BRIEF: 'Rat in the Skull' to open tonight

The play, which has just four actors, dramatizes the interrogation of a suspected member of the Irish Republican Army by London police officers, part of the ongoing struggle between Britain and Northern Ireland. Neil Smith, an exchange student from Edinburgh who was once affiliated with the Edinburgh University Theatre Company, said last night that it is ironic that the play is starting around the same time that the United States may be going to war with Iraq. "There has been a quasi-war going on in Ireland for almost a decade," Smith said. What is unique about the show is that the audience participates in it, according to Smith. Following each performance, the actors and the audience discuss the play and the issues it raises, he said. Smith said that he hopes that the play allows people to gain a better understanding of the issues confronting Northern Ireland. Toby Gough, an Edinburgh University student and one of the actors and producers of the play, said that the audience interaction is essential to the play's success. "The play needs discussion," said Gough. "So much is provoked and so much is left up in the air, that it is nice to tie it all together." The show is part of an ongoing theater arts exchange between Edinburgh University and the University, which began with the Edinburgh production of Nickel Opera and the Penn production of The Tempest. Tickets are still available for all shows and are on sale for $5 at the Annenberg Center box office. -- Stephanie Desmon

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