Creating an Audience for Community Theatre: a Case Study of Night of the Living Dead at the Roadhouse Theatre

Home , David Auburn, David Mamet, John Cameron Mitchell, Little Theatre Movement, Living Dead, Moss Hart

CREATING AN AUDIENCE FOR COMMUNITY THEATRE: A CASE STUDY OF NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD AT THE ROADHOUSE THEATRE

Robert Connick

A Thesis

Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

MASTER OF ARTS

August 2007

Committee:

Ron Shields, Advisor

Steve Boone

Eileen Cherry Chandler

Robert M. Connick

ABSTRACT

Ronald Shields, Advisor

The Roadhouse Theatre for Contemporary Art, located in Erie,

Pennsylvania, combines theatre and film as their primary form of artistic development in

the Erie community. Through hosting film festivals and adapting film scripts for the

stage, the Roadhouse brings cinematic qualities into its theatrical productions in an effort

to reach a specific market in Erie. This study focused on the Roadhouse’s production

history and highlights one particular work that has developed from there into a production available for national publication and distribution: Lori Allen Ohm’s stage adaptation of Night of the Living Dead. The success of this play provided the Roadhouse

with criteria to meet four aspects that Richard Somerset-Ward lists as necessary for

successful community theatres. This study examined how Night of the Living Dead developed at the Roadhouse Theatre and the aspects of the script that have made it successful at other theatres across the country. By looking at themes found in the script, I presented an argument for the play’s scholarly relevance. By creating a script with national interest and relevance, Lori Allen Ohm and the Roadhouse Theatre created an historical legacy that established the theatre as one that reached its local audience while also providing something new and worthwhile to American theatre as a whole.

George Romero and John Russo’s 1968 film Night of the Living Dead provided critics with a means of problematizing many aspects of American society. In 2000, Lori

Allen Ohm created a stage adaptation of this film for the Roadhouse Theatre for

Contemporary Art in Erie, Pennsylvania. Her script brought out many of these same iv

critiques. For this study, I examined three themes that relate to current American fears: humanity vs. society, humanity vs. technology, and humanity vs. the “other.” I provided examples from previous scholarship on the film for these themes and specified selections from the play script which show these themes at work in the text. v

To Jesi, April, and Taylor. vi

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Without the support and help from my caring wife, Jessica, this project never would have developed. She pushed me to return to school, and I can never properly repay her for that. Having two children running through the house while working on my degree has also helped tremendously. They have kept me focused on getting my work done when it would have been easy to get distracted. My parents, Tom and Wendy

Shearer, have also provided me with guidance and encouragement when needed. Jesi’s parents, Mike and Sandy Schmader, have been my most vocal supporters throughout this process. All of their support helped more than I can place into words here.

Steven A. Balsomico recommended Bowling Green State University to me, and I am grateful for his advice. By being here when we moved here, he helped ease the transition process for our family and gave me someone to watch as he made it through the same process I would be following him through. Without his input and recommendation, I may not have considered moving this far to pursue my degree, and would have missed the great program and faculty here.

Dr. Ron Shields gave me exactly the type of direction I needed with this project.

He managed to motivate and challenge me better than I could have imagined. I learned a great deal about academic writing from him. I would also like to thank my committee members, Steve Boone and Dr. Eileen Cherry Chandler for their input, not only on this project, but on my overall progress as a theatre scholar / practitioner. Dr. Jonathan

Chambers and Dr. Lesa Lockford have also helped foster my growth as a critical writer, and I hope they would see this thesis as a combination of the lessons learned from all of these professors. vii

I also owe a large part of my sanity through this process to my fellow students,

Jeff List, Diane Sullivan, Colin Rust, Stephen Harrick, and Christine Blaine. They always provided an understanding ear for my venting and let me know I was not alone in my stress levels. I wish them the best and am sure their work will be of the highest quality as well. Vanessa Grace Baker served not only as a calming influence, but also as a tremendous editor in the early stages of this text. Without her dedication and honesty, this project would not have gone as smoothly as it has.

I would like to conclude by thanking Jim Dachik, Louise Small, Val Whipple, and

Sara Whitehead-Turner for all they have done for me during my time here. The office staff made sure that crises were averted on an almost weekly basis, ranging from scheduling errors (mostly of my own doing) to family assistance paperwork. Without them, I would not have been able to maintain such strong focus on my work. Jim taught me as much in two years of working with him as I have learned from many people I’ve known for much longer. He pushes for consistency and accuracy, and these traits apply beyond the practical aspects of theatre. viii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

INTRODUCTION ...... 1

CHAPTER I. DAWN OF THE DEAD...... 11

CHAPTER II. NIGHTS OF THE LIVING DEAD ...... 43

CHAPTER III. LIVING IN A NIGHTMARE WORLD...... 76

CHAPTER IV. CONCLUSION ...... 96

BIBLIOGRAPHY...... 108

APPENDIX A. PRODUCTIONS AT THE ROADHOUSE BY AUTHOR...... 114

APPENDIX B. PRODUCTIONS AT THE ROADHOUSE BY YEAR...... 119

APPENDIX C. PARTIAL CHRONOLOGY OF NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD...... 126 ix

LIST OF FIGURES/TABLES

Figure/Table Page

2-1 Photo of the Roadhouse Theatre at its 1505 State Street location ...... 15

2-2 The Roadhouse Theatre space at 145 West 11th Street ...... 16

2-3 Publicity photo for Night Like a Cat...... 18

2-4 Publicity photo for Danny and the Deep Blue Sea ...... 19

2-5 Publicity photo for Floatin’...... 20

2-6 Publicity photo for A Streetcar Named Desire ...... 22

2-7 Roadhouse Theatre floor plan...... 24

2-8 Publicity photo for Coyote Ugly...... 27

2-9 Audition Notice for Night of the Living Dead ...... 30

2-10 Photo of John Stockhausen, Jim Gandalfo, and Mark Tannenbaum

in the 2002 production of Art...... 33

2-11 Don Dombrowski as the first zombie ...... 34

2-12 The cast of the 2003 production of Reservoir Dogs ...... 35

2-13 Brian Hunt as Hank Williams in An Evening with Hank Williams ...... 36

2-14 Publicity photo of 2006 production of Reservoir Dogs...... 38

2-15 Publicity photo from Class Is in Session ...... 38

2-16 Publicity photo for Bat Boy: The Musical...... 38

3-1 Program cover for 2000 production of Night of the Living Dead ...... 48

3-2 2000 advertisement for Night of the Living Dead...... 52

3-3 Cover of the “Showcase” section of the Erie Times-News ...... 54

3-4 Publicity photo featuring Ben (Doug Massey) and Barbara (Dani Vanderhoff)...... 55 x

3-5 Publicity photo of Ben (Massey) ...... 55

3-6 Publicity photo of Ben (Massey) and Tom (Eric LaPrice)

battling the Motorcycle Zombie (Christian Tirak)...... 56

3-7 Publicity photo of zombie newlyweds, played by Kathy Bussiere and Jason Fried.. 56

3-8 Publicity photo of Barbara (Vanderhoff) and Tom (LaPrice) ...... 57

3-9 Publicity photo of Zombie #1 (Don Dombrowski), taken in the

Evans City Cemetery, where the 1968 film was shot ...... 61

3-10 Advertisement for 2003 production of Night of the Living Dead ...... 61

3-11 Publicity photo of Tom (LaPrice) and Judy (Erica Heilmann)

from the 2003 production of Night of the Living Dead...... 63

3-12 Publicity photo from Maverick Theatre’s production of Night of the Living Dead.. 64

3-13 Advertisement for the Landless Theatre production of Night of the Living Dead.... 65

3-14 Publicity Photo for the Dallas Children’s Theatre production

of Night of the Living Dead...... 67

3-15 Ben (Darius Warren) attempting to fight off the zombies in the

Dallas Children’s Theatre production...... 69

3-16 Publicity poster for the Maverick Theatre production...... 70

3-17 Publicity photo for Theatre Nocturne’s production...... 73

INTRODUCTION

I have always maintained a deep appreciation for community theatre. I find it fascinating

to examine what plays a particular theatre will produce that other local theatres either cannot or

will not produce. My interests led me to participate in the Lori Allen Ohm’s adaptation of Night

of the Living Dead at the Roadhouse Theatre for Contemporary Art in Erie, Pennsylvania, during

the fall of 2000. Given that the 1968 film by George Romero and John Russo (from which the

play was adapted) was filmed in northwest Pennsylvania, it did not surprise me that they would

develop this script. However, it surprised me greatly to learn that Lori Allen Ohm’s script was

going to be selected for publication and distribution in 2003. I had never considered that it may

have aspects that would appeal to a national audience. After thoroughly analyzing the script, I

could not have been more mistaken about its appeal and textual complexity. As I began to

research the Roadhouse Theatre for Contemporary Art, I also discovered Erie’s connection to

American theatre history.

For the study of community theatre, Erie serves as an important city because of its history

as much as its quantity. The Erie Playhouse opened its doors in 1916 as one of the early

components of the Little Theatre Movement (Gard 73). It has maintained a season every year

since, becoming one of the longest running community theatres in the country. Parts of its

history have been documented in Robert Gard’s Community Theatre: Ideas and Action and

Kenneth Macgowan’s Footlights Across America: Towards a National Theatre.

Besides this landmark theatre, Erie has also supported additional community theatres,

such as the Roadhouse Theatre. The history of the Roadhouse Theatre also deserves critical

examination. The Roadhouse has managed to maintain viability in Erie while every other

community theatre, with the exception of the Playhouse, has struggled with financial stability 2

and closed for at least some period of time. However, the history of the Roadhouse proves too

large for this project. For the purpose of this study, I will focus on one Roadhouse production:

Lori Allen Ohm’s adaptation of Night of the Living Dead. She wrote this play while she was

working at the Roadhouse, and it has been produced there twice: when it premiered in 2000, and

once again to celebrate it being published by Dramatic Publishing, Inc. in 2003. This is one of

several pieces that have been written for a premiere performance at the Roadhouse. What

separates Night of the Living Dead from the other scripts developed at the theatre is that it is the

only one of the original works to be produced elsewhere and eventually published. Other new

works showcased there have included: The Exorcist, adapted from William Peter Blatty’s film

by Lori Allen Ohm; Spooks: The Haunting of the Skowronski Sisters, by Richard Boler; Class Is

in Session, by Mary Alice Brown; pRO_gRESS, Bonefloor, and Red, each co-written by Rick

DiBello and Althea Bodine; Sammy the Rock Opera, by Rick DiBello; and Reservoir Dogs,

adapted from Quentin Tarantino’s film by Scott McClelland (“Roadhouse“). Night of the Living

Dead was not the only film to be adapted for the stage here, and I will discuss the Roadhouse’s

connection to film in the chapter about its history.

Night of the Living Dead was not the first play to deal with the concept of the undead

returning to life. Kenneth Webb’s Zombie opened in New York in February 1932, to less than

favorable reception. A review from Time Magazine gives the following assessments: “For the most part wretchedly acted […] and beset with deplorably written dialog […] Seldom is anyone killed in a mystery play whom the audience would care to have live” (“New Plays”). The play was by all means rather nondescript. Opening at the Biltmore Theatre on February 10, 1932, it ran for 21 performances, closing before the end of the month, thereby preceding the start of the zombie genre of horror films (the first such film, White Zombie, came out later that year) 3

(Bishop 198).

Webb’s play then becomes an important milestone because it can be seen as one of the first stage presentations of what would become cinema’s zombie plots. While other “monsters” have a literary record, the zombie is “the only creature to pass directly from folklore to the screen, without first having an established [non-performative] literary tradition” (Dendle 23). It could be argued that Dendle does not include theatre in the literary tradition because of the performative qualities that separate it from other literary forms. Because the fear of zombies is generated, in part, by the fact that they appear to be both human and non-human at the same time, it could be argued that they hold a much greater capacity for terror in a visual tradition

(such as theatre and film) than a strictly literary one (such as novels and short stories). Lori

Allen Ohm’s adaptation of Night of the Living Dead continues the cultural tradition of zombie folklore. While theatre represents a literary tradition, the performative, visual aspects of the art form allow the audience to see how similar humans and zombies appear. The zombie tale which started as a play in 1932 and blossomed into a very marketable genre of film has now returned to the stage in a remake of one of the “classic” and well-known American zombie tales: George

Romero‘s Night of the Living Dead.

Key Research Questions

While researching previous scholarship on community development through theatre, I was influenced greatly by Richard Somerset-Ward’s book An American Theatre: The Story of

Westport Community Playhouse. This recent book provides an excellent model for a narrative history of a specific theatre. However, the scope of a narrative history would be too broad for a study this size. He does, however, attempt to answer a question I face with my study: what 4 makes this particular theatre, and the script produced there, warrant such a focused study?

The answers Somerset-Ward give connects the idea of community and the impact a theatre can make on the people involved. Somerset-Ward argues that “a theatre is not just an ornament; it can also be one of the most dynamic and important institutions within a community”

(8). I will discuss how the Roadhouse Theatre and Lori Allen Ohm’s script serve four aspects that Somerset-Ward advocates in community theatres. First, “theatre is a uniquely powerful way of involving children, of helping them communicate, of getting messages across to them[…]”

(9). For Somerset-Ward, theatre provides methods of illustrating themes and concepts that cannot adequately be expressed in other ways. Therefore, a strong community theatre should provide some form of youth instruction. While the Roadhouse has no youth program in place,

Night of the Living Dead has become a popular piece with high school drama departments.

Dramatic Publishing, Inc. markets it as especially strong for high schools because of the large cast size and limited technical aspects. By getting children and teens involved in theatre, a younger generation prepares to continue theatre development in their community.

The second aspect relates to the community members for whom “the magic didn‘t take hold until later in life” (9). For many, their first stage experience comes later in life. However,

“whether you’re an adult or a child, that first moment when you suspend disbelief and become enthralled by the theatre is an experience you never forget” (9). Because of their reliance on amateur performers and crews, community theatres provide members of their communities opportunities to explore and express themselves that might never be manifested without the theatre. This theory has been expressed by many scholars in recent years. Sara Brady’s research on the Touchstone Theatre’s production of Steelbound showcases the effect that theatre can have on a community. Mark McKenna, the artistic director of the Touchstone Theatre, details the 5 power its production had for one member of the cast:

Steelbound did not get him his job back nor did it aggressively demand an

apology from the execs who shut down his job. That’s not what he was looking

for […] He told me just yesterday: “You people lit a fire in me. All my life I had

these thoughts, these ideas, and I didn’t know where to put them. Nobody would

listen. You’ll never get rid of me now” (8).

These sorts of people make up many community theatre casts. They have no formal training, but have found theatre to be their artistic release, and rely on it as a form of empowerment. This connection with the community provides a vital link for the Roadhouse as well. By recruiting cast and crew from the community, it makes the community more apt to attend the performances, especially if it is a production that connects with their aesthetic tastes.

Somerset-Ward connects the next two aspects as representative facets of twentieth century American theatre: “its triumphal and commercialism on the one hand, and its notable contribution to drama and dramatic invention on the other” (10). For Somerset-Ward, an ideal community theatre should produce critically and commercially successful work, while also contributing in new ways to theatre development. The first aspect can easily be seen. As long as a theatre can be self-sufficient, it has achieved this goal. New contributions to American theatre can be more difficult to qualify. One way that this can occur is through development of new scripts, which the Roadhouse did with Night of the Living Dead.

Lori Allen Ohm’s adaptation of Night of the Living Dead, developed as part of the 2000 season for the Roadhouse Theatre, was published in 2003. Why would the Roadhouse Theatre choose to produce this script? Did the play coincide with the theatre’s mission statement? What in the script allows it to be produced in a variety of ways by a variety of theatres (children’s 6 theatres, community theatres, academic theatres, etc.)? Why should this play be studied, and how do the themes found in the text reflect cultural attitudes?

Methodology

This thesis will be primarily a historically descriptive study. The primary sources I use will be my personal experience on the 2000 production of Night of the Living Dead; archival materials, such as publicity photos and theatre reviews; and Lori Allen Ohm’s play script. I will use my personal experience as part of the historical narrative regarding the play’s development.

The archival materials will be used to evaluate the various productions at the Roadhouse

Theatre, and also to compare and contrast the productions of Night of the Living Dead from other theatres across the country. I will analyze Allen Ohm’s script and detail the themes found throughout it.

This study will be conducted in three main chapters. In the first, I will examine the historical aspects of community theatre in Erie, establishing a progression from the Little Theatre movement to the Roadhouse Theatre for Contemporary Art. I will detail the Roadhouse’s production history, using this as a foundation for the creation of Allen Ohm’s script, Night of the

Living Dead.

In the second chapter, I will chronicle the production history of Lori Allen Ohm’s script from its premiere performance in 2000 at the Roadhouse to more recent productions done across the country. I will detail the production process for the original performance, as this provides the standard Allen Ohm intended for the text, and then compare the production styles of selected performances elsewhere in order to highlight the various interpretations possible from this text.

In the third chapter, I will explore selected themes found in both the film and play 7

versions of Night of the Living Dead. I will discuss how each theme commented on both the

1968 and 2000 American culture. I will provide sections of the text for each theme to illustrate moments where each theme is brought subtextually to the forefront. Specifically, I will examine how these themes serve as criticisms of society in three aspects: humanity vs. technology, humanity vs. society, and humanity vs. “the outsider.”

In my conclusion, I will examine Somerset-Ward’s four keys for a successful community

theatre and evaluate how well the Roadhouse meets these expectations. I will provide a

summary of each chapter, restating the key aspects of each. I will answer the key research

questions in my “Findings” section, and provide starting points and suggestions for continued

research on this subject.

Limitations

In the first chapter, I focus on providing a historical narrative of the Roadhouse Theatre.

I do not analyze many of the shows I chronicle. The analysis I have done pertains to how these

productions reflect the Roadhouse’s theatrical practices, and how these aesthetics led to the

development of the Night of the Living Dead script. Scott McClelland, the artistic director for the Roadhouse Theatre, declined to be interviewed for this study, which has kept me from fully evaluating how the development of Night of the Living Dead reflected their production practices.

In the second chapter, I did not include every production of Lori Allen Ohm’s script in

my analysis of the play. I chose to focus on three productions that represent various sections of

the United States. Each theatre I discuss developed the play in much different ways than Allen

Ohm’s original productions at the Roadhouse. I have included an appendix that offers a list of

other productions of the script. 8

In the third chapter, the four themes I have selected to discuss by no means represent the

only themes that have been discussed in connection to Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. I approach the issue of race in this work, a focus that has enough merit and scholarship available to stand as its own study. I chose to introduce the topic because I felt it was impossible to look at the themes inherent to the play without considering the impact that Ben’s (the main character) race creates.

