I have an interview with Fresno State theater prof Edward EmanuEl in Friday's 7 section about the new production of "Slaughter of the Innocents" opening today. This will be a rare chance to see one of William Saroyan's little-known plays, this one written at the height of the McCarthyism era. Here's a continuation of the interview:

Talk about your concept for the production.

Saroyan doesn't provide any information as to where the play is set or in what period or in what season. All of this is left up to the production company to provide for the audience. I decided to set the play at Christmas on an island republic in the Caribbean.

Christmas is a time for brotherhood and good will toward all people and by setting the play at Christmas we created a sense of dramatic tension between the season and the subject of the play. Also, Saroyan hints that there is a strong religious attitude in the play which is not fully explained. One accused is a young man who only defends himself by saying, "Happy Birthday. Get born." This character is executed but he keeps returning to the play. There is a strong theme of self sacrifice in the play as well.

How do the show's creative elements -- costumes, lighting, sets, sound -- fit in with that concept?

To match the Caribbean theme of the play, our set designer has created is island bar. To match the Expressionism scenes in the play the lighting and sound designers have developed a nightmarish combination of effects to highlight the horror of the mass executions. The costume design gives us the feeling that the island is very poor and easily dominated by a ruthless government.

Can you give us some background on where Saroyan stood politically during this time?

My interpretation of Saroyan's politics at the time he wrote Slaughter of The Innocents is that he was very much against the abuse of federal power. His most famous play, Time Of Your Life, takes place in a bar and I think Saroyan demonstrates his populist leanings by creating a microcosm of society that can be found in a bar.

What did he say or write about this play?

It is very difficult to find any specific Saroyan comments about this play. I believe Archie, the owner of the bar speaks for Saroyan and in our play, Archie has a great deal to say about power hungry politicians who put politics before people.

What's your view on the play's contemporary relevance?

All you have to do is read the headlines in any newspaper in the country and we can see that democracy is under a lot of pressure in many parts of the world. One country in particular which was making great strides toward democratic reform appears to be returning to its autocratic ways; Russia. The free press is all but dead in that country. Political leaders who oppose the party in power have been thrown in jail and there is a genuine hostility toward the West.

As director, what's the greatest challenge to making this play work?

The first challenge we had to meet was the short rehearsal period which is characteristic of our first Fall production. We all have to be very efficient and dedicated to meeting our October 3 opening deadline. The next great challenge was working with the material. There are certain dramatic flaws in the script which must be dealt with theatrically in order to make sense out of the
play.

There are different ways to look at the McCarthy era. An optimist might say that the events of those times show that the United States is basically a self-righting society -- that while there are times when extremists take control, the general common-sense temperament of the nation finally prevails. A pessimist might say that just the fact that civil liberties can be put at jeopardy demonstrates a flaw in the system, and that we might not be so lucky next time. Where do you stand?

I'm an optimist only because I can look back to the 1950s from my position in the 21st century. I watched extremism raise its ugly head and then the democratic strength that is our bulwark against despotism corrected the extremism. Saroyan did not have the advantage of distance when he responded to extremism with Slaughter of The Innocents.

Anything else you want to say about the play or your production?

This is a very unique play even though it is not one of Saroyan's best. It demonstrates a dramatic side of Saroyan that few people have ever witnessed and for that reason the play ought to be seen even though the flaws in the drama are very apparent. In a few ways the play reflects some of Saroyan's notable themes; humanity will ultimately triumph and show its good side to the world. The play takes place in a bar where Saroyan loves to write about the common people who knows makes up society's strength.