By John Lyle Belden

How you feel about October 7, 2023, will affect how you respond to “Escalation Time,” an intimate drama at The District Theatre, written by and starring Francesca Root-Dodson with Reuben Barsky and Ray Graham, directed by Molly Shayna Cohen.

East-coast liberal academics Zev (Barsky), a History professor approaching tenure, and Kate (Root-Dodson), an adjunct professor, are married and seem happy – though her wanting to have a child appears to be causing some tension. Then, on that October day, they witness the Hamas attacks in Isreal, just outside Gaza, on their televisions. As the world changes, so does theirs.

From a Jewish family, though non-practicing, Zev is moved by the horrors of the initial attack and hostage-taking. In the days to come, he embraces his heritage with others at the university as they deal with growing antisemitism.  

Kate, who is Russian and whose godfather, Classics professor Jim (Graham), was once part of the Weather Underground, feels for the citizens of Gaza who are caught in the ongoing conflict. She spends evenings with a student protest group, and the rest of her time glued to the videos of death and destruction on her smartphone.

However, this play is about more than global politics or the value of different peoples’ lives. These events strike at the faultlines that were already present, and easy to ignore, in Kate and Zev’s relationship. She is profoundly affected, and likely in need of mental health counseling – something he firmly doesn’t believe in. For his part, what had seemed just a contrarian streak shifts into more conservative attitudes he had ignored or kept hidden all along.

New Yorkers Root-Dodson and Barsky present their roles with well-practiced ease, allowing us to sense the love between their characters, as well as the pain of its fracturing. Local actor Graham, his character wizened and with a “terrorist” past, brings a unique perspective. Being three persons in America yet without strict allegiance to it helps us see their feelings on events half a world away more clearly.

The stage set is the couple’s living room, appropriately littered with multiple stacks of books. Thousands of words surrounding them, yet solutions remain elusive and communication a battle.

“Thought provoking” is an understatement for this engaging piece of theatre. “Escalation Time” has performances Thursday, Friday and twice Saturday, May 21-23, at The District Theatre, 627 Massachusetts Ave., Indianapolis. Get tickets at indydistricttheatre.org.