Background

Lori Allen Ohm is a resident of Erie, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Edinboro

University of Pennsylvania with degrees in philosophy and English literature. She has written several other original pieces, including Never Yell MacBeth in a Crowded Theatre, Marvin and

Maggie Prepare for Takeoff, and a stage adaptation of the horror film, The Exorcist. She

currently holds a faculty position at the Erie Business College.

Before beginning this study, a brief summary of the plot of Night of the Living Dead should prove helpful. The play takes place in Butler County, Pennsylvania, 1968. The play opens at dusk, with Barbara and her brother, Johnny, placing a wreath at their father’s grave. A disheveled stranger approaches and attacks them without provocation. Barbara flees to a nearby farmhouse, leaving Johnny unconscious, as the zombie follows her.

As Barbara frantically searches the house, she finds its owner dead on the second floor

staircase. As more zombies approach the house, Ben, also seeking refuge from the attack, fights

his way into the house and saves Barbara from them horde of zombies. While reinforcing the

doors and windows, Ben turns on a radio he finds in the house. The broadcast offers little

concrete information about the attackers, confirming only that these attacks are taking place 9

across the entire east coast of the country. The broadcast soon reveals that because of radiation

from an exploding satellite, the dead have risen and are beginning to devour the living.

During this broadcast, Tom and Harry enter from the basement. They reveal that there is

a settlement established in the basement consisting of these two men; Judy, Tom’s girlfriend;

Helen, Harry’s wife; and Karen, their daughter who has been injured by one of the zombies.

Friction develops between Ben and Harry over where to hide and how to defend themselves with

the one available weapon.

The characters find a television, and the news broadcast implores viewers to travel to

emergency safety shelters set up in their counties. It also warns that injury sustained from a

zombie can transform the victim into a zombie. The group develops an escape plan, and Ben and

Tom set out to refuel Ben’s truck at the fuel pump near the barn. The plan fails, Judy runs out to

try to save Tom, and the truck explodes, killing them both. Ben fights his way back to the house

to find that Harry has locked him out.

The attackers grow stronger as the bond between the survivors weakens. Harry plots to

take the rifle from Ben. During the next wave of zombie attacks, Harry takes the rifle while Ben saves Helen and threatens to kill Ben. Ben regains the rifle and fatally shoots Harry, who falls down into the basement. Karen, who has by now transformed into a zombie begins eating her father’s remains. The fight between Ben and Harry left the house vulnerable and the zombies enter. Barbara is dragged outside by her brother, who is now a zombie. Helen retreats to the basement, where Karen stabs her to death with a garden trowel and then eats her flesh as well.

Ben shoots and kills Karen, and barricades himself in the basement.

The next morning, a sheriff and his deputies arrive at the house. As Ben enters from the

basement, the sheriff shoots him, assuming that Ben was a zombie. As the deputies prepare to 10 take Ben’s body out, the zombies reappear and devour the officers. The play ends with the entire cast now dead and brought back to life as a zombie.

Night of the Living Dead is published by Dramatic Publishing, Inc., not to be confused with the much larger Dramatists Publishing House. Founded in 1885 by Charles Sergel,

Dramatic Publishing publishes scripts from a wide variety of genres. Its recent focus seems to be on plays and musicals best suited for high schools, colleges, and community theatres. All plays must have a production or staged reading to be considered for publication. However, the production does not need to be from a professional theatre, which made this publishing company the best fit for Lori Allen Ohm’s script.

CHAPTER I. DAWN OF THE DEAD

This chapter examines the historical aspects of this study and considers how Night of the

Living Dead developed as an extension of the Little Theatre movement in Erie. To accomplish this, I provide a brief history of the Little Theatre movement and present the Roadhouse’s artistic practices as illustrative of the continuation of these practices. This chapter also examines the

Roadhouse Theatre’s history and provides insight into its operating structure and artistic trends.

By looking at past seasons, I want to evaluate how the Roadhouse staff created a theatre that allowed Night of the Living Dead to develop into a play. This chapter also explains how the themes present in Night of the Living Dead can be seen in other plays the Roadhouse presented.

I also show how strong a connection the Roadhouse makes between theatre and film, not only in

Night of the Living Dead, but in its other productions and various events in the theatre space, such as the Great Lakes Film Festival and the Eerie Horror Film Festival.

This chapter also looks at the Erie market and the economic aspects that shape the arts and entertainment culture in the area. After discussing the socioeconomic factors at work in the area, I chronicle the past productions at the Roadhouse as well as their change in facilities after the 1995 season. I examine the common trends I found in their seasons, and discuss how these trends made this the optimal place for Night of the Living Dead to develop.

Historical Precedents

Before looking specifically at the Roadhouse’s history, I feel it is important to see how

Erie’s theatre traditions developed from the Little Theatre movement. By looking at how theatre 12

developed in this community, I show the development of adapted plays for a specific audience

type as an extension of the Little Theatre movement. The play in my study focused on reaching

a different audience that other theatres weren’t cultivating. Similarly, according to Robert Gard,

the Little Theatre movement developed in Erie, as it did elsewhere, in part due to a lack of

original material being produced and available for the general public.

Community theatre has only recently begun to be included in scholarly research material.

Until about 1990, there seemed to be a schism between “practical” and “educational” theatre,

with the animosity stemming from both sides. Former Erie Playhouse artistic director David

Matthews preferred to hire people without a degree in theatre, because educational theatre

provided an unrealistic expectation of the facilities and resources available for production. This

apparently represents a sense of classicism on Matthews’s part. Perhaps he feels this way about

academic involvement in community theatre in part because of its amateur nature. After all, a

degree in theatre qualifies as a professional degree. Every “academic” involved in a show takes

a spot that could have been given to an amateur member of the community. He could also feel

this way because of his own admittedly non-academic background. He has worked

professionally in theatre for most of his life without a college degree. He may view those with

degrees as representing a completely different aspect of theatre, which emphasizes process as

much as product. For Matthews, the product represents the crucial aspect of a performance.

Whatever his reasoning, Matthews seems to be willing to perpetuate the schism between

academic and community theatre.

Conversely, Oscar Brockett’s History of the Theatre includes only one paragraph on the history of the community theatre movement in the United States (458). Most of the previous research on amateur theatre dealt with the precursor to the community theatre movement: the 13

Little Theatre. While most of the research on community theatre and popular theatre comes from current scholars such as Sue Brady, Jan Cohen-Cruz, Sonja Kuftinec, and Alan Woods, scholarship regarding the Little Theatre movement ranges from current back to the early twentieth century.

The study of the Little Theatre movement can be traced back to 1917, with Constance

D’Arcy Mackay’s book, The Little Theatre in the United States. She points to the inspiration for the U.S. model coming from Paris and “reaching the United States in 1911 with the establishment of Maurice Brown’s Little Theatre in Chicago and Mrs. Lyman Gale’s Toy

Theatre in Boston” (quoted in Fearnow 348). The first attempt at non-commercial play production, however, appears to come two decades earlier, in 1891: after his play Margaret

Fleming was turned down by producers, playwright James A. Herne rented an auditorium in

Boston in which it was performed for two weeks (Poggi 102).

The beginning of the Off-Off-Broadway movement and the current community theatre culture around the country have been attributed to the Little Theatre movement (Frick 223).

David A. Crespy’s book Off-Off-Broadway Explosion: How Provocative Playwrights from the

1960s Ignited a New American Theatre shows how theatres such as Café LaMama developed from the same dissatisfaction with the professional theatre that ignited the Little Theatre movement. Similarly, the productions developed by the Roadhouse Theatre have become the antithesis of the other productions seen in most of Erie’s playhouses.

The Erie Market

According to the 2000 U.S. Census data, Erie, Pennsylvania, was the 221st-largest municipality in the country, with 103,717 residents. This makes it close to the median size of 14

cities in the United States, but the findings in other areas make Erie a particularly valuable site

for research. Erie is within two percent of the national average in male-to-female ratio; single-

and bi-racial individuals; African-American population; average household size; high school or

better education; and civilian veterans.1 However, after establishing itself as an average

American city in terms of size, economic demographics play an important part. In this case, the

disparity between Erie and the national average indicates the economic struggles facing Erie

residents. Erie falls well below the national average in the following areas: individuals with a

bachelor’s degree or higher education level, and individuals in the labor force and median

household income. Indeed it is significant that poverty is a reality in Erie given the percentage of

citizens living below poverty level.2 For a city of its size, Erie falls well short of the national average in terms of income. Therefore, there is less disposable income to spend on entertainment than in most other American cities. The Roadhouse has survived without relying on the formula preferred by most community theatres; instead of restaging proven Broadway musicals or classic American plays, it offers its audience types of theatre that cannot be found

elsewhere in the Erie area. Therefore, if a theatre of the Roadhouse’s eclectic nature can survive

in Erie, it may provide a model for other communities.

The economic disparity in Erie creates an interesting financial dynamic at The

Roadhouse Theatre. Many of the performers and staff at the Roadhouse are volunteers from the

community, most of whom are college students or members of the lower- or middle-classes in

terms of income. However, the theatre depends on donations from businesses and the financial

1 The actual statistics from the 2000 U.S. census are as follows, national averages in parentheses. Male population: 47.6% (49.1%); single-race individuals: 97.7% (97.6%); African-American population: 14.2% (12.3%); average household size: 3.08 (3.14); high school graduate or higher education level: 79.9% (80.4%); civilian veterans: 13.3% (12.7%). 2 The 2000 Census offers the following comparisons. Bachelors degree or higher education level: Erie - 17.4% (national average - 24.4%); individuals in the labor force: 60.8% (63.9%); median household income: $36,446 15

upper-class members of the city. In order to serve its goal of reaching the general community,

the Roadhouse must balance pleasing their donors while also attracting volunteers and audiences

from people who do not have as much disposable income. The next section will focus on the

Roadhouse’s history and show how it has managed to create a balance between the competing

economic forces at work.

The Roadhouse Theatre for Contemporary Art

Fig. 2-1. Photo of the Roadhouse Theatre at its 1505 State Street location, photo by GoErie.com

The Roadhouse Theatre for Contemporary Art opened in 1988 under the direction of

Scott and Kim McClelland.3 For their first seven years, they operated out of a theatre at 1505

State Street, in Erie, Pennsylvania (see Fig. 2-1). They purchased the former Grace Fellowship

Church at 145 West 11th Street for $185,000 in 1995, setting up the facilities as a black box

theatre with a coffeehouse attached just offstage (see Fig. 2-2). The walls of the auditorium and

($50,046); and individuals living below the poverty level: 18.8% (12.4%). 16 coffeehouse are decorated with works from local artists, and the coffeehouse is designed to allow for performances by local artists, such as musicians, magicians, and solo performance artists.

Fig. 2-2. The Roadhouse Theatre space at 145 West 11th Street, photo by Roadhouse Theatre,

Besides these coffeehouse artists, the Roadhouse focuses primarily on contemporary theatre, with a mission to promote newer, less recognizable dramatic work, focusing on the artistic choices rather than financial choices. It is a non-profit organization that receives funding from the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts and the United Arts Fund of the Arts Council of Erie, as well as private and corporate donations and sponsorships. In 2005, the Erie Community

Foundation donated $14,000 for the purchase of projection equipment.4

3 Unless otherwise noted, information provided by . 4 The complete 2005 annual report can be found at

The Roadhouse also generates money through various fundraisers. Raise the Roof is an

annual concert held in the coffeehouse with the bands donating their time so that the Roadhouse

can keep the full amount of donations given by the patrons.5 The Roadhouse also houses a biennial Art Auction. In 2006, tickets were five dollars, and all proceeds from the auctioned artwork went into the theatre’s operating fund. In previous years, the Roadhouse has also used a

“Stayin’ Alive with 25!” campaign where they ask patrons to donate $25 to help fund the upcoming season (“Stayin’”).

The current board of directors has ten seats, as well as ten honorary board members. The

current officers and their positions are as follows:

Nicole Stewart Hand - President

Sue Ellen Wociechowski - Vice President

Andrea Amicangelo - Secretary

Scott McClelland - Producing Director

Kim McClelland - Artistic Director

John Mir - Political Liaison

The other members include Gary Cacchione, Rick DiBello, John Johnston, and Maureen

Krowicki. The honorary board members at this time are Scott Lee, Brenda Pundt, Frank Scalise,

William Sesler, Greg Sesler, Mark Tanenbaum, Gerry Zurn, Jim Zurn, Jeane Howell, and Dr.

David Howell. These members represent a wide cross-section of Erie’s population, with their

occupations ranging from homemakers and bartenders, to web designers and telemarketers, to

doctors and college professors.

The Roadhouse also hosts the annual Great Lakes Film Festival. Started in 2002, the

05.pdf>. 18 festival is the main artistic product of the Great Lakes Film Association, whose mission claims to

“showcas[e] independent films in the digital medium; to present the best of the Great Lakes to the people of the region and beyond, and to bring a world of stories to its shores” (“Great Lakes

Film Association”). The festival has been rated one of the top 100 independent film festivals in the world. It will run from September 26 through September 30, 2007.

The 1505 State Street Years

Fig. 2-3. Publicity photo for Night Like a Cat, photo from Erie-Times News online archives,

5 More information can be found at . 19

Fig. 2-4. Publicity photo for Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, photo by Rich Forsgren,

The first season (1988) consisted of four plays: Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, by John

Patrick Shanley; Buried Child, by Sam Shepard; At Home, by Conrad Bromburg; and The

Orphans, by James Prideful. During this first season, Scott McClelland stayed focused on what he considers the main goal for the theatre: to do “some plays we really want to do that may not have that much appeal” to a large general audience (“Section D”). During the next season, 1989, the Roadhouse deviated from its mission and presented its first “mainstream” play: Cat on a Hot

Tin Roof, by Tennessee Williams. However, this play nonetheless contributed to the theatre‘s goal because, as many community theatre leaders know, a few more well-known, easily marketable pieces can provide the income to fund less established plays. One of the productions from this season was the world premiere of McClelland’s Night Like a Cat, a financially risky 20

endeavor made possible by the box office success of the Williams play the same season. The

other productions from this season are less well known than the Williams classic: Fool for Love, by Sam Shepard; Coyote Ugly, by Lynn Siefert; and Talking With…, by Jane Martin. While

these pieces had already received some critical acclaim, they can be considered risky ventures

for a fledgling theatre. The images used for the publicity photos give a glimpse into the

cinematic qualities that the Roadhouse infused into their plays, sometimes running counter to the

original intention of the play. For instance, the publicity photo for Night Like a Cat (see Fig. 2-

3) evokes images of a television sitcom, and the play was produced for laughs in this way. The publicity photo for Danny and the Deep Blue Sea (Fig. 2-4) marketed the show in the film noir

genre, and the sense of loneliness and despair in the play fit well with this aesthetic.

Fig. 2-5. Publicity photo for Floatin’, photo from Erie-Times News online archives,

The Roadhouse offered another premiere performance the next year: Floatin’ (see Fig. 2-

5). The marketing appeared blatantly erotic, with the young man’s crotch the focus of the photo.

This, however, fit with the themes in the play, about the bacchanal life of American youth. Two

“classic” pieces were produced during the 1990 season: Tennessee Williams’s The Glass

Menagerie and Shakespeare’s As You Like It. One of the more daring plays produced was

David Parker’s The Collector, which was based on John Fowles’s novel by the same name.6 The

other plays from this season included a collection of one-acts, David Mamet’s American Buffalo, and Michael McClure’s controversial The Beard.

6 This was also adapted into a film in 1964, starring Terrence Stamp. The playwright pulled the script out of publication a few years after this production after criminal profilers started noticing that many convicted serial killers had read this novel, and some developed their techniques for murder and kidnapping from these pages.

Fig. 2-6. Publicity photo for A Streetcar Named Desire, photo from Erie Times-News online

archives, .

By the next season, a standard formula appears to be in place: one or two established,

well-known pieces were done in order to generate the funds to continue the theatre’s mission of

producing newer pieces. The Roadhouse staged two original works this year: Cry for the Moon and the first original play to be put into a regular cycle through their seasons, SPOOKS: The

Haunting of the Skowronski Sisters, by Richard Boler. The Roadhouse included another

evening of one-acts, and the main production was another Tennessee Williams play, A Streetcar

Named Desire (see Fig. 2-6). The publicity photo for Streetcar played up the romantic tension 23

between the Stella and Stanley and ignored the central character of Blanche. It also produced

another controversial mainstream piece, Peter Shaffer’s Equus, and another of Sam Shepard’s

plays, True West. Robin Fulford’s Steel Kiss completed the season.

The next few seasons were filled with more traditional pieces. No new works were

produced in 1992 or 1993. The 1992 season consisted of The Man Who Came to Dinner, by

Moss Hart and George Kaufman; Speed: the Plow, by David Mamet; Aunt Dan and Lemon, by

Shawn Wallace; Rose Cottages, by Bill Bozzone; Laughing Wild, by Christopher Durang; and

The Rocky Horror Show, by Richard O’Brien. The next season included Miss Evers’ Boys, by

David Feldshuh; Slapstick Tragedy, by Tennessee Williams; The Foreigner, by Larry Shue;

Moose Murders, by Arthur Bicknell; Love Letters, by A.R. Gurney; Cabaret, by Fred Ebb and J.

Masterhoff; and The Lion in Winter, by James Goldman. 1994 offered some interesting choices,

however, including another new work, Pleased to Meet You. During this season, the Roadhouse

also repeated shows for the first time. Equus and SPOOKS were both placed in the season, due

to several factors including audience demand and the availability of the original performers. The

Roadhouse also produced Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot; John Patrick Shanley’s The

Dreamer Examines His Pillow; Jerome Lawrence’s Inherit the Wind; and Charles Busch’s

Vampire Lesbians of Sodom.

As they prepared to move into the new facility, the McClellands produced a rather

eclectic final season at 1505 State Street. The 1995 season at the original theatre included:

David Ives’s collection of short plays, All in the Timing; Nicky Silver’s Fat Men in Skirts;

Christopher Durang’s Baby with the Bathwater; David Mamet’s Oleanna; George F. Walker’s

Escape from Happiness; Stephen Currens’s adaptation of Gorey Stories; and the original work, A

Toy Called God. This marks the first season without a play by a commercially successful 24

playwright. David Mamet had enjoyed tremendous national success, but his writing style and

subject matter did not make him a traditional “money maker” for other Erie community theatres,

which preferred to handle less controversial plays.

The Old Church

Fig. 2-7. Roadhouse Theatre Floor Plan.

With the new building designed specifically for use as a theatre space (see Fig. 2-7), the

first season in the West 11th Street theatre (1996) was also one of the busiest in its history. Nine shows were produced this season, with another assortment of classics, unknowns, and local 25

shows. SPOOKS was produced for the third time. By this point, the show had already

developed a reputation among Erie audiences as one of the Roadhouse’s signature pieces, and it

repeatedly was a very financially successful piece for them. The cast remained the same for each

production, so it was a fairly easy show to produce. Only a few weeks of brush up rehearsals

were necessary, instead of the longer schedule required for a new piece.

Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? represented the traditional selection

for this season. However, the most “classic” piece (at least chronologically) was Kaufman and

Ryskind’s Animal Crackers, the play on which the legendary Marx Brothers film is based. The

Roadhouse had enough success with this revival that they would later stage another of

Kaufman’s Marx Brothers pieces. This started another trend for the McClellands: when they did

produce older works, they tended to start producing overlooked pieces, whether they were less-

famous works of influential playwrights or forgotten pieces from generations past.

The other productions from the 1996 season came from a variety of genres and styles

throughout contemporary theatre. Another Durang play, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, made it

into the Roadhouse season. Norm Foster’s Wrong for Each Other, Jane Martin’s Keely and Du,

James McClure’s Lone Star, Paul Rudnick’s Jeffery, and C.P. Taylor’s And a Nightingale Sang completed this season.

Through these first seasons, the Roadhouse showed signs that film would play a vital part in their productions. Animal Crackers is known more as a film than a play. Equus, Cat on a Hot

Tin Roof, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie, and The Collector had all also been

produced as films as well. While none of these were adapted specifically for the Roadhouse,

they show that the McClellands were, perhaps unknowingly, choosing scripts that would fit their

transition into a community art center by hosting film festivals, producing scripts made popular 26 by films, and turning to the development of their own scripts based on films (The Exorcist, Night of the Living Dead, and Reservoir Dogs).

Reservoir Dogs

The 1997 season marked the beginning of another Roadhouse tradition with their staging of Scott McClelland’s adaptation of Quentin Tarantino’s film Reservoir Dogs. The show has been produced four times, and each time it emerged as one of the Roadhouse‘s more financially successful productions. Box Office Manager, Alex Bolla, explains its appeal this way:

This is a show for ‘guy type guys’. The type of guy who says they never go to the

theatre or don’t like plays. This is the one where tough talking men walk out of

the theatre saying; ‘honey, let's go see that again and this time let’s take my

brother and his wife.’ It’s also a magnet for college students who have a healthy

obsession with all things Tarantino. It’s not uncommon for us to see students

catching as many as five or seven performances of this show. And each time they

come back with more friends in tow. (Roadhouse)

The cast for this show has stayed consistent over its four productions; only a few of the roles have been given to other actors. When this has happened, it has been because of schedule conflicts or the original actor moving away from the area. If the actors are available, they keep returning because, as described by a cast member, “it is such a blast to be in the show”

(Roadhouse). The fact that the actors enjoy the show this much seems to reach the audience.

The coffeehouse that opens after each performance allows the audience to visit with these actors after each performance. This helps the plays become community events, and fosters a connection between performer and audience. 27

Fig. 2-8. Publicity photo for Coyote Ugly, photo from Erie Times-News online archives,

The rest of the 1997 season encompassed several other genres. Coyote Ugly was produced again (see Fig. 2-8). Perhaps in anticipation of producing an unknown commodity like

Reservoir Dogs, the Roadhouse included three more well-known plays. Albee’s Three Tall

Women, Chekov’s Uncle Vanya, and Kaufman and Hart’s You Can’t Take It with You each

filled one of the openings in the season. Eric Bogosian’s solo performance piece Pounding Nails

in the Floor with My Forehead, performed by Joe Thornton, became the first solo performance

on the Roadhouse stage.7 Peter Glazer’s Woody Guthrie’s American Song brought the first

music-themed performance to stage . William Inge’s Come Back, Little Sheba and Stewart 28

Lemoyne’s Vile Governess / Gnadigies Fraulein rounded out this season.

The Roadhouse produced what was to that point the fewest number of shows in their

history in 1998. The success of Reservoir Dogs the year before led to a revival during this season. The Foreigner was the latest play to have a second run on the Roadhouse stage. The

McClellands also produced another Marx Brothers comedy, the original play script of The

Cocoanuts. Shakespeare’s King Lear represented the classical piece for the season. Love,

Valour, Compassion, by Terrence McNally, completed the short list of productions this season.

The 1999 season marked two important milestones for the Roadhouse. First, it produced

Red, an original work from the collaboration of Rick DiBello and Althea Bodine. These authors,

writing either together or separately, had several other plays staged throughout the next decade,

and Bodine was already established as a regular performer in Roadhouse productions. These

two became the first local “names” used to attract audiences. Next, and arguably more important

to the Roadhouse’s financial stability, was the production of Ted Swindley’s Always… Patsy

Cline, starring newscaster Amanda Daggett.8

Because of the popularity of country music in Erie, and the name celebrity status Daggett

had in the Erie area, this performance became one of the Roadhouse’s biggest box office

successes, and they moved it into the much larger Warner Theatre for a second run the next

season.

Always… Patsy Cline opened in September 1999. The show was so popular its

7 Thornton would become a regular performer of Bogosian’s performances throughout Erie. He has also performed in Drinking in America and Sex, Drugs, and Rock’n’Roll (“Joe Thornton”). 8 Daggett also was a news anchor at WICU in Erie. Shortly after this production, she married and took the name Amanda Post. 29

run was extended for six weeks. Every show sold out, so McClelland boldly

booked four more performances at the Warner Theatre, which – with 2,500 seats

– holds 10 times more folks than the Roadhouse. Those four shows drew another

9,000-plus people. (Richards)

In an interview with Dave Richards, Scott McClelland acknowledges the impact that this success had on the future of the Roadhouse.

Erie's love for Daggett in Always… Patsy Cline and its recent Christmas show

not only put the Roadhouse on firm ground but may have saved the venue. ‘I

honestly believe, without what's happened (with Daggett), I don't know if we'd be

here at all,’ Scott McClelland said. ‘I'm not sure if we could have survived

everything without that. Kim and I were on the heels of burnout, quite close. And

this came at the right time.’ (Richards)

The overwhelming success of this show, added to the success of the Reservoir Dogs runs, took some of the financial pressure off the theatre, and allowed the McClellands to refocus their efforts on achieving the goals in their mission statement.

Three other shows from this season had previously been seen on the Roadhouse stage.

Rocky Horror, Woody Guthrie’s American Song, and Fool for Love returned for repeat performances. The other two shows for the season were two established American classic plays:

A Streetcar Named Desire and The Glass Menagerie.

The New Millennium

The 2000 season becomes a signature moment for the theatre. As mentioned before,

Always… Patsy Cline played to sold-out crowds in the much larger Warner Theatre during both 30

the 1999 and 2000 seasons. The public reaction to Amanda Daggett’s performance was strong

enough that they also produced The Magic of Christmas concert at the end of this year. Both of

these shows brought in a sizable profit. This marked the beginning of a new season standard

selection: the concert performance.

The success from the concerts allowed the Roadhouse to do without a traditional,

established show this season. They did produce a Tennessee Williams piece, although it was one

of his lesser known works, Vieux Carre. The Roadhouse also produced another collaboration by

DiBello and Bodine, Bonefloor. They also revived the 1991 production of True West. The other shows produced had more potential for failure, because they were less familiar. However, Steve

Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Charles Busch’s Psycho Beach Party, and Moises

Kaufman’s Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde met with the same level of

success as previous productions. This season also contained the development of another

signature production: Lori Allen Ohm’s Night of the Living Dead.

Fig. 2-9. Audition notice for Night of the Living Dead. “Auditions.” Erie Morning News. 6

July 2000. 25-S. 31

Night of the Living Dead ran from September 15 through November 4, 2000.9 Lori

Allen Ohm also directed this production, with Scott McClelland serving as assistant director for the performance and artistic director for the theatre.10 The casting for this production was unique for several reasons. Because of the large cast it required (thirty-eight cast members, including an ensemble of twenty portraying all of the different zombies), this was one of the only

Roadhouse plays to have open auditions for every role (see Fig. 2-9). Having every role open at auditions also made the show notable in that it featured two actors making their Roadhouse debuts in the lead roles: Dani Vanderhoff as Barbara and Doug Massey as Ben.

The play’s success, as well as the financial success of the concert performances, gave the

Roadhouse its greatest creative flexibility to that point.

That success [of the concert performances] – along with the Roadhouse's hit

adaptation of Night of the Living Dead – got the theater off to a strong 2000-2001

start, as well. ‘The success pays off in two ways,’ McClelland said. One, the

Roadhouse added two more employees, which takes stress off the McClellands.

‘[Daggett] has made it possible for us to actually have a few extra staff members,

which we haven't had in our first 10 years of operation. There was no way to

create jobs,’ he said. […] Success also allows the Roadhouse to take some artistic

chances. ‘It's really made it possible for us to do some theater that we may not

have done without that success,’ McClelland said. ‘We're going to do some plays

we really want to do that may not have as much appeal. That's what our mission

statement is anyway, what we're supposed to be doing, so we don't have to

9 Information about this production taken from the show’s program. 32

constantly weigh popularity at the box office versus the artistic part.’ (Richards)

For the next few years, there were no plays produced that had mainstream appeal. Even those

with which an average audience would have some familiarity (like Brecht’s Threepenny Opera) were still much different than standard community theatre fare. The Roadhouse was finally able to achieve its mission of producing plays based on artistic rather than financial decisions.

Because of the financial leeway the Roadhouse had created, the 2001 season looked much different than the previous ones. The McClellands staged two concert performances: In

the Christmas Mood with Amanda Daggett and the Dave Stevens Big Band, and Songs that

Won the War, both at the Warner Theatre. The Warner Theatre performances sold out before

they had even been advertised in the papers (Richards). This success, combined with the

previous year’s profit, allowed the McClellands to produce some of their personal favorite

shows. Yasmina Reza’s Art opened their season, and was another successful show for them. In

spite of all the negative feedback it had received from various groups nationwide, the Roadhouse

staged Terrence McNally’s Corpus Christi without any of the protests that had marred other

productions around the country, showing that the Erie audience (particularly the Roadhouse

patrons) could and would readily accept riskier, more controversial performances. Christopher

Durang’s Betty’s Summer Vacation and Warren Leight’s Side Man were the next productions.

For the holiday season, they also produced Tennessee Williams’s The Mutilated. The fact that

they were willing to tie their holiday marketing campaign into this piece shows the rededication

to artistic rather than financial success. This play approaches the holiday season through the life

of a breast cancer survivor who has been labeled “mutilated” because she lost one of her breasts.

The grittiness of the play makes it a difficult project to promote during the holiday season.

10 This production ran before her marriage to Mike Ohm, and she is credited as Lori Allen. 33

It was during this season that the Roadhouse also began to structure their seasons much

more loosely. Rather than create an entire season, they would plan a small group of shows, so

that runs of shows could be extended (or, in contrast, shortened) based on audience demand

(Richards). One could argue that revivals and concerts were then planned whenever a “big

ticket” production needed to occur to help raise money for the other productions. Each season

from this point on had a concert performance which drew large audiences (which they did

repeatedly with Always… Patsy Cline) or a production which required little for expenses, such

as an improv performance or musical revue.

Fig. 2-10. Photo of John Stockhausen, Jim Gandalfo, and Mark Tannenbaum in the 2002

production of Art, photo from Roadhousetheatre.org,

The 2002 season had several revivals interspersed with new material. Always… Patsy

Cline was produced at the Warner Theatre again. SPOOKS and Art, which was brought back

from the year before, also got new runs on the Roadhouse stage (see Fig. 2-10). Due to the

continued success of Always… Patsy Cline, a second Ted Swindley piece, Honky Tonk Angels, was included in this season. Rick DiBello debuted a new work, Sammy: The Rock Opera. The 34 other two pieces from this season were David Lindsay-Abaire’s Fuddy Meers and Larry Larson and Levi Lee’s Some Things You Need to Know Before the World Ends: A Final Evening with the Illuminati.

Fig. 2-11. Don Dombrowski as the first zombie, publicity photo for Night of the Living Dead, photo by Eric LaPrice,

Fig. 2-12. The cast of the 2003 production of Reservoir Dogs, photo from Roadhousetheatre.org,

The 2003 season included the second run of Night of the Living Dead, specifically

produced to honor its publication by Dramatic Publishing (see Fig. 2-11). This became the only

piece developed in an Erie theatre to receive national publishing, and the Roadhouse became the

first theatre to stage it after this milestone. Reservoir Dogs was given another run as well, in the

slot following Ohm’s work (see Fig. 2-12). These two works had become the local favorites, and

the Roadhouse was celebrating their successes together. Due to its popularity the previous year,

the Roadhouse also offered another production of Honky Tonk Angels.

The positive local reaction to these shows, and of the past few seasons, began to earn the

Roadhouse critical, as well as commercial, acclaim. Readers and staff members of the Erie

Times-News honored it in their annual list of “Erie’s Best,” honoring it as an Erie Treasure for their productions of “shows that evoke emotions and senses” (“Erie Treasure” 25F).

The Roadhouse also tried a different form of performance this year, as it included a series

of performances with the improvisational group called In All Seriousness. Following the 2002

success of Some Things You Need to Know Before the World Ends: An Evening with the 36

Illuminati, another Larson and Lee piece (written with Rebecca Wackler), Tent Meeting, was

produced, as well as Tom Mula’s Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol. The McClellands also

produced two non-American pieces that have had a tremendous effect throughout Western

theatre: La Casa de Bernardo Alba by Frederico Garcia Lorca and The Threepenny Opera by

Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. With these plays, the McClellands began to do “classic” pieces again, but for artistic rather than financial reasons.

Fig. 2-13. Brian Hunt as Hank Williams in An Evening with Hank Williams, photo by

Roadhousetheatre.org, .

As other events began to take place at the Roadhouse (such as the Great Lakes Film

Festival, the Eerie Horror Film Festival, and benefit performances like “Raise the Roof“), the

number of plays produced dwindled over the next few years. Two concert-style musicals were

featured as bookends for the 2004 season. Lady Day at the Emerson Bar and Grill by Lanie

Robertson opened the season, and An Evening with Hank Williams, which was a staged 37

performance of his songs, finished the season (see Fig. 2-13). Another play from local

playwrights Althea Bodine and Rick DiBello, pRO_gRESS, debuted this season. The

Roadhouse returned to staging one classic piece per season as well, choosing Shakespeare’s

Richard III. David Auburn’s Proof was also produced this season.

The 2005 season was the smallest in the theatre’s history, with only three plays taking

place. Ohm’s second stage adaptation, this time of the film The Exorcist, was produced this

season. Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler and Charles Ludlum’s The Mystery of Irma Vep were the

other two plays done this year. That is not to say that the theatre sat empty, however. “Choice

Cuts,“ a selection of monologues and show tunes, was compiled and performed. The Great

Lakes Film Fest made its presence more noticeable there, with more of the event happening at

the Roadhouse rather than in meeting rooms at the downtown hotels. Also, the Eerie Horror

Film Festival took place there from October 10 through the 14 (Eerie). While there was not as

much theatre being done, the Roadhouse was still demonstrating its commitment to the local arts

and entertainment culture in Erie.

Fig. 2-14. Publicity photo of 2006 production of Reservoir Dogs, photo by Rachael Elizabeth,

. 38

Fig. 2-15. Production photo from Class Is in Session, photo from Roadhousetheatre.org,

Fig. 2-16. Publicity photo for Bat Boy: The Musical, photo provided by Roadhousetheatre.org,

The dedication to theatre resurfaced for the 2006 season. Reservoir Dogs returned to the stage this season (see Fig. 2-14). Erie musician Mary Alice Brown, seen in Lady Day at the

Emerson Bar and Grille in 2004, developed and starred in her own showcase concert

performance, Class Is in Session (see Fig. 2-15). A second selection of “Choice Cuts” also was debuted this season. David Sedaris’s Santaland Diaries and Season’s Greetings were produced

together and Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues also received time on the Roadhouse stage.

There were also two musicals staged this season. Jonathan Larson’s tick… tick… BOOM! and 39

Keythe Farley’s Bat Boy: The Musical rounded out an eclectic mix for the most recently

completed season (see Fig. 2-16).

As of this writing, the 2007 season has opened with Neil Simon’s Last of the Red Hot

Lovers. David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross is playing through March. The other shows

currently scheduled for production include David Lindsay-Abaire’s Wonder of the World; John

Cameron Mitchell’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch; and Alan Janes and Rob Bettinson’s The

Buddy Holly Story. The Eerie Horror Film Fest has moved to the Erie Playhouse this year, but

the Great Lakes Film Festival is still scheduled to take place at the Roadhouse.

Common Trends

While looking through their production history, I noticed that the McClellands revived

more shows than I expected to find over such a span at a community theatre. Sixteen shows

were repeated at least twice, with SPOOKS and Reservoir Dogs being staged four times each.

Always… Patsy Cline was staged three times. The fact that these three were the most produced

shows should not be viewed as coincidental. SPOOKS and Reservoir Dogs are both locally

developed productions, with Scott McClelland writing the adaptation of Reservoir Dogs, although without securing the rights from Quentin Tarantino. These productions were financially successful, and neither one required much, if any, to be spent on royalties. Always…

Patsy Cline needed a larger budget to cover its costs, but it was by far the highest-grossing event

that they have produced. These three productions seem to be the most consistent box office

attractions, based on their repeat performances, extended runs, and in the case of Always…

Patsy Cline, the relocation to the much larger Warner Theatre.

I was also able to discern which playwrights were personal favorites of the McClellands. 40

Eighteen playwrights had several plays produced over the history of the Roadhouse. Tennessee

Williams seemed to have a strong influence on their taste in productions, as six of his plays have been staged there so far.1 Christopher Durang has been the next most prolific playwright on their stage, with four plays produced. Local artist Rick DiBello has also had four pieces produced here, three of them collaborations with Althea Bodine. David Mamet, William

Shakespeare, and Sam Shepard have all been fixtures on the Roadhouse stage as well.

I found the chronological location of the pieces more interesting than the number of plays per author. It seemed that the Roadhouse went through phases where a particular playwright’s work would be highlighted. For example, the two Edward Albee productions fell in consecutive seasons, 1996 and 1997. This also occurs with Christopher Durang in 1995 and 1996; Larson and Lee in 2002 and 2003; Sam Shepard in 1988 and 1989, and again in 1999 and 2000; and Ted

Swindley in 2002 and 2003. But, once again, the influence of Tennessee Williams is the most apparent. His plays run in three consecutive season twice: from 1989 through 1991, and from

1999 through 2001. This indicates to me that the seasons were planned out based on the artistic director’s feelings towards the particular plays, rather than a dramaturgical approach to develop seasons in relation to each other seasons, and even to plays in relation to other plays in the same season. In order for Night of the Living Dead to be staged here, the McClellands must have seen something in it that fit the nature of the Roadhouse. The script was not picked because of how it fit with the other shows for the season. Rather, the McClellands chose it because they felt the play would strike a chord with their audience. As it turned out, this freedom to include a random piece in a season created the most nationally significant work to be done on an Erie stage.

