captors, Saad, use their movement pieces to remind them of who they are and ground them in moments of fear.

The set design of 3 Fingers Back is both recognizable and foreign, of a place yet nowhere in particular. With multiple levels and playing spaces, this set is as functional as it is fascinating. César El Hayeck’s design includes the cell where the women are being held, a military base office, and a tunnel running underneath the main part of the stage. It’s incredible to watch the actors navigate the terrain of the set, or to be trapped in a small section of it; there is a pointed difference in the space allotted to the performers of each piece.

3 Fingers Back has a tremendously talented cast bringing these stories to life. Tsholo Khalema’s character Saad is the only character to play an active role in both stories, giving Khalema’s talent plenty of time to shine. He gives Saad a kindness, innocence, and heart which endears him to the audience. Give It Up features Uche Ama as Yol and Megan Legesse as Ada. Ama’s performance radiates with the strength and experience of her character; she’s a powerhouse performer. Legesse’s Ada is a perfect foil to Yol, and Legesse exudes the innocence and hope her character needs. The Smell of Horses features Christopher Bautista as Adam and Indrit Kasapi as Beech. Kasapi delivers an intense and passionate performance, bringing terror into the lives of the captives and Saad alike. Bautista’s comedic timing gives The Smell of Horses a very different vibe than Give It Up, while maintaining the toxic masculinity we see passed down the chain of command. Both Bautista and Kasapi have the impressive ability to be intimidating one moment and charming or funny the next, giving them a dangerous edge for the other characters to navigate.

3 Fingers Back brilliantly deploys the same ending for both plays, leaving us torn between the sense of hope it provides, and the sense that nothing will change for a long while. This dichotomy is emblematic of the myriad dualities present throughout the production, allowing insight from multiple perspectives. 3 Fingers Back is an experience not to be missed. Running until March 24th in the Tarragon Theatre Extraspace, you’ll want to make sure you take part in another impressive piece of the 54ology. For more information and tickets, visit: https://tarragontheatre.com/plays/current-season/upcoming/3-fingers-back/

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Cover Photo: Tsholo Khalema, Christopher Bautista and Indrit Kasapi in 3 Fingers Back – Tarragon Theatre 2024 – Photo by Jae Yang

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