January
2005
PRESS RELEASE
Chicago Theatre, Equity Production
3rd in a series of 5 Arthur Miller
plays
Actors Workshop Theatre announces the
opening of
Arthur Miller’s most unique drama/vaudeville, The American Clock, a
compelling, yet irrepressible Studs Terkel-esque dreamscape, which
probes the American psyche during the most sobering time in the
nation’s history: the Great Depression.
The American Clock
by Arthur Miller
Opens
Thursday,
January 13
Runs through
Saturday,
February 5
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 8pm
Sundays 3pm & 7:30pm
Actors
Workshop Theatre
1044 W Bryn
Mawr, Chicago,
60660
773-728-7529
(PLAY)
Tickets are $20, $15 for seniors and
students
Group rates available
The American Clock, flying in the face of its serious subject matter,
is light years from being a downer. It is, in fact, downright joyous.
Taking unprecedented risks as he was approaching 70 years of age,
Miller grappled to capture the right tone for the indomitable nature of
the American spirit as time was running out on a society with boundless
potential. After years of dramaturgical shifting, Miller approached the
legendary British director, Peter Wood, who ingested the writer’s
curious mix of tragic content, an unwieldy cast of characters, the deft
use of breezy music, and the relentless rhythm of vignettes. The result
was a uniquely American vaudeville soufflé, a warm and zestful
love-letter to the bizarrely sublime optimism of those who were
struggling mightily in our darkest hour.
AWT’s intimate Edgewater storefront packs these demanding elements into
a powerful blend of theatrical stew, utilizing the cozy space and the
entire ensemble (led by Tom McElroy as narrator Arthur Robertson) to
capture the thematic verve that Miller intended and Wood unveiled. With
this work, the playwright planted his flag in uncharted stylistic
terrain, and made it his own backyard. And while most of AWT’s season
is devoted to Miller’s rarely produced recent work, this production
raises the young theatre’s stock to a new level. It is directed by
AWT’s Managing and Technical Director, Jan Ellen Graves. She is also
the company’s resident designer, and in this production, Graves has
devised an impressionistic wonder where cartoons and vaudeville sit
cozily in Miller’s lap. Please come support one of the most exciting
and innovative theatres in Chicago.
Cast:
Thomas Edson
McElroy as narrator Arthur Robertson
Also:
Tom Camacho,
Carrie Corrigan, Jason Daniels, Jim Farruggio, Johnny Garcia, Julie
Griffith, Neal Grofman, Rebekka James, Darren Jones, Laurie Koss, Theo
Marshall, Mary Ross, Dan McNamara, Lloyd Mulvey, Rick Munoz, Julie
Partyka, Ken Still, William J. Watt, Chuck Zis
Piano:
Shawn
McCartee
Stage Manager:
Kelly McLaughlin
Director:
Jan Ellen
Graves
Contact: Michael Colucci
773-728-7529 (PLAY)
colucci@actorsworkshop.org
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