Live and in person at the Hamilton Fringe Festival, Hamilton, Ont. Playing until July 27, 2024.
Written and starring David M. Proctor
Directed by Marlon Burnley and David M. Proctor
Costumes by Karen Marie
Scenic and lighting design by Tatiana Magloire
Sound by Moise Laporte
A stirring, heartfelt story of redemption and forgiveness with some hands-on information about being a trucker.
Matt Cooke has had a difficult life. He’s thoughtful, tempered and has devoted his life for working for the betterment of others. In the various jobs he’s had, he reads the manuals of the companies and notes when management skips details that disadvantage the workers. His diligence has gotten rid of sloppy managers while he keeps his job.
He spent three semesters at university studying philosophy and religion. He wanted to be an actor but never seemed to go past the call-back. He got a job as a trucker where he spent most of his life. We learn that ‘the hammer lane’ is the left lane used for passing. That lane is forbidden to truckers. This never stops Matt who used it often, until perhaps he had a near fatal situation where he thought he might have caused the death of a minister. Matt told his mother that God was looking out for that minister. His mother said that God was looking out for Matt.
Matt has always lived outside of the rules, good intentions notwithstanding. Perhaps that’s why when we meet him, he’s seeing his third therapist. He tells his story and deflects parts of it that are too painful to deal with at the time.
We also meet Matt’s father Clarence, both played with detail and nuance by David M. Proctor, who also wrote this play. Clarence has always been hard on Matt, chiding him for taking such dangerous chances in life (going out in a thunderstorm to look at lightening, for example) and generally being a disappointment—never keeping in touch etc. One wonders if Matt was absent because his father was so critical.
David M. Proctor’s writing for Matt is vivid, smart and so erudite—this is a man who thinks before he speaks and is mindful of how important it is to represent his colleagues in arbitration. His writing for Clarence creates the beautiful expressions of an elderly Blackman, it’s almost a patois, with interesting turns of phrases. While David M. Proctor is Black and the characters are Black, the story is universal—a son desperate for his father’s approval and always coming up short.
Grabbing the Hammer Lane—A trucker narrative presents a balanced unfolding of the story. David M. Proctor presents it with dignity, grace and compassion.
The Hamilton Fringe Presents:
Plays until July 25, 26, 27.
Running time: 60 minutes.