About 200 students and residents of the Charleston community gathered to witness the opening night of Eastern’s production of “Master Harold and the Boys.”

The play began at 7 p.m. in the Doudna Fine Arts Center.

“Master Harold and the Boys,” a play written by Athol Fugard, is set in South Africa during the 1950s.

Master Harold, played by Aaron Lawson, is a white teenage boy who holds remorse toward his drunken and crippled father.

To escape his troubles, Harold befriends two African American workers in his mother’s tea shop. Sam, the elder of the two workers, portrayed by Andrew Reaves, tries incessantly to cheer Harold’s spirits by building him a kite so he can “look up at the world, instead of always looking down.”

Willie, the younger worker, played by Marcus Hendricks, always treats Harold with the utmost respect by always calling him “Master Harold.”

The friendships between Sam, Willie and Harold take a turn for the worse once Harold finds out that his father will be returning home from the hospital and once again dampening his life.

Sam explains to Harold that he should hold respect for his father. Harold then vents his anger toward his father on Sam and Willie, creating friction between the three that grows deeper and deeper throughout the rest of the play.

Rachael Savas, a freshman marketing major, mentioned that she read the play before attending the performance.

“I thought that the actors did a really good job portraying the script,” she said.

Freshman undeclared major Kim Byers agreed and commented that the actors “were very smooth and skilled.”

A talkback was held after the performance. The talkback was an interactive discussion on the history of South African and the legacy of Apartheid.

The talkback featured Eastern history professor Roger Beck.

John Oertling, chair of the theatre department, said that the talkback is part of the department’s goal to gain more community involvement.

“(With the talkback), we’re hoping to open the community up to our plays,” he said.

“Master Harold and the Boys” will be performed Thursday through Saturday at 7 p.m. and on Sunday at 2 p.m.