We got back from the opening of Piper Theatre Productions' "apprentice" production of Macbeth in Untermeyer Park in Yonkers a little while ago.

If you click here, you'll see Duncan's picture at the top of the page. He played Macduff, Hecate and a murderer, and was featured in the posters for the show, which are hanging in storefronts and stapled to telephone poles around Hastings and neighboring towns. I asked him earlier tonight how it felt to see his face plastered everywhere. He just laughed. But when a young lady he didn't know came to the play tonight wearing a T-shirt with his face on it, I think it's fair to say that he was duly blown away — much more so than seeing himself on national TV last week.

I thought the performance was masterful. Director John McEneny is not only a creative genius, but also is able to push kids right to their limits. This was only the thirteenth day that the cast was together. They all delivered their lines beautifully, from leads Andrew Yee and Dana O'Brien straight through to 8-year-old Olivia Winter, who plays a child of Macduff (Duncan), who is stabbed by a murderer (also Duncan, but that's what suspension of disbelief is all about). The staging and choreography — utilizing the boulders, trees, walls, and parapets that dot the landscape — seemed as smooth as a professional production. John used four different areas of Untermeyer, which the audience walked to between scenes.

Untermeyer is one of the grand estates that was built along the Hudson in the Nineteenth Century. It is gradually being restored by the City of Yonkers. In the 1970s, though, it was the run-down gathering spot for the demonic cult to which Samuel Berkowitz, the notorius "Son of Sam" killer, belonged. It was also a hangout for Carrick and some of her drug-using friends five years ago. I also spent a long day searching for her there the first time she ran away from home for more than a few hours.

It was interesting to listen to Duncan talk about the show develop on our car rides home from rehearsal, which started July 19.

"John thinks we're professional actors," he said more than once, "and we're just a bunch of kids."

But in the three years he's worked with John, Duncan and the other returning cast members have developed a trust that is impossible to quantify. And everything that they thought would be impossible to pull off just a few days ago was executed seamlessly tonight.

Not everything we do has a drug angle, but sure enough, there's one here. All of the kids sign contracts promising not to use drugs or alcohol. If Duncan, or any of the key cast members, violated that agreement and a suitable replacement could not be found in time, the McEnenys would not have hesitated to pull the plug on the run despite all the advance publicity and the heartbreak it would cause.

"We are an educational program first," Rachel told us when there was an unfounded rumor that some kids might have violated the contract. "Some things just can't be compromised."

I've heard about star athletes who violate their codes of conduct getting special treatment at various schools across the country, and I wonder what message that sends not only to them but also to everyone who sees what's happening. In Hastings, over the years, some athletes or "peer leaders" who have signed pledges to not drink alcohol have been the leaders of the keg parties in the woods.

It's not only takes a stiff backbone to enforce rules like these, it takes a love for children that goes beyond transitory gains like an athletic victory, or keeping parents happy. I will be the first admit that I would have been devastated if tonight's performance was cancelled because Duncan or another kid popped some pills or had a few beers. But it would have been the right decision, and knowing that the McEnenys would have made it gives me insight into the trust that the kids feel for John.

If you're in the area, Macbeth will be at Untermeyer Park Friday, August 5 and Saturday, August 6 at 7:30 PM, and at the Yonkers Public Library at 2:00 PM Saturday. Directions to both venues can be found at the Piper Theatre site.