1 A complete list of productions listed by author can be found in the appendix. 41

Conclusion

Through Night of the Living Dead, SPOOKS, Reservoir Dogs, the plays by DiBello and

Bodine, and the numerous early works, the Roadhouse established an emphasis on developing new works from local authors. Some of these work very well and develop a strong local following, such as SPOOKS and Reservoir Dogs. Others quickly disappear after one run. Night of the Living Dead was successful, but not as successful as some of the Roadhouse’s other homegrown pieces. Why, then, did this one become nationally published? I argue that SPOOKS became so popular by tying pieces of the setting and plot into Erie’s history and culture (the city has a very strong Polish ancestry and culture that still exists today, and the play is filled with references to that), whereas the appeal of Night of the Living Dead is wider because it stems primarily (though not entirely) from the nationwide fascination with the film. This would allow it to generate more interest from theatres nationwide, since the plot of the play does not require a knowledge of local customs and traditions. Reservoir Dogs might have this type of national interest, but the Roadhouse adapted it without Quentin Tarantino’s approval, and would not be able to produce it nationally. The fact that the Roadhouse took the steps to get George Romero involved in the Night of the Living Dead adaptation shows that they learned from Reservoir

Dogs the importance of the collaborative effort.

I have looked at the Roadhouse’s history to see why Lori Allen Ohm’s piece would have developed here instead of elsewhere in Erie. The Roadhouse has shown the most willingness to produce and support new works. Other theatres, most notable the United We Stand Theatre

Troupe, do predominantly local plays, but they do not have the budget or space that the

Roadhouse has to offer. Consequently, most of the United We Stand plays are done with minimal technical aspects, which would not benefit a script like Night of the Living Dead. The 42

Erie Playhouse and Directors Circle Theatre are the only other two theatres in Erie that have designated performance spaces, and neither produces local work. I have shown how Night of the

Living Dead fits into the Roadhouse’s method of reaching the Erie community; it blends theatre and cinema together in an effort to make the play feel more like an event than a performance. In the next chapter, I will look at the production history of the show itself to examine the aspects of the play that attracted audiences to it, both in Erie and throughout the country.

CHAPTER II. NIGHTS OF THE LIVING DEAD

I have already looked at how the Roadhouse Theatre’s eclectic seasons and willingness to

produce new plays helped create an atmosphere from which Night of the Living Dead could

develop. This chapter examines the production itself and the various forms that it has taken over

its brief history. I document the production history of Night of the Living Dead, from its original

production to upcoming productions. The chapter begins with a narrative about the first 2000

production, from the script adaptation to the final performance. I then look at the 2003

production, and the changes and critical response it produced.

I also examine various productions from across the country, highlighting the productions

at the Landless Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.; the Maverick Theatre in Fullerton,

California; and the Dallas Children’s Theatre. I finish the chapter by comparing the

performances to the original Roadhouse productions, and contrast their interpretation of the

script with Allen Ohm’s direction. By looking at the variety of ways this play has been

produced, I intend to show how it can reach a variety of audiences. The production histories of these performances allow me to show the points that were either highlighted or glossed over during each production.

Pre-production: Creating the Nightmare

During the 1998 season, Lori Allen Ohm began the process of developing the script for

Night of the Living Dead.1 In an interview for the Erie Times-News, she gives her reason for

1 In the interest of continuity, I will refer to her by her married name, “Lori Allen Ohm,” throughout this project. 44 adapting the 1968 film. “I love the film so much. I wanted to bring it to life, to bring the terror to life. I wanted to remove the aesthetic distance from it, to put the audience in the middle of it”

(Moorhead 17-S). After deciding to pursue the challenge, she then began the arduous task of getting the rights for its development.

‘It was difficult finding out who had the rights. I really had to do some digging.

Image Ten owns the rights to the film, and George Romero owns the literary

rights. Most companies are so large that they wouldn’t be open to something like

this, but Image Ten is a very small company run by Russel Striener, Karl

Hardman, and John Russo.’ These guys, all actors and collaborators in the film,

gave Allen and Roadhouse their approval to proceed with the project. (Moorhead

17-S)

Throughout the entire process, she maintained contact with George A. Romero, making sure that she had his permission to do the adaptation, and also making sure she was keeping her script true to his original vision of the story. With Romero’s blessing, Allen submitted the script to the

Roadhouse, and it was slated for production in 2000.

The themes from the movie seemed to develop throughout the play as well. “The

‘message’ in both film and play seems to be that it doesn’t take all that much for humans to sink into a moral abyss” (Lawrence 16-S). Some of the themes even seem to change from a past fear

(such as the Cold War) to a new one that was not present at the time of the film (Homeland

Security and terrorism). Erie theatre critic Floyd Lawrence points out that “in Allen’s adaptation, the line, ‘Who knows what kinds of diseases these things carry?’ might be construed to be AIDS-related.” While he follows this remark with some tongue-in-cheek comments about other “themes” he can find (including American anti-intellectualism, which I feel he may be 45 guilty of himself), he points out how many different themes can be found throughout the play.

Allen Ohm creates an odd mixture of shock and humor throughout the piece, playing up the “camp” aspects of the film while still maintaining its ability to shock the audience in the middle of their laughter. Some of the lines in the script are cliché, but this plays into the camp factor of the production.

[Lori] Allen does sustain an unremitting darkness in the story. But she also

incorporates frequent instances of black humor and some intentionally (as I saw

it) bad acting. When Ben tells Harry, “That’s no Sunday School picnic out

there,” you might start to begin ticking off in your mind the hundred or so

instances when you’ve heard that before. (Lawrence)

This mix of comedy with the darker undertones (what Lawrence calls “melodrama mixed with mirth”) in the script seem to make the more accessible to people of all ages than many horror scripts, which is perhaps the main reason for its popularity among high school drama departments. Dramatic Publishing advertises this play in its high school plays section, and most of the feedback they have received on the show has been from high school productions

(“Dramatic”).

Lori Allen Ohm maintains the key settings and characters from the 1968 film. These concepts are directly written into her script. These details are important because they provide the basic structure that can be used to contrast different productions. The following pages detail the constant details (setting and character descriptions) in each production of Night of the Living

Dead.

The action of the play takes place in several settings. The farmhouse holds most of the action, with scenes occurring on the ground level and in the basement. The graveyard is seen 46

only at the beginning of the play, but is an integral piece to the story. A television station news

team also needs to be shown at various settings, in the newsroom and on location with the police

chief. Lori Allen Ohm’s description of the scenes reads

The production is to be done in black and white (setting and actors) with the

exception of blood. The audience and extreme downstage center are the

graveyard in scene 1. The main setting is a living room containing a fireplace, a

sofa, two chairs, two end tables, and a stand with an old radio and a telephone on

it. There is a doorway leading to the kitchen. In another doorway are steps

leading upstairs. The front door, flanked by two windows, is in the middle of the

stage right wall. The cellar door is stage left with a staircase leading down. In

the cellar is a laundry table, a step ladder, and a stool. A trowel, other hand tools

and an overloaded laundry basket are also visible in the basement. The few short

scenes that do not take place in the main setting should be played downstage with

special lighting to separate them from the principle [sic] playing area. (Allen Ohm

On a technical level, Lori Allen Ohm’s notes for lighting, costuming, and makeup create a very

specific vision for her play: creating a black and white film on stage. Since these aspects change

for each show, I will look at them during the particular production. Whether or not her vision is

realized will be discussed for each production.

This play requires a rather large cast, especially for a production that developed at the

Roadhouse. Several of the characters (those that appear only for a brief time) are not given any particular physical traits or other identifying markers. There are no models for the News

Anchor, Dr. Grimes, Bill Cardille, Chief McClellan, and the two deputies. For the main 47 characters, Lori Allen Ohm offers these characteristics:

ZOMBIE #1: Tall, medium build, middle aged man. Graying hair.

BARBARA: Early twenties.

JOHNNY: Barbara’s older brother, twenties.

BEN: Black man, mid-to-late twenties. Tall and slim.

HARRY COOPER: Forties, fifties. Ben towers over him.

HELEN COOPER: Harry’s wife.

KAREN COOPER: The Coopers’ daughter. Ten to twelve years old.

TOM: Muscular young man. Early twenties.

JUDY: Tom’s girlfriend. Early twenties. (Allen Ohm 2)

The casting also calls for “at least 20 zombies.” This brings the total cast members to thirty-six, which may partially explain its popularity as a high school production. A cast of this size allows for more students to be involved in the play, especially when the number of zombies necessary can be changed to allow everyone interested to take part.

In the rest of chapter, I will focus on the production history of this show. I will look at the original 2000 production, the 2003 revival, and selected productions around the country. I examine the casting and technical aspects from the Roadhouse productions as well as critical response to each show. For the other selected productions, I begin by looking at the publishing company’s marketing of the script, as well as various reviews from performances. By comparing the differences in these productions, I will show how this play can attract a variety of audience types, and how each performance attracts and targets a specific audience.

2000: the Initial Production

Fig. 3-1. Program cover for 2000 production of Night of the Living Dead.

I begin my study of this original production by acknowledging my involvement in the 49 play. I had originally been cast as the News Anchor and Deputy, but I had to decline the offer due to time conflicts with my college class schedule. I instead volunteered to assist with the original lighting design. Because my involvement was minimal (I came in for a few weekends and then attended a few performances), I maintained more critical distance from the project than most involved, while still being able to recognize the developments throughout the production process.

The technical staff for the first production was predominantly composed of experienced

Roadhouse members, with myself being the only new addition to the company. Scott

McClelland functioned as the assistant director and Kim McClelland served as first assistant director and costume designer. Michelle Shields and Scott Morgan were the stage managers.

John Biggie designed the lighting, and I served as his assistant. Rick DiBello designed the sound for this production. Jeanne Santos designed the wigs and Chris Hale designed the makeup.

Scott McClelland and Lori Allen Ohm collaborated on the set design.

For the design team, the show’s challenge lay in the need to recreate the “black and white film” look of the original 1968 movie. The colors on the set were variations of white, black, and gray, and the costumes were designed with the same color pattern. As the play found more structure during the rehearsal process, more elaborate costumes developed for the zombies.

Some of the more memorable costumes were “a biker zombie with a helmet, a priest zombie holding a crucifix, a bride and groom zombie pair wearing a top hat, and a school crossing guard holding an outstretched stop sign” (Lawrence 15-S). The makeup gave everyone (with the exception of Ben, the African-American character) a flat white base, with all definition done in black and gray. Many of the actors dyed their hair to black, and those that were supposed to be blonde or brunette used gray wigs to achieve this on the stage. The lighting designer used frost 50

gels to whiten the light coming from the instruments, and chocolate-colored gels were used to

give definition and shadow to the scenery and actors. Lori Allen Ohm saw this as a very simple

procedure, even if others marveled at the concept. “Asked how this remarkable stage effect is achieved, Allen makes the interviewer feel like an ass with her matter-of-fact answer,

‘Everything’s either black or it’s white,’ she says” (Moorhead 17-S).

While the idea of a black and white play seemed like a radical concept to many people, Lori

Allen Ohm regarded it as a simple design aesthetic.

On July 6, 2000, the Roadhouse ran a blurb in the audition section of Erie’s weekly

Showcase section. Auditions began that Sunday, July 9 and continued again the next evening

(“Auditions”). Rehearsals began a few weeks later, with the cast and crew meeting in the

coffeehouse portion of the Roadhouse to get to know each other and watch Romero’s original

film. The cast then did a read-through and received the rehearsal schedule. The final cast

consisted of:

Barbara… Dani Vanderhoff

Johnny… David Molnar

Zombie #1... Don Dombrowski

Harry Cooper… Don E. Kirsch

Helen Cooper… Monica Lewis

Karen Cooper… Kelsey Applebee

Tom… Eric LaPrice

Judy… Elly Vahey

Ben… Doug Massey

Corpse on the Stair… Tina Halloran 51

Radio Voice-over… Daniel L. Curry

News Anchor… Rob Kocur

Dr. Grimes… Dan Pruyn

Bill Cardille… Aaron Pacy

Chief McClellan… Brad Ford

Corpse… Barrie Rynish

Deputy… Chris Wloch

Deputy… Tim Scott (Allen Ohm 5)

The following actors played the horde of zombies: Kathy Bussiere-Tirak, Robert Dale, Dave

DiCola, Jenelle Dombrowski, Maura Dugan, Jason Fried, Gary Garn, Crystal Levandowski,

Tony Lewandowski, Veronica Lindsey, Brandon Lopez, David McNeill, Janet Nardo, Anna

Marie Peck, Jason Right, Noah Rogers, Barrie Rynish, Sandra Schuschu, Rebecca Styn,

Christian Tirak, and Mary Wolters (Night 7).

For many of the actors, this was their first experience on the Roadhouse stage.

Vanderhoff and Massey, who played the two central characters, both made their debuts in this production, as did Lewis, Applebee, Halloran, Kocur, Jenelle Dombrowski, Fried, and

Schuschu.2 While some, such as Vanderhoff, would not be seen again at the Roadhouse, others, like Jason Fried, would become regular performers there.

Many of the performers came away with a positive experience from the show. For example, Monica Lewis, who is also a writer for the Erie Times-News (formerly the Erie

Morning News and Erie Daily Times), acted as Helen Cooper opposite her real-life daughter,

Kelsey Applebee. While staging a scene in which the daughter, Karen, kills her mother with a

2 These actors were the only ones to debut that continued to perform in Erie theatres. 52 garden trowel and eats her flesh may not sound like the healthiest way to bond with your child,

Lewis said, “Nobody can see it, ’cause her back’s to the audience, but when she’s doing it, she’s smiling, and I have to close my eyes so I won’t laugh” (Moorhead 17-S). The play allowed her to share an activity with her daughter that they had never done together. While the show was developing new relationships with the actors, especially the first-time Roadhouse performers, the play also gave families (both Lewis and Don Dombrowski got to share the stage with their respective daughters, Kelsey and Jenelle) the chance to bond through a common activity. This created a greater sense of community, not only in the theatre, but in the family members who worked together on the production.

Fig. 3-2. 2000 advertisement for Night of the Living Dead. “Live on Stage!” Erie Morning

News, 7 Sept 2000, 5-S. 53

Night of the Living Dead opened September 15, 2000, to generally positive commercial

success (see Fig. 3-2). Most of the seventeen performances sold out. Part of the appeal, as with

all Roadhouse shows, was the sense of being a part of a community involving both the audience

and performers. After each show, the audience could head to the coffeehouse behind the stage to

“chat it up with any of the zombies who stroll the aisles, giddily talking about the fun they’ve

just had in this diverting bit of stagecraft” (Lawrence 15-S). This was a Roadhouse tradition,

and something to which both actors and audiences looked forward. This meeting was all the

more memorable on the Halloween performance, where the audience was encouraged to attend

the show and after-party in their own costumes. It resembled one large Halloween party, with an

extraordinarily large amount of zombie costumes.

The critical response was overwhelmingly positive. While there was the expected local

hyperbole (including W.V. Moorhead’s “Night of the Living Dead is to modern horror what

Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is to the modern theatre”), most of the reviews found the connection between the audience and the performance to be vitally important to its success. After seeing the show, Floyd Lawrence commented that “the Roadhouse Theatre does equally well to stage a show that once again exhibits its willingness to take risks to entertain in novel fashion, and to give Erie theatergoers something to talk about.”3 Like Moorhead, Lawrence also described the

connection between the show and the audience, explaining how the audience becomes part of the

world of the play.

From the moment the lights dim and the first zombies appear, walking up and

3 At the time, Floyd Lawrence and M.V. Moorhead were the only two professional writers that reviewed plays in the Erie area, and many of my critical responses come from them. Of the two, Moorhead tended to point to positive aspects, while Lawrence had been criticized in the Erie theatre community for being too harsh in reviews. 54

down the aisles, each with his or her own distinct movements, you’ll get a sense

of being enveloped by the action. After all, you are sitting in the cemetery near

the farmhouse [the cemetery was placed in the seating for the performances].

(15-S, emphasis his).

With the zombies entering through every possible section of the house, Allen Ohm succeeds in

making the audience feel more like participant than casual observer.

The play’s social themes were handled in such a way as to be visible without being

overbearing. “She [Allen Ohm] doesn’t resort to drum beating, and she achieves far more with

pseudo-seriousness than she ever could have with gravitas. Based on the positive reaction from

the house, I’d say most would agree with me” (Lawrence). Like Romero, Lori Allen Ohm

chooses to downplay the social critiques present in the text, instead allowing the audience to

draw their own conclusions.

Fig. 3-3. Cover of the “Showcase” section of the Erie Times-News, photo by Rob Engelhardt, 55

28 Sept 2000.

Fig. 3-4. Publicity photo featuring Ben (Doug Massey) and Barbara (Dani Vanderhoff). Photo by Rob Engelhardt, Erie Times-News. 14 Sept 2000. 17-S.

Fig. 3-5. Publicity photo of Ben (Massey), photo by Rob Engelhardt. Erie Times-News. 14 56

Sept. 2000. 17-S.

Fig. 3-6. Publicity photo of Ben (Massey) and Tom (Eric LaPrice) battling the Motorcycle

Zombie (Christian Tirak), photo by Rob Engelhardt. Erie Times-News. 14 Sept. 2000. 17-S.

Fig. 3-7. Publicity photo of zombie newlyweds, played by Kathy Bussiere and Jason Fried, photo by Rob Engelhardt. Erie Times-News. 28 Sept. 2000. 16-S.

Fig. 3-8. Publicity photo of Barbara (Vanderhoff) and Tom (LaPrice), photo by Rob Engelhardt.

Erie Times-News. 28 Sept. 2000. 15-S.

The costumes, particularly the eccentric ensembles created for the zombies, were the aspect that stayed with audiences the most. None of these were written specifically into the script, which allowed for theatres to develop the zombies according to their resources. One scene that consistently drew a large laugh from the audience involved the crossing guard. The first time he came down one of the aisles in the audience, he had two young (ten- or twelve-year old) zombie children dressed in Catholic schoolgirl outfits hanging off of him, finishing feeding off of him while he searches for his first victim. The costumes succeeded in creating an enjoyable fantasy world for the audience, and the lighting and scenery blended well to create the black and white aesthetic Allen Ohm intended (see Figs. 3-3 through 3-8).

The scenery‘s coloring and the gradation of light completed the transformation to a black 58 and white feel.. “At times, it was easy to feel resemblances between stage and screen in terms of pure visuals. That was especially true when the strobe lighting kicked on in a couple of places” which helped create the illusion that occurs on screen when “frames of film are cut out to produce a flickering effect” (Lawrence). This effect was used when the zombies ambush the sheriff and his deputies, which made it feel like there were many more zombies on stage than there actually were. After the zombies kill all the characters in the play, the strobe starts again as they head toward the audience, making the observer the last active participant in the action.

