February 27, 28 and March 1, Tawes Theatre will host The American Clock by Arthur Miller. Like many of Miller's works, the play explores the decline of the American Dream.
Director, Professo Tim Maloney said of the play, "Arthur Miller subtitled The American Clock a 'mural for the Theatre.' Adapting much of the content of the play from Studs Terkel's book of interviews on the Great Depression, Hard Times, Miller has created a striking picture of the economic and social upheaval that engulfed America between 1929 and World War II."
He continued, "The sharp decline in the stock market, corporate greed and mismanagement, unemployment and social unease that characterize the Depression years are not strangers in 2003. Miller's play is more than a portrait of an earlier time. It is a mirror to our own."
The Washington College production incorporates live music, dance, slide projections and video to recreate the tone and mood of the period and to strengthen the parallel to our own time.
Actor Michael Moore joked, "My shimmy sucks!" in regard to his early difficulties with the choreography in the first run-through of the period song "We're in the Money."
However, his hoofing soon improved after kind words from his cast mates and onlooker Professor Dale Daigle.
Professor Jason Rubin designed the rather utilitarian set - a unique setup of metal and wood staircases, platforms and a bridge.
Larry Stahl, the theatre's new technical director, welded together most of the set himself with some help from the drama majors.
Actress Kate Bernstein commented, "Most of us now know how to spot-weld thanks to Larry. The show has made the cast work hard and stay up late, but [Maloney] is an amazing director."
Britt Petzold, also an actress, said, "[Maloney] is a visionary director. The cast is a family unit, and very supportive of each other."
The show features an unusually large cast: Bernstein, Jill Coste, Jillian Fletcher (also the show's choreographer), Allison Heishman, Lindsay Thornton, Petzold, Sarah Middleton and Sarah Johnson.
The list of actors also includes Lynn Pistone, Heather Martin, Robyn Nuttall, Ginny Rowley, Sarah Snyder, Liz Dellorusso, Chuck Sikorski, John Beck, Noah Cook and Tom Clancy.
Stage manager Chris Matthews stated, "This is my first show stage managing, and I have just as much responsibility as to what happens on stage when I was acting, just in a different way."
Matthews further explained, "We've been in rehearsals since the middle of January, mostly three and four hours at a time. It's been tough, but everything is coming together and it's amazing to see."
Co-lighting designer Andrew Cowles discussed the aspects of the production: "The hardest thing about this show is [Maloney's] style - he's so free and allows his actors to do many different things.You have to anticipate the variety of things an actor could do, in relation to the lights and their location."
He added, "The show is very good, with a variety of layers, like most written by Miller. The production is breaking new ground here - greater magnitude, but that works to the show's advantage. [Maloney] is the right person to handle such an ambitious show, and he has a wonderful cast and crew behind him."
Maloney addressed his cast during rehearsal, distilling the major themes: "The show is about the American Dream, as it crashes down into the American reality. Everyone in the cast remains on stage the full time because everyone is a participant in this story, just like life."
The show will begin at 8 p.m. Tomorrow, Friday and Saturday.
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