You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running is a collection of four one act plays. I first became aware of this play about ten years ago when, as part of a night of one acts, I was cast as the highly malleable actor, Richard Pawling, in the first segment entitled, The Shock of Recognition. I later found the entire piece in the local library and discovered the other playlets to be equally entertaining.

The playwright, Robert Anderson, was born in 1917 and was about 50 when this play premiered in the late 1960's, a decade during which the baby-boomer generaton loudly and publicly questioned society's traditional beliefs on war, religion, politics, sexual mores, etc. With the possible exception of the fourth playlet, the author's intellectual struggle between his "traditional" upbringing and the more "modern" ideas of the decade is mirrored in a series of intelligent, insightful, frank, and surprisingly balanced "debates" between our principal characters. The net result is a very witty, and sometimes poignant look at how our disparate idealogies can interfere with interpersonal communications and very talented cast of actors capable of expressing the comic and dramatic elements of this play with equal dexterity. Since the play is deeply rooted in the 1960's, I ahve chosen to introduce each playlet with a relevant contemporary song from the popular folk duo, Simon and Garfunkel.

I would like to thank the BCT Board ofand the artistic, technical, production, and house staffs for their hard work in bringing this production to you. I especially wish to acknowledge the incredible organizational talents of our producer Lin Mascia. I first met Lin 14 years ago during the Bowie Musicomedy production of 1776, and she encouraged me to submit my name o BCT as a potential director for the current season. Thanks also are due to my wife Adele, for taking on the formidable role of stage Manager.

I hope that you wil find this production not only entertaining but thought-provioking as well.