While the set worked in terms of the black-and-white aesthetic, sight lines were a problem for some. The basement of the farmhouse set was arranged on the floor level of the auditorium, which made it difficult for some to see the action past other members of the audience. The symbolism of being trapped and surrounded on all sides, which the basement implies, is vital to the feel of the piece, but in positioning it that close to the front row, sight lines had to be compromised. This is unfortunate, since most of the play’s climax occurs either primarily or simultaneously in the basement. All of these technical elements created a unique atmosphere throughout the run of this show.

When Night of the Living Dead closed on November 4, the play had a buzz about it that was difficult to describe. “It’s only a matter of time before Scott McClelland’s and Kim Mc’s ever-ambitious Roadhouse gives Erie its own claim to fame, and Night of the Living Dead, […] just might be it” (Moorhead).4 At this point, Lori Allen Ohm had not attempted to send the script to publishers. But with the play’s success in Erie, and Romero’s interest in staging a production in Pittsburgh (co-produced by Bill Heinzman, the film’s original zombie), Allen Ohm began to pursue publishing the script nationally.

4 Kim McClelland often shortened her last name down to Mc in production credits. 59

2003: Revival and Publication

In 2003, Dramatic Publishing acquired the rights to Allen Ohm’s script. This became the first work that originated on an Erie stage to be published nationally. To celebrate, the

Roadhouse arranged to be the first theatre to produce this work after its publication. In effect, they produced the first national production as well as the premiere production three years earlier.

The cast for this production went through significant changes. Allen Ohm did not hold open auditions for this production, and every member of the cast had been involved with the

Roadhouse in some capacity before this. The principal characters in the new cast were:

Barbara… Lara Snavely

Johnny… David Molnar

Ben… Doug Massey

Harry Cooper… Don E. Kirsch

Helen Cooper… Holly Hewitt

Karen Cooper… Madison Hewitt

Tom… Eric LaPrice

Judy… Erica Heilmann

News Anchor… Daniel L. Curry

Dr. Grimes… Sean Morgan

Zombie #1... Don Dombrowski5

Snavely, Holly and Madison Hewitt, and Heilmann all became involved in the production for the

5 Unless mentioned, the role was revived (no pun intended) by the same actor. 60 first time, while Sean Morgan moved from stage manager to the stage. Curry replaced Rob

Kocur as the news anchor. Everybody else stayed the same.

Since there was little change between the two shows in the technical aspects, the technical staff remained largely the same,. There was only one noticeable staging change in the production, and this occurred in the opening scene. Previously, the zombies entered through the audience and made their way into the cemetery, Zombie #1 now arose from his coffin from stage as more zombies entered from the aisle. This occurred with the same strobe effect that took place at the end of the show. In my opinion, this opening scene is more effective, and the reviewers agreed with this. The coffin sat on stage to open the show, when “[s]uddenly, you’re cast into darkness, nervously waiting for the terror to begin. […] when light returns, you are in a foggy cemetery with a musty smell and an open coffin” (Carlson 17-F, emphasis hers). Seeing the zombie rise from the dead produced a more intense opening with a definite start to the action.

Lori Allen Ohm has a very specific vision of how the plays should be produced. The published version of the script included the following instructions:

ZOMBIES must not acknowledge or interact with the audience under any

circumstances until the line at the end of the play. Otherwise, according to the

rules of the world of the play, the audience would be eaten. The audience

becomes a part of this world at the end of the play when the ZOMBIES turn their

attention to the audience. (Allen Ohm 7, emphasis hers)

This statement helps maintain Lori Allen Ohm‘s original intention for the script: that it focus on camp humor without mugging to the audience. In several subsequent productions, which I discuss in the next section of this chapter, directors have disregarded this and other specific instructions for the play. Such stylistic choices clearly change the interpretation of the play, 61

sometimes drastically altering the style of the play away from her stated intentions.

Fig. 3-9. Publicity photo of Zombie #1 (Don Dombrowski), taken in the Evans City Cemetery,

where the 1968 film was shot. Photo by Eric LaPrice, Erie Times News. 14 Sept. 2000. 17-S.

Fig. 3-10. Advertisement for 2003 production of Night of the Living Dead. Erie Daily Times.

25 Sept 2003. 5-S.

The show began its run in September and finished with another special Halloween 62 performance (see Figs. 3-9 and 3-10). It was once again a crowd favorite, reaching near-capacity crowds each night. Perhaps because of the play’s popularity and national exposure, critics were less willing to point out the flaws they found in it. Instead, the reviews from newspaper articles were as positive as Moorhead’s original hyperbolic praise without the criticisms found in

Lawrence’s harsher review. Catherine Carlson comments “The theatrical version of Night of the

Living Dead captures all the suspense – and creepiness – of the original film. It’s a must-see for old horror-movie fanatics and anyone who wants to get a jump on the spookiest of holidays” (17-

F). The theatre critics seemed more interested in creating promotional slogans for the published script than they had been with the original performance.

The audience reception for the show proved equally as warm as the critical response, as if a sense of community pride in its success enveloped all those who came to see it. The play also seemed to be making a connection with fans of the original movie. On his web page, one audience member wrote

I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the first of George A. Romero’s

feature films and I’m pleased to say that the Roadhouse Theater’s [sic] stage

production of Night is a thourgouly [sic] fantastic adaptation of the cinematic

classic, truly a frightening and delightful experience, providing a score of deep

seated scares and an adept performance of the desperate and chaotic scenario of

impending peril. (Hvizdak)

Hvizdak, a self-avowed die-hard fan of George Romero, enjoyed the play enough that he planned “to return for at least one more Night this season.” This echoed many sentiments in the audience, as many people saw repeat performances of the show, coming back to see what little things they might have missed with the zombies’s costumes and mannerisms, or just to enjoy 63

another night of Erie’s first “national” show.

Fig. 3-11. Publicity photo of Tom (LaPrice) and Judy (Erica Heilmann) from the 2003 production of Night of the Living Dead. Photo by Isaac Brekken, Erie Daily Times. 25 Sept

2003. 17-F.

After the play ended, Allen Ohm focused on her next project: an adaptation of the horror

film The Exorcist, which would be produced at the Roadhouse in 2005. Night of the Living

Dead proved that this new “horror movie” genre of theatre had an audience in Erie, and Allen

Ohm enjoyed the process enough to continue writing scripts that met this demand. While Night

of the Living Dead ended its run in Erie, other productions premiered across the U.S. Detailing

every production would fill a much larger study than I intend for this to be. I offer a brief look at 64

some of the more notable performances. The next section examines several productions that

have taken place since its publication with Dramatic Publishing Inc. These productions all differ

from Allen Ohm’s work at the Roadhouse, but each also provides a new method of marketing the

play that I will explore as well.

Zombies Abroad

Fig. 3-12 Publicity photo from Maverick Theatre’s production of Night of the Living Dead,

Shortly after the rights became available, productions of Night of the Living Dead began appearing across the U.S. The first production away from the Roadhouse occurred at The

Lubbock Theatre Project in Lubbock, Texas (Vallejo). This performance ran for the last two 65

weekends in October 2003, just as the Roadhouse’s production was winding down. From there,

the play picked up interest and became a favorite for high schools and as part of Halloween

programming for community theatres.

There have been many productions throughout the U.S. and Canada since 2003.6 In particular, the Landless Theatre Company, the Maverick Theatre, and the Dallas Children’s

Theatre have had several articles and reviews written about their productions; therefore, I will focus my attention on these three (see Fig. 3-12). These three also brought different stylistic practices into their individual productions, and serve as a contrast to the Roadhouse performances.

Fig. 3-13. Advertisement for the Landless Theatre production of Night of the Living Dead.

The Landless Theatre Company, based in Washington, D.C., operates in the DC Arts

Center (see Fig. 3-13). It produces a scattered mix of theatre genres, and Night of the Living

Dead was joined in the current (2006/07) season by Trey Parker’s Cannibal!: The Musical;

Philip Grecian’s adaptation of A Christmas Story; an original collaborative production entitled

Renaissance; and Frogg Moody and Dave Taylor’s musical Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper

(“Landless”). Their performances ran Friday and Saturday nights from October 6-28.

6 For a partial list, please see Appendix C. 66

Critics found this production more funny than terrifying. Because of the “realistic” gore seen in modern horror films, the violence on stage was, according to critics, not believable enough to be disturbing to the audience. One critic writes that

While the original was often labeled terrifying, repulsive, or (due to the culture of

the Vietnam War) even subversive, Hollywood has dulled our senses to gore and

terror to the point that a production of this nature would be called more of a

comedy than a horror. The Landless Theater production suffers from that

downfall. Still the show is an enjoyable evening during this Halloween season

and the cast entertains in this small, intimate theater. (Bryan)

According to Bryan, because audiences have become conditioned images of torture and dismemberment in order to startle and shock them, these effects are expected in a “horror“ production. Even if it did feel more campy than the audience might have expected, audiences came away with an entertaining evening. Lori Allen Ohm’s intention has never seemed to be to create a “modern” horror play, with the blood and gore taking precedence. The campy nature of the production mirrors the feel of the Roadhouse’s performance. The Landless Theatre’s performances closely resembled the Roadhouse performances. It seemed that the Erie audience expected the campy aspects more than the Washington audience did.

The Landless Theatre offered a similar production style to the Roadhouse. The next theatre I discuss, the Dallas Children’s Theatre, adapted the script in several distinct ways while maintaining the black-and-white style that Ohm stresses. This production highlights the amount of creative license that can be taken while still keeping Lori Allen Ohm’s intentions in place.

Fig. 3-14. Publicity Photo for the Dallas Children’s Theatre production of Night of the Living

Dead, photo by Mark Oristano.

So far, the Dallas Children’s Theatre has produced the most well-known production of

Night of the Living Dead as a children’s theatre project. The show was designed for the Young

Adult series of the Dallas Children’s Theatre (or DCT), and its box office managers made sure that patrons knew that the show was intended for audiences aged thirteen and up (“Night”).

While the name “Dallas Children’s Theatre” evoked images of plain staging for some patrons, I found this one of the most technically advanced productions that I have come across. By looking the design choices the DCT made, I want to illustrate how the DCT made a play based in 1968 fit into present society.

To deal with the staging issues involving the scenes outside the house, director Artie

Olaisen filmed the scenes and showed them (still in black and white) on two television sets hung next to the stage (see Fig. 3-14). The technical aspects of this show impressed most of those who saw it, and quickly brought them into the world of the zombies, showing the world around the audience under attack. Video images were used from the theatre’s parking lot, and these 68

showed the zombies as part of a world beyond the stage. A reviewer for the pop culture website

PopSydicate.com attended the show and was surprised at what he found at the “children’s theatre”:

We were also incredibly impressed by the set, which had the living room taking

up about three quarters of the stage and the cellar filling in the rest. A partial wall

split the two rooms, which was broken to allow a view of both from the audience.

The detail work was amazing in that the cross section of the wall even had ribbing

set up in it to complete the effect. […] I was even further blown away by all of the

little things that were done to fully create the atmosphere and ‘realism’ to the

production. Everyone in the audience might not notice most of these things, but if

they weren’t there would have been missed. During a sequence where the main

cast is watching the news reports, their TV is pointed away from the audience (we

see the reports on the suspended TVs), the lights dim on the stage but the

characters can still be seen by the light ‘flickering’ from their prop TV. Again, it’s

a tiny detail but extremely effective. […] The first time we see a feeding frenzy

[in the play], the ‘action’ is moved to the front of the stage where several of our

zombies are seen having a very, very bloody buffet. (“Night”)

While keeping Lori Allen Ohm’s black-and-white design choices, Olaisen not only presented a

modern interpretation of the original 1968 story the play works from, but also illustrated how

graphic the play could be in its production. The gore was much more realistic at the DCT than in

either the Roadhouse or Landless productions. The campy aspects from the previous theatres

had given way to a more contemporary approach, where the gore highlighted the production

rather than enhanced it. 69

Fig. 3-15. Ben (Darius Warren) attempting to fight off the zombies in the Dallas Children’s

Theatre production, photo by Mark Oristano.

Rather than laughing at the campy aspects in front of them, the audience saw Olaisen‘s zombies as terrifying. By not playing to the cliché aspects in the script, the play developed into a darker version than many others have been, but it still maintained the tongue-in-cheek qualities of the previous productions (see Fig. 3-15). Theatre critic Joseph Melnicoff describes this combination of horror and comedy:

From the moody beginning in a cemetery to the truly bloody conclusion, Artie

Olaisen has directed Night of the Living Dead for maximum horrific effect. Mr.

Olaisen understands that terror is best achieved with equal doses of tension,

nervous laughter, and suspense. The roles are stock characters, but Mr. Olaisen

directs them as if they were genuine people that we care about. His use of film 70

and other special effects was most impressive. (Melnicoff)

When comparing the Landless production to that of the Dallas Children’s Theatre, the script allows for multiple interpretations of its themes. The play can be produced to highlight the melodramatic qualities (Landless) or to explore the innate fear of the “other” (DCT). This issue of the “other” will be discussed more in depth in the chapter dealing with the themes found throughout the script. Both of these theatres highlighted different themes while they maintained the design choices of the original. The next theatre, the Maverick Theatre, produced the most drastically different production in this study.

Fig. 3-16. Publicity poster for the Maverick Theatre production.

The Maverick Theatre production of Night of the Living Dead has received the most national attention, having received a review in Backstage (Marchese). The Maverick Theatre also deviated the most from Allen Ohm’s directions, particularly by staging it in color instead of black and white. Because of this, they created a much different production than what was presented by the other theatres. Without the black-and-white design, the technical aspects made everything fit more closely to the modern horror genre, which was director Brian Newell’s intention.7

The Maverick Theatre is located in downtown Fullerton, California (see fig. 3-16). Night of the Living Dead ran from October 6 through November 4, 2006, the longest run the show has had outside of Erie. The show has been a success for the Maverick as well, and Night of the

Living Dead may be established as one of their “holiday favorites,” as the Maverick has the play on their schedule for this season as well (“Maverick”). For the upcoming season, they will add an extra weekend, starting September 28.

Since the play was being produced in the Los Angeles area, and reviewed for one of the few national theatre publications, I expected the review of the show to be a bit more critical than others. However, the response sounded similar to almost every other review of the show. Eric

Marchese described the play as

a brief but bracing hour of stage time that provides the same fright equivalent as

an elaborate Halloween haunted house constructed in a neighbor’s garage. The

gruesome shocks and thrills just keep on comin’ in an adaptation of Romero and

John Russo's screenplay that works around the limitations of having the story

7 A video interview with the cast is available online. It provides footage of the set, costumes, and makeup, as well as a few seconds of the staging of the show. It can be found at . 72

unfold almost completely indoors, without sacrificing too many of the most

powerful moments.

While they may have diverged from Lori Allen Ohm’s intent for the show, the Maverick Theatre got the sort of praise that that lines up with what she has written about her goal for the show:

“Sure, it’s campy fun, but Newell keeps it gripping” (Marchese). The Maverick, as well as the other two theatres, connected to the camp feel of the play in parts, while steering the performances toward their individual production styles.

Analysis

All four of the featured theatres brought something unique to their production of Night of the Living Dead. The Roadhouse added numerous costume changes for the zombies to make each entrance unique and also to bring humor into the monsters. The Roadhouse used the zombies as a form of comic relief. If the audience won’t actually fear the zombies, they might as well have a good laugh at the undead at times. Perhaps by laughing, the audience will let their guards down enough to be surprised a few times by the carnage on the stage.

The Landless Theatre Company played up the show’s campiness, without trying to make the audience jump. In this approach to the script, the melodrama worked. It became a guilty pleasure in a way similar to soap operas. The audience knew what to expect, but still joined them for the story. With Cannibal!: the Musical and Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper also on the schedule, Landless seems to gravitate toward eccentric, quirky pieces. This piece fits this eccentric style as well.

The Dallas Children’s Theatre used the show to create a tremendous technical display.

They downplayed the camp, instead focusing on using technology to help create the feel that the world around the audience is under attack. By not toning down the gruesomeness of the zombie 73 attacks, they created a reaction in the audience not seen in the other productions. The zombies were played by the teenagers in the DCT, while many of the other characters were played by adults. This created a feeling of disgust and apprehension, in the same way that Karen Cooper killing her mother and eating her father violated the same societal norms: the younger generation, our society’s future, is cannibalizing the people that raised them. In this production, the attacker was not a foreign body, but a child turned against its family.

The Maverick Theatre reached its audience by creating a spectacle that would rival many horror films being made today. The Maverick kept a frenetic pace throughout the play, never allowing the audience to catch their breath and step out of the illusion of the production. The sense of urgency that the actors brought to their characters allowed the audience to view the human struggle against the zombies more compassionately. The characters became people rather than just impersonations.

Fig. 3-17. Publicity photo for Theatre Nocturne’s production.

. 74

Not all productions of Night of the Living Dead have reached their audience as well as

these four. At the Theatre Nocturne in Portland, Oregon, theatre critic Justin Westcoat Sanders

wonders if “any theatre production could do Living Dead justice.” He also asks the question that

every director who attempts this production must answer: “Why not just watch the movie?”

Without a definite answer to that, any production would fail. The Roadhouse, Landless, DCT,

and Maverick each brought something to the script that was not seen in the film version. The

film only allows for one particular viewing. As I have discussed, the play can be produced in a

variety of ways.

Conclusion

This chapter focused on the show’s history. It provided a view into the adaptation

process, and the challenges that this type of production brings with it. By looking at the original

(2000 and 2003) performances at the Roadhouse, I laid out the type of production Allen Ohm

created for Night of the Living Dead. Each aspect of the Roadhouse productions was carefully designed to fit into the concept of bringing a black-and-white film to life on stage. For Allen

Ohm, this was the most important part of the adaptation. For other directors, this would not prove to be as important. Instead, these directors would find something in the play that connected with their directing style, and moved the play in different directions than Allen Ohm had.

These differences can be readily seen in the publicity photos for the various theatres. The

Roadhouse photos give the impression of movie stills (see Figs. 3-6 through 3-11). These photos

were all taken with black-and-white film, which ensured that even the marketing material kept 75

the play in the same format as the 1968 film. DCT’s photos provided images of a group of

undead teenagers hunting for flesh throughout Dallas. By not taking the pictures on their stage,

they brought attention to the idea that the zombies were infiltrating the entire world, not just the

imagined world on the stage. The bright colors and video marketing for the Maverick Theatre’s

production mirrored their commitment to staging a cinematic piece in full color. Conversely,

after looking at the publicity photo from the Theatre Nocturne’s production (see Fig. 3-17), I would agree with Sanders when he asks “Why not just see the movie?” The publicity photo should show the feel of the play. What I see I this photo is a man with a 2x4 and hammer, while very clean hands reach for him. There is nothing in this photo that implies zombies, or even hints at danger. With no clear concept of how to market the show, I would not expect it to have a memorable style in production. The other shows all provide photos that instantly guide the viewer to an understanding of the type of performance they are creating, and what themes are being presented.

