SF Olympians

Some things change. Tiffany no longer tops the charts. We drive cars to the office instead of mules through the crops. The ‘caesar’ hair cut seems to keep going in and out of style. And some things don’t change. Ever since we learned how to be violent, we also learned how to protect ourselves, particularly our heads. The helmet has been an invaluable piece of armor for centuries. Soldiers in Afghanistan wear them today; soldiers wore them in the 100 Years War; and the Greeks and Trojans wore them for the ten years they battled on bloody fields for one man’s cause. A helmet not only protects the brain, but also your memories, and what makes you who you are.

In Meg O’Connor’s one act, two children play in the field after a battle. They discover a helmet that has been left behind, and with it, reenact the battle that just took place. They discover it is easy to find something out of nothing to fight for, and even die for.

THE HELMET by Meg O’Connor
Directed by Robert Estes
staged reading Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Colleen Egan (Stage Directions)

Don Hardwick (Boy)

Michelle Talgarow (Girl)

Meg O’Connor is so proud to return to the Olympians Festival for the fourth year in a row, twice as an actor, and twice as a playwright. She received her BA in Creative Writing with an emphasis in Playwriting, and a minor in music from the University of San Francisco. Her play In the Wings was included in Behind The Curtain: Three Backstage Comedies in March at the EXIT Theater. Her play Tethys, or In the Deep was included in last year’s Olympian’s Festival: Titans Vs. Olympians. She is a founding member of Inkblot Ensemble, with whom she developed and co-wrote Satellites, included in the 2011 furyFactory. Her play All’s Fair (co-written with Jess Thomas) was produced by Antistrophe Ensemble (now Inkblot) in 2009. Her short Shakespeare in Therapy was selected for DramSoc’s 2005 One Act Festival at University College Dublin, Ireland. She has received readings by USF’s College Players, and several of her shorts were selected for their Gill-O-Tine One Axe Festivals and The Other Plays. She has directed for SF Theater Pub, BOA, The Cutting Ball Theater, and USF College Players. She is also a member of Chinese Ballroom Comedy Improv, and a founding member of Polka Dot Robot, where she makes hand made goods for happy humans. Meg loves long days in the park, avoiding conflict, and her fiancee, Kevin. *Thanks to Cody Rishell for the artistic rendition of my face.

The piece of art for The Helmet was created by Cody A. Rishell!