August
2004
PRESS RELEASE
AWT announces the opening of Arthur Miller’s compelling drama, Broken Glass, on Sunday, September 26, 3pm, at its
intimate storefront in the Bryn Mawr Historic District. AWT’s first
show of the season, it features ensemble member, Tom McElroy, as Dr.
Harry Hyman. Runs: Thu, Fri, Sat at
8pm, Sun at 3pm. with an add’l show at 7pm on closing day, Oct 24.
A relentlessly intelligent piece of work, this play zeroes in on a
microscopic slice of a cosmic event. Set in the late 1930s with the
inexorable reality of Nazi Germany and the coming war, a beautiful wife
in Brooklyn suddenly and mysteriously is unable to walk. Amidst this
powerful set-up, Miller turns his glare of truth on the couple’s
lengthy sexual
dysfunction. He probes with sublime compassion into their frayed union,
while forcefully establishing the consequences of denial and
repression. This is an eviscerating drama from America’s foremost
playwright.
The Actors
Workshop
Theatre’s season schedule for 2004/2005 also includes:
The
Last Yankee (’93) (November 14–December
12)
(featuring Roslyn Alexander and Sam Perry as Karen and John Frick, and
Jan Ellen Graves as Patricia Hamilton) A small gem with huge heart, it
premiered at the Manhattan Theatre Club to critical acclaim
The
American Clock (’80) (January 9–February 6)
directed by Jan Ellen Graves
(featuring Tom McElroy as narrator Arthur Robertson and the AWT
ensemble portraying 50+ roles) Miller’s compassionate love letter to
the indomitable American spirit is more timely than ever
The
Ride Down Mt. Morgan (’91) (February 27–March 27)
(featuring Jan Ellen Graves as wife #1 and Tom McElroy as bigamist
Lyman Felt) A wry dark comedy about the greed of the ’80s laid
threadbare, frayed, and…damn near justified
All
My
Sons (’47) (April 17–May 15)
directed by Michael Colucci
(featuring Marisa Sanders, Jason Daniels, Jan Ellen Graves, and Tom
McElroy as Joe Keller) In AWT’s design, the entire theatre becomes the
Keller backyard, with nowhere to hide the skeletons
Fresh from a critically-acclaimed inaugural season, the AWT embraces
the challenge of presenting a full season of five plays, all Arthur
Miller, focusing primarily on his seldom seen latter period, and a
completely innovative staging of his first major success, All My Sons. This is an ideal time
to take another look at these more recent, rarely produced fine plays,
especially considering Miller’s brand new work will be receiving its
world-premiere this fall at the Goodman Theatre.
AWT plans to do traditional stagings of the 1990s plays Broken Glass, The Last Yankee, and The Ride Down Mt. Morgan. For The American Clock and All My Sons, however, some
innovations will be utilized. Rather than regard its modest black box
as a limitation, AWT proactively chooses, not merely to take risks, but
to break new ground with intimacy and innovation. For example, in The American Clock, a small
rectangular room with 40 seats and a compact stage morphs into a
desperate swirl of depression-era vignettes, from a dark teetering
Manhattan to a ravaged Iowa farm.
Similarly, AWT will implement unique design elements for All My Sons. The ample warmth of
its storefront in the Bryn Mawr Historic District will plop-you-down
and settle-you-in to the emotionally charged backyard of the Keller
family, possibly seated next to old Joe himself as he waxes and weaves
a web of philosophical self-justification. And this early Miller
classic will never have looked so fresh and new.
Finally, the latest addition to the AWT ensemble is one of Chicago’s
finest actors, Tom McElroy. Both leading man and tough character,m Tom
has a substantial list of impressive credits over decades at dozens of
Chicago’s top theatres. This season however, AWT has willfully
attempted to monopolize his time and talent. Tom is at the top of his
game and his decision to join AWT may be indicative of the potential of
this grass roots theatre. Or maybe it’s just luck. Either way, AWT is
thrilled.
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