These themes found in Night of the Living Dead are the subject of the next chapter.

After looking at the popularity of the play in various areas of the U.S. in this chapter, I will examine what social criticisms the play contains. These critiques of American society, especially in a play that generates most of its productions from high schools, seem subversive to many contemporary issues. I will address these issues and provide examples of these from the text.

CHAPTER III. LIVING IN A NIGHTMARE WORLD

This chapter details several key themes found in Night of the Living Dead. I highlight the three that, in my opinion, come across most clearly in the play. The creators of the film,

George A. Romero and John Russo, have both mentioned that they never intended for the film to be a criticism of society in the late 1960s. While looking back on the film, Russo mentioned that

“I personally believe that some critics have a tendency to read a bit much into the creations they are studying, in their zeal to find messages and ‘hidden meanings’” (Russo 115). Lori Allen

Ohm maintained this idea about deeper meaning, referring to her script (which she acknowledges as a copy of the film script) as “apolitical” (Lawrence). Regardless of Romero and Russo’s intentions, however, Night of the Living Dead has been seen as a criticism of almost every aspect of 1960s society, from race relations, to the Vietnam War, to the end of Free Love.

Before discussing the themes found in the play, I approach the topic of Night of the Living Dead

as either campy horror or social criticism.

Night of the Living Dead: Campy Fun or Social Criticism?

Night of the Living Dead has generated discussion about its themes since its 1968 opening. Most of the original criticism dealt with the large amount of bloodshed and gore. One of the most famous reviews of the film pointed to a strong sentiment toward the film.

Until the Supreme Court establishes clear-cut guidelines for the pornography of

violence, Night of the Living Dead will serve nicely as an outer-limit definition

by example. In a mere 90 minutes this [film] casts serious aspersions on the 77

integrity and social responsibility of its Pittsburgh-based makers, the film industry

as a whole […] as well as raising doubts about the future of the regional cinema

movement and about the moral health of filmgoers who cheerfully opt for this

unrelieved orgy of sadism. (Paffenroth 27-28)

While some critics saw the film as the first of the developing genre of “splatter movies”

(Williams 29), many others read a multitude of social and political critiques into this film that resonate as strongly now as they did when the film was produced. Simultaneously “a towering exercise in Grand Gognol excess” and a “deft commentary on Vietnam-era America” (Alexander

C04), this film explored critiques of society that make the stage adaptation relevant for discussion. If Allen Ohm’s play merely adapted a splatter film (such as Halloween or Friday the

13th), the lack of cinematic special effects would make it difficult for a staged version to capture the moments that titillated the film’s audience.

The play, and the film, deal more with psychological fears than other splatter films, which allowed the script to be more heavily scrutinized for deeper meaning. John Russo differentiated between Night of the Living Dead and other horror films by explaining why critics found meaning in the gore in the film.

I think what is fundamental about Night of the Living Dead is that it is a solid,

logical story within the context of its fictional premise. This comes across

strongly, despite its budget limitations. It enables people to suspend disbelief.

They find themselves emotionally affected by it ### in fact, scared by it. Then

they start trying to analyze why they had such an atavistic, visceral reaction.

Sometimes they find reasons that the filmmakers never consciously intended. […]

For many of us, it serves as a useful vehicle to enable us to confront and perhaps 78

temporarily subdue the terror and dread in our daily lives. (Russo 115-17,

emphasis his)

Even while claiming that there were no themes hidden in the script, Russo pointed out that there must be real-life fears hidden in the script to make it reach an audience. These real-life fears constitute the three themes I will discuss.

The main themes that resonate through in the play as strongly as they did in the film are: humanity vs. technology, humanity vs. society, and humanity vs. “outsiders.” In an American culture that has become increasingly dependent on wireless communication (technology) and become more focused on individual desires (society), and has seen its soldiers sent overseas in an operative that has been compared to Viet Nam (outsiders),1 these three themes resonate through just as forcefully today, and these themes can also be seen in the stage adaptation.

When Science Fails

The first theme, man vs. technology, is the most explicit of the three in both the film and stage versions. The zombies come to life shortly after a satellite that had orbited Venus was shot down because it was “carrying a mysterious, high-level radiation with it” (Allen Ohm 23).

Technology (and, through the search for scientific advancement, reason in general) has provided the means for mankind’s extinction. Because of the unrelenting nature of the zombies, all technological advancements have been rendered moot, and civilization has lost its use for modern luxuries such as cell phones, video games, and the internet. In an instant, society has been thrust back into a primitive state where individuals must constantly protect themselves from

1 During an interview, President Bush said that the comparisons between Iraq and Viet Nam (which occurred during the original film) may be accurate. The entire story can be found at . 79

everything around them.

Kim Paffenroth argues that Night of the Living Dead provides a disenchanted view of our reliance on reason, which can also be viewed as a critique of humanist perspective so prevalent in our culture:

But reason and human ingenuity, it has often been claimed - as the doctor claims

in Night of the Living Dead, and as Ben seems to believe - will lead to material

prosperity and physical well-being, if not all the way to immortality, then at least

to a very long and healthy lifespan on earth. So if this [play] claims that neither

faith nor reason can physically save your life in a crisis, then it seems the claims

of reason’s proponents have been seriously undermined. (42)

When Romero and Russo produced Night of the Living Dead, the “fear of technology” theme

mirrored feelings concerning the rapid expansion in the nuclear arms race. The idea that

technology could lead to the end of all mankind was a very believable fear. The film presented

several questions about the potential for nuclear warfare. What would happen if a nuclear war

did break out, and people had to create a society from the remains? Would they fall victim to the

primitive urges that doomed the survivors in the farmhouse in Night of the Living Dead? Would humanity maintain its structure when brought back to its primitive origins?

Today, American society does not face the same imminent danger in the form of nuclear war. However, technology has taken on a larger role in everyday life. Technology has eliminated some of the personal interaction that was necessary only a few years ago. As technology has expanded what we can do from our own homes, the need to interact with others has diminished. Allen Ohm’s script questions humanity’s relationship with technology in the following ways. What would happen if our technology was useless, and we were then left to 80 restart our society? Would we have the social skills necessary to develop the relationships necessary for the continuance of our previous way of life, or would we be unable to adapt to a life without our technological comforts around us? These questions, to me, provide some of the most fascinating aspects of the plot.

In the play, the little contact the people in the house have with the outside world, through the radio and television reports, offers them no information that provides any help. Early on, while escape from the farmhouse is possible, the radio instructs the survivors that “the safest course of action at this time is simply to stay put where you are” (Allen Ohm 19). After zombies surround the farmhouse, the instructions for survival change. Television reports now offer much different instructions.

When this emergency first began, radio and television were advising people to

stay indoors, behind locked doors for safety. Well that situation is now changed,

and we’re able to report a definite course of action for you. Civil defense

machinery has been organized to provide rescue stations with food, shelter,

medical treatment, and protection by armed National Guardsmen. Stay tuned to

the broadcasting stations in your local area for this list of rescue stations. This list

will be repeated throughout our news coverage. Look for the name of the rescue

station nearest you, and make your way to that location as soon as possible.

(Allen Ohm 32)

Had the characters in the farmhouse worked together to refuel the truck earlier, they would have had a much greater chance of making it through the zombies, which were significantly fewer at that point.

After seeing the news report, the survivors plan to reach the gas pump near the barn. 81

While Ben and Tom take the truck to the pump, the zombies surround them and cause the gas pump to cover the truck in gasoline. Judy, fearing for Tom’s life, runs out to try to help. The truck catches fire and Ben recognizes that the plan failed and retreats to the safety of the farmhouse. Tom and Judy, however, continue to fight for the truck until it explodes, killing the both of them. The news feed released information too late to benefit the characters; instead, by listening to its instruction, they put themselves in greater danger.

Did these moments develop as a plot device to put the characters in a dangerous situation, or did Allen Ohm and Romero intend it to be a criticism of the tendency to steadfastly accept everything provided via “news feeds” (radio television, internet news sources) as accurate and true? In an interview, Romero acknowledged one possible reason for this plot point: “I do think the media has a tendency to exacerbate situations. I don’t know whether they would put false rescue stations on the air when zombies attack. (pause) But, I don’t know, they might” (Williams

402). The play questions whether technology can adequately serve society in a time of crisis.

Information from the technological sources contradicted what the characters felt was in their best interests, but they decided to follow the instructions, and this led to Judy and Tom’s deaths.

Allen Ohm seems to point out that technology cannot substitute for human survival instincts.

When the instincts are suppressed, survival becomes nearly impossible.

This theme also occurs during Bill Bardough’s newscast as the deputies begin to eliminate the zombie threat (Allen Ohm 41). The newscast portrays the zombie threat as effectively neutralized, which becomes completely untrue by the end of the play. This theme can also bee in the difficulties the survivors have with their vehicles. Tom and Judy die after believing the truck held their key to escape. The Coopers hid in the farmhouse after their car flipped over while they were trying to escape from the zombies. Even Barbara, who has 82 regressed into an almost infantile mental state, seeks sanctuary in the farmhouse only because her brother died with the keys to the car in his possession.

Self-Sufficiency at the Expense of Society

The idea that humanity might turn against itself, providing false information and willingly sacrificing each other, represents another theme brought up in Night of the Living

Dead. In the world of the script, James Iaccino labels two states of development that contrasts each other: modern man (our current society) and archaic man (the zombies), who still possesses a prelogical state of mind (152). This dichotomy, according to humanist ideas of progression, should allow for the quick disposal of the zombie threat. However, in the film, and more explicitly in the play, the societal problems inherent in modernity make it impossible to survive against the animalistic impulses of the zombie attack.2

The source of this theme stems from the political undercurrents occurring when the film was created: the “breakdown of the social order that occurred during the traumatic, yet memorable, period of the 1960s. The ability of the monsters to bring their victims into the same undead state suggests the impotence and lack of control that many people felt at this time”

(Iaccino 151). The public’s faith in the ability of the U.S. government to lead the people was strained, and race and gender issues also permeated the collective consciousness. “Clearly, both the film and the surrounding culture were awash in violence, division, distrust of authority, and a sense of social chaos gnawing at the edges of civilization” (Phillips 93). The film, and subsequently the play, questions how American society would react to imminent danger, when all it has to ensure its survival is the traits learned in an incredibly materialist, gendered, racist

2 In the play, the zombies kill the sheriff and his men in the basement as the men prepare to take Ben’s body away. 83

structure. While the casting of Ben as African-American may have been coincidental, the scene

where the sheriff and his posse shoot him, an innocent young black man, evokes images of a

lynching, or even of more recent police brutality, such as the Amadou Diallo incident in 2000.3

Allen Ohm and Romero may not have intended for their scenes to be interpreted this way, but

this action remains one of the strongest commentaries of society in the script.

The main reason for Ben being African-American seems to be the directors’ feeling that

race did not function as a signifier of meaning anymore. Romero and Reed have both mentioned numerous times that casting an African-American actor (Duane Jones) as Ben, the heroic lead, was purely coincidental. Russell W. Streiner, one of the 1968 film’s producers, also confirms that “a lot of people have read in some meaning to the casting of Duane Jones, a black, playing the male lead. The simple truth of the matter is that he just turned out to be the best person for the part” (Russo 75). Lori Allen Ohm is the only writer to specify that Ben must be African-

American, and she did this only to keep continuity with the film.

While maintaining that the casting was coincidental, Romero acknowledged the impact

that the choice did have, although he noticed it only after critical response to the film. When

discussing the film’s impact, he commented that

Perhaps Night of the Living Dead is the first film to have a black man playing the

lead role regardless of, rather than because of, his color, and in that sense the

observation of the fact is valid, but we did not calculate that this would be an

attention-grabber. We backed into it. Our own relaxed, honest, uninhibited,

naïve attitudes as we approached the production ultimately read-out as

unconscious elements in the picture which added to its realism, offhandedness

In the film, the zombie threat is vanquished, but it is apparent that the price for this victory is the collapse of society. 84

and uniqueness. (Russo 7)

Romero’s naïve comment leads me to believe that race relations either did not register to him as problematic enough to be an issue by making this choice or were too politically charged to allow him to feel comfortable taking up either side of the argument. Upon further examination, it can be argued that Romero and Russo’s script actually enforce the dominant ideology of the 1960s, and that Lori Allen Ohm‘s script reinforces these views.

By not acknowledging the cultural ramifications of casting an African-American in the lead male role, Night of the Living Dead can be read as furthering the dominant ideology. Ellen

Donkin remarks that “[I]f a director doesn’t think through where she stands politically, she is likely to wind up serving [these interests], whether she intends to or not” (6). In both the film and the Roadhouse production, Ben represents the only character of non-White heritage. This includes the large groups of zombies that terrorize Ben and the rest of the survivors. Ben struggles to survive, not only against the zombies but also against the white survivors with him in the barn. This reading creates a more disturbing climax, as Ben’s death can be linked even more to scenes of lynching from the 1960s.

Lori Allen Ohm’s script places itself in the same awkward positioning as the film. Gay

Gibson Cima presents a variety of ways of combating dominant ideologies. Since “art cannot be separated from its historical settings” (96), Night of the Living Dead could be a vehicle to “stage the wider social context of the conflict, the community out of which the characters emerge”

(101). Instead, Ben’s race never becomes an issue and the play never criticizes why Ben and

Harry (who represents traditional white America) fight for control from the very first time they meet. Lori Allen Ohm’s intent simply seemed to be to follow the casting in the film. However,

3 Four plain-clothed officers in New York City fired 41 rounds at an unarmed Diallo on February 4, 1999. 85 this does not preclude her from the same criticisms faced by Russo and Romero. Whether as an intentional choice or not, the race of characters on stage presents a subtext to the audience. By not acknowledging the troublesome nature of her choice, Lori Allen Ohm does little to quiet this criticism.

The racism that can be reflected by this piece represents humanity against itself. This theme also can represent humanity as a whole battling against larger issues. This theme allows the script to function as “a performance text that moves dialectically to contradict its own truths, and thereby challenge the audience to make meaning out of it” (Cima 101).

In contrast to rational society, the zombies represent the antithesis to capitalist culture.

They present an unbiased participant, coming from outside the American socioeconomic model completely. They are driven, not by a grand sense of promoting a system of beliefs or achieving power, but, instead, by an all-consuming urge to destroy all mankind, regardless of religion, race, or gender. In order to address these issues, the film creates

a scenario, like Lord of the Flies, that takes the idea of original sin seriously,

showing how depraved, violent, and predatory people would be to one another if

they really were fundamentally sinful. What goes on in the farmhouse in Night of

the Living Dead is cynical and horrifying, but it is not unorthodox or even

surprising. (Paffenroth 39)

Given the way that the characters treat each other, either physically intimidating one another or undermining everyone else’s goals, as more people join the group in the farmhouse, it becomes apparent that one of the truly frightening aspects of the story comes in how the humans become monsters of a sort.

Ultimately, the real threat to the survival of the nine humans in the farmhouse is 86

not the growing army of living dead outside but the tenuous relationships inside.

It is clear from the first meeting that Ben and Harry will struggle for dominance.

[…] While the group is able to hold their fragile alliance together at the beginning

of their escape plan – Tom pleads for the group to ‘stick together’ – as things fall

apart so goes the group. (Phillips 96)

Whereas the zombies’ actions are not driven by conscious choice, the pain and deception the

survivors inflict on each other is indeed deliberate, making it even more sinister.

Romero paints such a bleak portrayal of civilized life that it becomes difficult not to view

the plot as a direct attack on almost every aspect of society. Paradoxically, the Coopers

represent the “ideal” American family, even though they openly despise each other throughout

the story. With no need to put on a façade to maintain their social status, their true feelings boil

to the surface. In one of the most infamous scenes in the film and play, their daughter, who was bitten by a zombie before the action in the film begins, eats her father’s flesh and brutally murders her mother. Conversely, Tom and Judy truly love each other, but that blind devotion to each other leads them to their deaths. Barbara cannot conceive of the fact that her brother has turned into one of the monsters, and this leads to him killing her when she allows him into the farmhouse. Ben, who maintains a solitary distance from everyone throughout, meets an ironic end, being “mistaken” for a zombie by the local authorities after the carnage has ended. The moral seems to be “nothing really matters, because the result is always the same - death”

(Paffenroth 40).

The threat of American society failing us presently appears in a variety of forms.

Dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq bears a striking resemblance to the attitude toward the

Vietnam War, and the 1968 setting for the film. Many more college-educated people are 87 struggling to find adequate occupations after they graduate. The idea of being able to rely on

Social Security during retirement has become a running punch line throughout the nation. Allen

Ohm’s script seems to wonder if the collapse of our society could really be that farfetched. The play offers an example of what would happen to the nation if people no longer kept up appearances, and instead followed the desires in their own hearts.

The relationships between the characters highlight this theme throughout the play. The first sign that traditional standards of society are breaking down occurs when Harry and Tom come up from the basement and meet Ben and Barbara.

BEN. How long have you been down there? I could have used some help up

here.

HARRY. That’s the cellar. It’s the safest place.

BEN. You mean you didn’t hear the racket we were making up here.

HARRY. How were we supposed to know what was going on? Could’ve been

those things, for all we know.

BEN. The girl was screaming. Surely you must know what a girl screaming

sounds like. Those things don’t make that kind of noise. Anybody would know

somebody’s in need of help.

TOM. Look, it’s kind of hard to hear what’s going on from down there.

HARRY. We thought we could hear a scream, and then for all we knew, that

could’ve meant those things were in the house after her.

BEN. And you wouldn’t have come up to help?

TOM. Well, if there were more of them.

HARRY. The racket. Sounded like the place was being ripped apart. How were 88

we supposed to know what was going on?

BEN. Now wait a minute. You just got finished saying you couldn’t hear from

down there. Now you say it sounded like the place was being ripped apart. It

would be nice if you would get your story straight, man.

HARRY. All right, now you tell me. I’m not going to take that kind of chance

when we got a safe place. We luck into a safe place and you’re telling us we

gotta risk our lives just because somebody might need help, huh?

BEN. Yeah, something like that. (Allen Ohm 22-3)

Tom, Judy, and the Cooper family have already determined that the rest of society serves no purpose to them. They only make a move out of the basement when they realize Ben and

Barbara pose no threat. It quickly becomes apparent that Harry dominates the others in his group. Tom only makes decisions that differ from Harry’s after Ben shows that he will not accept Harry’s demands without question. This moment begins the dissention among the survivors that proves to be their undoing.

When Tom and Ben attempt to refuel the truck, Harry’s deviance from accepted social norms surfaces again. With the two men outside, he attempts to reassert his position of absolute power.

HARRY (to BEN). Go on! Go ahead! (BEN exits front door with the gun.

Harry slams the door, then looks out the window. JUDY to front door.)

JUDY. I’m going with him.

HARRY (seizing her arm). Get back in the cellar.

JUDY. No! (She wrenches free and exits front door. HARRY locks the door

behind her and watches out the window.) (Allen Ohm 38) 89

At this point, Harry locked out the three people who have defied him (Ben, Tom, and Judy) and left them to defend themselves. Ben survived the excursion to the pump, but Harry refused to let him back in, forcing Ben to kick the door down to reach safety. If Ben did not have the rifle with him, Harry would have killed him before letting him back in. This point highlights Harry’s final repulsion of societal standards.

After the power goes out in the farmhouse, Harry makes his final assertion of dominance.

The zombies return to the house and Harry uses their distraction as a way to seize the advantage.

HARRY. I have to get that gun.

HELEN. Haven’t you had enough?

HARRY. Two people are already dead on account of that guy. Take a look out

that window.

(Pause. ZOMBIES shake the window boards loose. HELEN crosses to the

window and tries to hold the boards in place. BEN enters with the gun, drops it

and rushes to her aid. JOHNNY, now a zombie, enters through the audience and

moves toward the house.)

BEN (to HARRY). Get over here, man! Help me! Come on!

(HARRY snatches the gun and aims it at BEN.)

HARRY (to BEN). Go ahead. Go ahead. Do you wanna stay up here now?

Helen, get in the cellar. (Pause.) Get in the cellar now. Move!

Harry’s hatred of Ben affected his crisis management. He was ready to kill Ben, even if it meant losing his wife to the zombies. After all, Ben, not Harry, rushes to her aid and frees her from the zombies reaching through the window. Harry, not the zombies, became the largest threat to the survival of the characters in the farmhouse. His inability to function without societal constraints 90

in place led him to betray everyone in the house for his own selfish motives, and in return, he

dies after being shot by Ben. While Ben deals with the situation with Harry, the zombies finally

enter the house, sealing the fate of everyone there.

This theme can also be seen in the transformation of people into a valuable commodity

(Allen Ohm 25). Ben and Harry argue over who has the right to “keep” Barbara. To them,

Barbara’s personal freedom matters less than her value as a member of their social constructions.

This theme reveals itself in Harry and Helen’s discussion about their family situation as well

(28). Helen confronts Harry about his desire “to be right. Everybody else to be wrong.” She

also pleads with him to join the group upstairs, saying “We might not enjoy living together, but

dying together isn’t going to solve anything.” Even on the familial level, Harry’s sense of

society has dissolved into self-preservation.

Patrolling the Border

The final theme concerns humanity against “the outsider.” While this can be defined as

any force outside a particular society that attempts to change that society’s way of life, it can also

refer to what Carl Jung labels the “shadows” of society that stay just outside the realm of

knowledge. Jung believed that this shadow inhabits “not only part of the individual’s repressed

psyche, but that it also represents the archetype of darkness itself, the absolute evil needed to complement the light of the absolute good” (Iaccino 149; emphasis his). This shadow becomes particularly destructive when imposed on other cultures. “The horrors manifested in two world wars and the use of nuclear weapons testify that the shadow of evil has a place in the cosmos as well as in the psychic condition of humanity” (149). Threats against our society, real or imagined, always cast a shadow over our collective consciousness that is difficult ever truly to 91 ignore.

What makes the zombies such a terrifying and timeless representation of “the outsider” is that they follow no agenda that relates to any actual threat to American society. Their morality is completely different from the American standard of decency, but it is also completely different from every other “civilized” society in the world.

What they consider evil is to be deprived of their sustenance or to have what

rightfully belongs to the slayer taken by another of their kind. Like archaic

man’s, the zombies’ universe is a mysterious and uncivilized one bordering ours,

with its own unique codes of discipline that are impossible to comprehend with

human logic. (Iaccino 152)

The fear of this outside force completely destroying the American way of life can easily come to represent whatever current threat the audience perceives against their way of life.

When the film was created in 1968, there were two direct “outsiders” threatening

American society. The Vietnam War, while not coming to our soil, was nonetheless claiming the lives of a generation of soldiers. With chemical warfare being used, the threat of foreign substances altering the human body did not seem as foreign a concept. The zombies could be representative of catatonic or disfigured veterans, who upon their return, became detached from

American society and uninterested (or incapable) of assimilating back into that culture upon their return.

The Cold War raged on as well. In 1968, the lingering effects of McCarthyism could still be felt as Communism still represented “the enemy” to many political leaders and their supporters. Threats against democracy could be anywhere - even living right next door. By the time the threats would be discovered, it would be too late to stop them. The zombie’s ability for 92 destruction is based on a similar idea. They have neither superhuman speed nor a particular deadly skill; rather, they are slow-moving clumsy creatures. But because of their close resemblance to the living, they blend in with the living until close enough to attack.

I find the influence of the Cold War on this piece the strongest social influence embedded in the text. Importantly, the zombies were created because of radiation from a destroyed satellite. The race between the American and Soviet space programs attracted international attention, with each country using their program as a demonstration of their superior intellect and technological advances. Thus, the race for global superiority might have caused the undoing of society. Another, more frightening thought suggested by the script could lead to nuclear war. If the general population knows that the zombie threat came from a destroyed satellite, would they believe that it was an American satellite that was destroyed, and not a Soviet one whose purpose was to release a biological weapon against us? The fear of potential outside threats against

America might be enough to lead to a complete destruction of civilization, when the true cause was a chance occurrence.

The play approaches this theme from a slightly different angle. The Cold War may be over, but fear of the “other” still has a strong grip on society. The destruction of the Twin

Towers in New York City on September 11, 2001, turned every person into a possible threat to national security. Many personal liberties have been sacrificed in order to better protect against the threat of terrorism. American society protects itself from an enemy without any distinguishing characteristics. The play questions whether one would sacrifice their entire social structure to preserve their own lives. Would the radiation from the satellite be viewed as a terrorist attack? How many innocent people would be killed similarly to Ben, who died because the posse thought he resembled the zombies they were hunting for? This fear never develops 93 outwardly in Night of the Living Dead, but it can be felt throughout the mood of the play.

The first radio broadcast describes the zombies in terms of an outside threat, but offers no definitive description of what to look for.

At this hour, we repeat, these are the facts as we know them: there is an epidemic

of mass murder being committed by a virtual army of unidentified assassins. The

murders are taking place in villages, cities, rural homes, and suburbs with no

apparent motive or reason for the slayings. It seems to be a sudden, general

explosion of mass homicide. We now have some descriptions of the assassins.

Eyewitnesses say they are ordinary-looking people. Some say they appear to be

in a kind of a trance. Others describe them as being grotesque. So at this point,

there is no really authentic way for us to say who or what to look for and guard

yourself against. (Allen Ohm 18)

Rather than quell the fears of the broadcast’s listeners, these statements create the sense of distrust seen in Harry. Without knowing who or what to guard against, the only completely trustworthy person for Harry is himself. Ben’s innocent murder can hardly be thought of as an isolated event when crowds were dispatched everywhere to eliminate the threat. The situation allows for the elimination of anyone who does not immediately fit into the dominant society.

Any sign of possible difference resulted in death.

This fear of the “outsider” can be seen again in Harry’s comment about hearing the people upstairs, when he acknowledges to Helen that he heard them, “but I didn’t know who they were, and I wasn’t about to take any unnecessary chances” (Allen Ohm 27). Potential risk keeps Harry from attempting to save Ben and Barbara until he becomes sure that they are no threat to him. Later, Ben becomes apprehensive about Karen Cooper, who has been bitten by 94

one of the zombies. His discomfort stems from a fear of catching a virus from contact with her,

because “who knows what kind of diseases these things carry” (Allen Ohm 40). The trace of

outside contamination has rendered Karen a potential danger to the group’s survival.

Analysis

The film version of Night of the Living Dead has been dissected by scholars who have

found many themes that comment on society. I have found three themes that resonate both in the

film and in the play: humanity vs. technology, humanity vs. society, and humanity vs. “the

outsider.“ These themes work by contrasting American society with a group with no societal

ties: the zombies. By examining these themes, it becomes clearer why Allen Ohm chose for the

zombies to win in the end. Throughout the events in the play, it becomes apparent to the

audience that there is one society that has no biases based on individual desires; creatures

without judgments based on class, race, or gender; a society without fear and paranoia.

However, the American way of life fails to live up to that standard. The ideal society is the

archaic, the primitive: that of the zombie. American society, Romero and Allen Ohm both seem

to say, has mutated beyond the point of repair. We are not truly any more humane than the

prelogical animals surrounding us. Only, when we seek to destroy, we do so with more cunning and deception than animals.

The “zombie story” can also be read as a modern day parable for original sin. The

characters all have a flaw that betrays them when faced with the zombie menace. Without

outside influence, the truly good characters should maintain decency and decorum. However,

each falls victim to the primal nature that overtakes them. The symbolism in the zombie genre

lends itself well to dramatic interpretation. The concept works on the visceral and the 95 intellectual levels. The cannibalistic actions of the zombies creates an instant revulsion, but these revolting moments are mirrored constantly by the actions of the survivors. Watching a zombie eat the flesh of its victim physicalizes the way that individuals emotionally destroy one another.

Night of the Living Dead offers a way to comment on society without appearing didactic or heavy-handed. The themes can be found easily, but also do not appear to be the driving force behind the production. By addressing these themes, the academic value in this script appears.

The form the commentary takes may be unusual for theatre, but the issues themselves have been debated many times before.

I have looked at the various ways that Night of the Living Dead has been viewed as a tool for social criticism. Whether or not they are all intended, they are all working on a variety of levels throughout the plot. They do not need to be addressed with a sense of gravitas, or you would run the risk of turning the story into an exercise in extravagantly costumed didacticism.

This could be why George Romero and Lori Allen Ohm have both been so reluctant to address the social commentary their stories provide. If you enjoy the production, you can look back at it and dig out the criticism that it addressed. But if you don’t enjoy the experience, the message will get lost anyways. 96

CHAPTER IV. CONCLUSION

Summary

In the first chapter, I detailed the production history of the Roadhouse Theatre to

establish the factors that fostered the development of Night of the Living Dead. Before focusing

specifically on the Roadhouse, I presented a brief history of the Little Theatre Movement in Erie,

Pennsylvania, and how this history can be seen in the Roadhouse’s production practices. The

study of community theatre has become more commonplace in the last decade, and I present

views from both academic and amateur backgrounds to identify issues that may have led to this

divide lasting as long as it has. After presenting the historical and academic background of

Erie’s community theatre tradition, I present population and socioeconomic data from the 2000

census to define the type of community in which the Roadhouse developed. The significance of

poverty in Erie creates difficulties for a theatre that is dependant on ticket sales and contributions

from the general public to sustain itself. The Roadhouse becomes an intersection between the

upper and lower classes of Erie, with the wealthy populous contributing to a theatre which aims

to reach the more economically challenged. I then examined the Roadhouse’s history to

establish its mission and contribution to the Erie community, as well as to describe the

foundation from which Night of the Living Dead was created.

The Roadhouse opened in 1988, and presented an eclectic mix of plays that seemed to mirror Artistic Director Scott McClelland’s personal preferences in scripts. Plays that were financially successful received repeat performances throughout their history, especially those

works that were produced specifically for the Roadhouse: SPOOKS, Reservoir Dogs, and Night

of the Living Dead. In 1999, the Roadhouse produced Always… Patsy Cline, and this concert- 97 style performance would become a staple of their repertoire. Most future seasons would include at least one such performance.

The history of the Roadhouse Theatre illuminates how closely it has been tied to film, with several film adaptations being staged there (Reservoir Dogs, Night of the Living Dead, and

The Exorcist) as well as several scripts that were developed into more famous films (Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers). The Roadhouse has also hosted two different film festivals, one specializing in horror films. With this predisposition towards film, the development of Lori

Allen Ohm’s script fits well with the Roadhouse’s production history.

The second chapter chronicles the Night of the Living Dead productions at the

Roadhouse Theatre and evaluates three other performances nationwide. This chapter highlights the aspects found in the script that make it a favorite for community theatres and high schools.

The three productions I have evaluated (from the Landless Theatre in Washington, D.C., the

Dallas Children’s Theatre, and the Maverick Theatre in Fullerton, California) each interpreted the text differently than Lori Allen Ohm’s productions at the Roadhouse. The wide variety of production styles expresses the amount of complexity in the script, as each theatre focused on different aspects in their productions.

Night of the Living Dead was first produced at the Roadhouse Theatre in September of

2000. Lori Allen Ohm intended to recreate the feel of the original 1968 film. She strove to develop a black-and-white look on the stage with the technical aspects, using white, black, and gray shades to provide depth while eliminating the use of any other colors in the production.

After the 2000 production, Bill Heinzman, the first zombie in the 1968 film, showed interest in producing a performance in Pittsburgh. Seeing the potential of the script, Allen Ohm sent a copy to Dramatic Publishing, Inc., and in 2003, the company agreed to handle publication and 98 distribution for the script.

To celebrate the 2003 publication, the Roadhouse staged another production in

September of that year. Most of the cast remained the same from the original production, as did the technical aspects. This production seemed to occur to promote the script’s upcoming publication and to use this information as a marketing tool for the entire season, as the

Roadhouse also produced another production of its adaptation of Reservoir Dogs. The theatre promoted the two productions together, highlighting the season as a tribute to its two most popular local works. After this, Night of the Living Dead started performances across the country.

The Landless Theatre Company production played to the campy aspects found in Night of the Living Dead. It maintained the black-and-white aspects from the Roadhouse productions, and kept the humorous style of costuming for the zombies that the Roadhouse also used. This production aimed for comedy rather than terror, while still startling its audience at times through the zombies. The Dallas Children’s Theatre production incorporated technology into their production more than the other theatres. It also kept the black-and-white style, but focused on the terror and gore in the script. This production also incorporated video feeds from outside the theatre to create the sense that the zombies had taken over the city. Blood and gore played more prominent roles in this production as well. The Maverick Theatre production disregarded the black-and-white concept and strove to create a more current cinematic experience. The zombies looked like those seen in current zombie films like Dawn of the Dead and 28 Days Later. The

Maverick Theatre’s close proximity to Hollywood can be seen in its interpretation of the script.

All four theatres produced a different style of show from the same text. These variations prove the complexity and adaptability in Night of the Living Dead, and indicate how this show 99 could be used to reach a variety of audiences. While Lori Allen Ohm intended for the staging to maintain the visual style of Romero and Russo’s film, straying from this aesthetic has created some strikingly unique productions.

The next chapter focused on the themes found in Night of the Living Dead. Even though

George Romero and John Russo denied that they attempted to include any social criticism in the film, scholars have found many issues at work in the film. While looking at Lori Allen Ohm’s adaptation of the film, I found three themes that dealt with common struggles throughout society: humanity vs. technology, humanity vs. society, and humanity vs. “the outsider.”

Lori Allen Ohm’s play offers a critical look toward our reliance on technology over our own innate survival instincts. The news broadcasts advise the survivors to seek shelter when they had time to escape, and urged them to head for a rescue shelter after the house had been surrounded by zombies. The zombies also came to life after radiation fell to Earth from a satellite that exploded in the atmosphere. Our main sources of information lead to humanity’s destruction.

In the next theme, society crumbles under the threat of the zombies. Harry focuses on self-preservation, even at the expense of his own family. Rather than working together in a compromise, Harry and Ben struggle for control of the group of survivors in the farmhouse.

This power struggle leads to the death of most of the survivors, as the defensive fortifications fall without the manpower to monitor them. Because Harry refuses to maintain societal standards of conduct, he inadvertently creates his own demise.

Ben’s difference leads to a troublesome issue in the text. Romero and Russo have both stated that Ben’s race happened coincidentally. They claim to never have attempted to make a statement with this choice. Lori Allen Ohm’s script does the same casting, by her admission 100

because she wanted to copy the film. However, Ben’s status as the lone African-American (or

the only racial minority at all) creates very troubling questions of its own. Ben must fight for his

survival, both against the entirely white horde of zombies and the white survivors, Ben and

Harry, who comes from the white middle-class, battle the entire time for supremacy. Ben’s

death creates imagery similar to photos of lynching in the South. If this casting were indeed

unintentional, his situation portrays race relations in a very negative light, and must still be

addressed. This issue seems to lend itself to a wide range of dramatic interpretations.

The final of these three themes, humanity vs. “the outsider,” can be seen throughout the

play as the characters distrust anyone who cannot be immediately identified as similar. When the zombies are first discovered, the news broadcast creates an image of them as an invasive force, who have come from outside society to murder civilians. Instead, the creatures come from the same society they are destroying. While Ben survives the night, he dies in the end because he does not match what the deputy and his posse have declared as the standard. Since he looks unlike them, he must be an enemy.

All of these themes remain as relevant in the play script as they were almost forty years

ago in the original film. The wide variety of interpretations the script allows for creates an

interesting challenge for directors, and can help explain the show’s popularity. With so many

different aspects to flesh out, each production becomes a uniquely complex theatrical event.

Findings

The Roadhouse Theatre reaches many of the aspects that Somerset-Ward lays out for

community theatres. It fails, in part, to educate the community, because it has no youth

programming in place. However, Night of the Living Dead has become a popular script for high 101 school production. While this may have been unintended, the script developed at the

Roadhouse has become an educational tool in drama programs, in part because, as a high school drama student explains, “there are a lot of characterization possibilities in this piece. We got to work on the dynamics of fear, terror, and the human responses they elicit” (“Details”). Creating a high school text does not fulfill this criteria, however. In this aspect, I feel that the Roadhouse fails its community.

The Roadhouse’s strength as a community theatre comes from its ability to foster theatrical enrichment for the adult community. The Roadhouse provides several different opportunities for community members to get involved, either by volunteering to help on a production or by attending a post-show discussion in the coffeehouse. The McClellands have worked diligently to create an inviting atmosphere in their theatre, and this shows in their audience and performers.

The Roadhouse also has succeeded in becoming a critical and commercial success. The

Erie community responds well to the theatre produced there, as evidenced by the positive reviews most of the shows have received, and the Roadhouse’s inclusion in Erie’s list of artistic treasures. The theatre has also proved to be a commercial success, with the demand so strong for their performances of Always… Patsy Cline that they had to rent the much larger Warner

Theatre to accommodate everyone. The Roadhouse has created a niche in the Erie community which attracts people because of its specificity.

With the development of Night of the Living Dead, the Roadhouse has also contributed to the greater development of American Theatre. This script has created national interest, and would not exist without the support of the Roadhouse. This also seems to be their proudest achievement. The Roadhouse seasons have been structured to generate the most income. 102

Premiering a nationally produced show like Night of the Living Dead provides them a level of

attention; they have “made it.” No matter what happens in the Roadhouse’s future, it has

established a legacy.

Night of the Living Dead succeeded at the Roadhouse because it catered directly to that

audience. It became more than a play: the Roadhouse provides an entire evening out. The mix

of psychological questions and dark humor fit in well with many of the shows the Roadhouse has

done in its history. The Roadhouse produced theatre of this type while many of the other

theatres in Erie avoided these works completely. This play combined those qualities associated

with Roadhouse productions with the regional attachment to Romero’s film, and created a strong

rapport with the audience.1 It became the one play that they could call “their own.” It is no

coincidence that at the Roadhouse the setting changes from Butler to Erie county.

Night of the Living Dead had far reaching effects throughout the Erie theatre community.

Due to his involvement in the 2000 production, Rob Kocur was inspired to start the United We

Stand Theatre Troupe (UWSTT). One of their first productions was a 2002 stage adaptation of

the film Primal Fear, which was co-written by Kocur and David W. Mitchell (“UWSTT”).

During a personal interview, Kocur discussed the impact Night of the Living Dead had on his

productions.

It impacted me, I guess, unconsciously or consciously, when I started looking at

Primal Fear, the movie. It inspired me to put it on stage, which is what we did in

2002. I knew it would be more challenging [than Night of the Living Dead] with

all the different scenes. I knew it was on the edge of being able to do it [on

1 In 2004, I worked on a film that was partially inspired by George Romero’s zombie films. Killer Wolf Films Swamp Zombies shot at various locations throughout Erie and Crawford counties in northwestern Pennsylvania, and the film won the audience favorite award at the Eerie Horror Fest. It seems the area will never get tired of zombie stories. 103

stage], but that motivated me.

Looking back, Kocur wasn’t surprised at how the Erie theatre community responded to the show.

I think they were excited about it, but not really surprised, because if anyone was

going to do something like that, the Roadhouse would. This kind of artistic

direction is nothing new from the Roadhouse. People were much more excited

than surprised. People wanted to see how it would work on stage, how would

they handle it, how would it measure up on stage to the movie.

UWSTT also benefited from the connections Kocur made through the show. Night of the Living

Dead participants who would work on UWSTT productions include: myself, Tina Halloran,

Aaron Pacy, Anna Marie Peck, Dan Pruyn, and Sandi Schuschu. Halloran, Pacy, Peck, and

Schuschu were all involved in UWSTT’s first production, Kocur’s United We Stand

(“UWSTT”). Without working on Night of the Living Dead (it was the only show at the

Roadhouse Kocur has done), I do not know that he would have been able to pull so many veteran actors together for an unknown show for a new theatre company. The Erie theatre audiences support known local talent (as evidenced by the large turnout for Amanda Daggett in the Warner

Theatre productions of Always… Patsy Cline), and these established performers brought in an audience that may not have given UWSTT a chance without them. This play impacted more theatres than merely the Roadhouse. Every Erie theatre has been involved with a member of this production. Its impact can be seen in playbills and productions throughout the city.

Night of the Living Dead has succeeded beyond the Erie area as well. By looking at the variety of theatres that have produced the show, I have shown how the script’s themes adapt to reach various intended audiences. Part of the strength of the script lies in its ability to meet different demands. It has the ability to be a successful production for community theatres, high 104 schools, children’s theatres, college theatres, and possibly even professional companies.

Because of its adaptability, I can see how this show could miss its audience completely.

The director has to make a definite choice on the style they are going to use and commit to it.

By looking at the publicity photos and advertisements for almost every production, I found each director’s vision of the play inherent in the photos. I do not believe it is coincidence that out of the five theatres I discussed (Roadhouse, Landless, DCT, Maverick, and Theatre Nocturne), only the publicity photo from Theatre Nocturne does not gesture towards a particular aesthetic for the production. Without a definitive style working for it, Night of the Living Dead, or any other play, can easily fall into boring, predictable theatre.

I have argued how the many different themes in this play (and the film) reach audiences in a variety of ways. This makes Night of the Living Dead a challenging piece to produce, because of the preconceived ideas an audience will have when they hear the name. I have shown what can happen when theatres come up with their own ways to meet these challenges, and what happens when they merely “stick to the script” and do not adapt any of it to make it their own performance.

Suggestions for Further Research

Further research seems to have a strong study in the way that Night of the Living Dead deals with race. What implications are created by establishing Ben as the only African-

American character? What chance would occur to the reading of the play if it was performed by a racially diverse cast? These questions occurred to me while researching this issue, and I was not able to develop them in all of their complexities in this study.

The iconography of race in the play also deserves more focus than I was able to give it in 105 this study. I mentioned how Ben’s death scene brought up images of lynching. What other historical imagery is created by the staging of the play? What is actually being communicated when Ben strikes Barbara, and when Ben shoots Harry? How can these issues be recontextualized by directors in the same way that the other issues become variably valued and promoted? The issues of race seem to be the most deeply embedded in the text. Deciphering what issues are there and what can be done to subvert them would prove a worthwhile study.

The process of adapting films to the stage has become increasingly popular, especially on

Broadway. With the success of shows like The Full Monty and Footloose, stage adaptations of

Legally Blonde and Flashdance are being produced. Why has this become a popular trend? Do the original screenwriters stay as involved as George Romero was with Lori Allen Ohm’s adaptation? Are the large Broadway productions produced by the same studios that funded the film it was based on? Most Broadway productions adapt films into a stage musical. How does this change the reception of the story? Do the themes read the same when produced in a different style?

After briefly touching on the impact of socioeconomic forces on the Roadhouse development, a case study on a specific theatre would prove valuable. If a community theatre focuses on community outreach, it should reflect the makeup of the community. If a disparity occurs in representation, how does this affect the way the theatre interacts with the community?

What problems arise when the dominant majority presents theatre intended to represent the entire community? Do marginalized groups become relegated to stereotypes and generalizations? What can be done to ensure adequate representation of all cross-sections of a city’s population?

I have used the iconic imagery in publicity photos for my evaluations of Night of the 106

Living Dead beyond the Erie area. The next step in this research would be to look beyond these images to chronicle these productions in the same way I have with the Roadhouse productions.

Another interesting approach would be to evaluate the effectiveness of the publicity photos in terms of reception and iconic theory. What do these pictures say and what do they omit? How do these pictures reflect the play’s actual intentions? This study could focus specifically on these images, or become much larger and focus on the iconography and reading of publicity photos as a whole.

More research could also be done on the disconnect between academic and community theatre. What aspects of each type of theatre create problems for the other? What can be done to help eliminate the distance between these two styles? Why has popular theatre been disregarded for so long in historical studies? Somerset-Ward examined a theatre he had worked with in his book; I have worked with Lori Allen Ohm at the Roadhouse. What scholarship has been done by an outside observer? Is the familiarity with the researcher a key aspect in the relationship a community theatre develops with the person chronicling its history, or would the theatre be better served being studied by someone with no past connection to it?

Final Thoughts

Stepping up to the challenges of a difficult script helped shape the Little Theatre movement, and the need for that creativity is just as vital in today’s community theatre. The

Roadhouse acknowledged and accepted the challenge by producing this piece. The themes found in the script allowed the play to reach beyond its regional connection in northwest

Pennsylvania and become a play staged across the country. The depth of the social commentary in Night of the Living Dead bridges the gap between community and academic theatre. Each of 107 these themes provides enough material to warrant further study individually. With each research project, community theatre leaves its imprint on theatre’s history, and unlike other forms of popular entertainment such as vaudeville and burlesque, will have a lasting record of its development.

108

BIBLIOGRAPHY

“1505 State Street.” GoErie.com. 27 July 2003. Erie-Times News. 24 Feb. 2007

Alexander, Chris. “Romero Takes Back the Night.” Toronto Star 29 Oct. 2006: C04.

Allen Ohm, Lori. Night of the Living Dead. Woodstock, IL: Dramatic Publishing, 2003.

“Auditions.” Erie Morning News. 6 July 2000: 25-S.

Biconik, Danielle. “Night of the Living Dead Theater Production.” listless.org. 21 Oct. 2003.

Internet Mailing List. 7 Apr. 2007

list/2003-October/000271.html>.

Bishop, Kyle. “Raising the Dead: Unearthing the Nonliterary Origins of Zombie Cinema.”

Journal of Popular Film and Television 33.4 (2006): 196-205.

Brockett, Oscar, and Franklin J. Hildy. History of the Theatre. 9th ed. Boston: Allyn and

Bacon, 2003.

Bryan, William. “Night of the Living Dead.” PotomacStages.com. 6 Oct. 2006. Potomac

Stages. 7 Apr. 2007

Carlson, Catherine E. “Something Ain’t Right at the Roadhouse.” Erie Daily Times. 25 Sept.

2003: 17-F.

Carter, Alice T. “A ‘Dead’ Costume Contest.” Pittsburghlive.com. 24 Oct. 2004. Pittsburgh

Tribune-Review. 7 Apr. 2007

Cima, Gay Gibson. “Strategies for Subverting the Canon.” Upstaging Big Daddy: Directing 109

Theatre as if Gender and Race Matter. Ed. Ellen Donkin and Susan Clement. Ann

Arbor: U of Michigan P, 1993. 91-107.

Cochrane, Claire. “The Pervasiveness of the Commonplace: The Historian and Amateur

Theatre.” Theatre Research International 26.3 (2001): 233-42.

Crespy, David. Off-Off-Broadway Explosion: How Provocative Playwrights of the 1960s

Ignited a New American Theatre. New York: Back Stage Books, 2003.

Dendle, Peter. The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia. Jefferson: McFarland, 2001.

“Details….” DramaticPublishing.com. 1 Apr. 2007. Dramatic Publishing, Inc. 7 Apr. 2007

DiBello, Rick. “DiBello-Bodine Present: Raise the Roof.” 6 Nov. 2006. DiBello-Bodine

Productions. 20 Feb. 2007 .

---. “Great Lakes Film Association – Film Festivals.” GreatLakesFilmFest.com. 7 Dec. 2006.

Great Lakes Film Association. 20 Feb. 2007

---. “Roadhouse Theatre – Past Performances.” Roadhousetheatre.org. 2006. Roadhouse

Theatre for Contemporary Art. 20 Dec. 2006

Donkin, Ellen and Susan Clement. “Editors’ Introduction.” Upstaging Big Daddy: Directing

Theatre as if Gender and Race Matter. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan P, 1993. 1-8.

“Eerie Horror Film Festival 2007!” EerieHorrorFilmFestival.com. 3 Feb. 2007. Eerie Horror

Film Festival. 10 March 2007 .

Erie Community Foundation 2005 Annual Report. Erie: n.p., 2005.

“Erie Treasure – Roadhouse Theatre.” Erie Times-News 14 Aug. 2003: 25F. 110

Fearnow, Mark. “Theatre Groups and Their Playwrights.” The Cambridge History of American

Theatre, Volume II: 1870-1945. Ed. Don B. Wilmeth and Christopher Bigsby.

Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1999. 343-77.

Frick, John. “A Changing Theatre: New York and Beyond.” The Cambridge History of

American Theatre, Volume II: 1870-1945. Ed. Don B. Wilmeth and Christopher Bigsby.

Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1999. 196-232.

Gard, Robert E., and Gertrude S. Burley. Community Theatre: Idea and Achievement. New

York: Duell, Sloan, and Pearce, 1959.

“HauntedIllinois.com – 2007 Night of the Living Dead.” HauntedIllinois.com. 10 Oct. 2006.

Haunted Illinois. 7 Apr. 2007

Hvizdak, Chris. “Dead Reckoning: Romero on Stage.” Tripod.com. 1 Oct. 2003. 7 Apr. 2007.

Iaccino, James F. Psychological Reflections on Cinematic Horror: Jungian Archetypes in Horror

Films. Westport: Praeger, 1994.

Kocur, Rob. Telephone interview. 8 Feb 2007.

“Landless Theatre.” LandlessTheatre.org. 21 Aug. 2006. Landless Theatre Company. 7 Apr.

2007 .

“Latest News.” PAGSK.org. 25 Aug. 2005. Performing Arts Guild of South Kitsap. 7 Apr.

2007 .

Lawrence, Floyd. “Close Encounters of the Scary Kind.” Erie Times-News 28 Sept 2000: 16-

“Live on Stage! Night of the Living Dead.” Erie Morning News 7 Sept 2000: 5-S. 111

“Living Dead.” MaverickTheatre.com. 1 Oct. 2006. The Maverick Theatre. 7 Apr. 2007

LoMonaco, Martha. “Regional/Resident Theatre.” The Cambridge History of American

Theatre, Volume III: Post World War II to the 1990s. Ed. Don B. Wilmeth and

Christopher Bigsby. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1999. 224-48.

MacGowan, Kenneth. Footlights Across America: Towards a National Theatre. New York:

Harcourt, 1929.

Marchese, Eric. “Night of the Living Dead.” Backstage.com. 26 Oct. 2006. Backstage. 7 Apr.

2007

03315711>.

McKenna, Mark. "Touchstone—How Radical Is Radical?" TDR/The Drama Review 45.3

(2001): 8.

Melnicoff, Joseph. “On Stage Zombies Among You in Night of the Living Dead.”

BroadwayWorld.com. 22 Oct. 2006. Broadway World. 7 Apr. 2007

Moorhead, V.M. “It Will Scare the Yell Out of You.” Erie Times-News 18 Sept 2000: 17-S.

“New Plays in Manhattan.” Time Magazine. 22 Feb. 1932: 57.

Night of the Living Dead. Program. Erie: n.p., 2000.

“Night of the Living Dead.” The Spotlight 5.7 (2006): 1.

“Night of the Living Dead Haunts Again at NWCT.” NWCTS.org. 6 Oct. 2006. Northwest

Children’s Theatre and School. 7 Apr. 2007

. 112

“Night of the Living Dead: the Play.” Popsyndicate.com. 22 Oct. 2006. Pop Syndicate. 7 Apr.

2007

play/>.

O’Keefe, Ed. “Bush Accepts Iraq-Vietnam Comparison.” ABC News.com. 18 Oct. 2006.

ABC. 1 March 2007 .

Paffenroth, Kim. Gospel of the Living Dead. Waco: Baylor UP, 2006.

Paglisotti, Taylor. “Night of the Living Dead.” STLtoday.com. 8 Nov. 2006. St. Louis Post

Dispatch. 10 Dec. 2006

910468625721F00664419?OpenDocument>.

“Past Productions.” BlueRidgeCommunityTheatre.com. 5 Apr. 2007. Blue Ridge Community

Theatre. 7 Apr. 2007

Phillips, Kendall R. Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture. Westport: Praeger,

2005.

Poggi, Jack. Theatre in America: The Impact of Economic Forces, 1870-1967. Ithaca: Cornell

UP, 1968.

Richards, Dave. “Section D ### Marquee Matchups.” GoErie.com. “Erie 2001 ### At a

Crossroads: An Industry-by-Industry Portrait.” 2 May 2001. Erie-Times News. 1 March

2007 .

Russo, John. The Complete Night of the Living Dead Filmbook. New York: Harmony, 1985.

Sanders, Justin Wescoat. “Night of the Living Dead.” PortlandMercury.com. 28 Oct. 2004. 113

The Portland Mercury. 7 Apr. 2007

Somerset-Ward, Richard. An American Theatre: The Story of Westcourt Community Playhouse,

1931-2005. New Haven: Yale UP, 2005.

“SqueezeOC.com - video.” SqueezeOC.com. 16 Oct. 2006. SqueezeOC.com. 7 Apr. 2007

“Stayin’ Alive with 25!” Erie Times-News 10 July 2003: 4F.

“They’re Coming for You.” Erie Times-News 28 Sept. 2000: 1-S.

Thornton, Joe. “Joe Thornton - Voiceovers.” Voice123.com. 10 March 2007. Voice123. 20

March 2007. .

“UWSTT – What’s New.” UWSTT.org. 12 Jan. 2007. United We Stand Theatre Troupe. 15

Jan. 2007 .

Vallejo, Justin. “‘Living Dead’ a Spooky Halloween Spectacular.” DailyToreador.com. 28 Oct.

2003. The Daily Toreador. 7 Apr. 2007

sure/living.Dead.A.Spooky.Halloween.Spectacular-1277507.shtml>.

Williams, Tony. “An Interview with George and Christine Romero.” Quarterly Review of Film

and Video 18.4 (2001): 397-411.

---. The Cinema of George A. Romero: Knight of the Living Dead. London: Wallflower Press,

2003.

Woods, Alan. “Emphasizing the Avant-Garde: An Exploration in Theatre Historiography.”

Interpreting the Theatrical Past: Essays in the Historiography of Performance. Ed.

Thomas Postlewait and Bruce A. McConachie. Iowa City: U of Iowa P, 1989. 166-77. 114

APPENDIX A

PRODUCTIONS STAGED AT THE ROADHOUSE BY AUTHOR

Albee, Edward Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 1996

Three Tall Women 1997

Allen Ohm, Lori Night of the Living Dead 2000, 2003

The Exorcist 2005

Auburn, David Proof 2004

Beckett, Samuel Waiting for Godot 1994

Bicknell, Arthur Moose Murders 1993

Bogosian, Eric Pounding Nails in the Floor with My Forehead 1997

Boler, Richard SPOOKS 1991, 1994, 1996, 2002

Bozzone, Bill Rose Cottages 1992

Brecht, Bertolt Threepenny Opera 2003

Bromburg, Conrad At Home 1988

Brown, Mary Alice Class Is in Session 2006

Busch, Charles Vampire Lesbians of Sodom 1994

Psycho Beach Party 2000

Chekov, Anton Uncle Vanya 1997

Currens, Stephen Gorey Stories 1995

DiBello, Rick Sammy the Rock Opera 2002

DiBello, Rick and Althea Bodine Red 1999 115

Bonefloor 2000

pRO_gRESS 2004

Durang, Christopher Laughing Wild 1992

Baby with the Bathwater 1995

The Marriage of Bette and Boo 1996

Betty’s Summer Vacation 2001

Ebb, Fred and J. Masterhoff Cabaret 1993

Ensler, Eve Vagina Monologues 2006

Farley, Keythe Bat Boy: the Musical 2005, 2006

Feldshuh, David Miss Evers’ Boys 1993

Foster, Norm Wrong for Each Other 1996

Fulford, Robin Steel Kiss 1991

Glazer, Peter Woody Guthrie’s American Song 1997, 1999

Goldman, James The Lion in Winter 1993

Gurney, A.R. Love Letters 1993

Hart, Moss and G. Kaufman The Man Who Came to Dinner 1992

You Can’t Take It with You 1997

Ibsen, Henrik Hedda Gabler 2005

Inge, William Come Back, Little Sheba 1997

Ives, David All in the Timing 1995

Janes, Alan and Rob Bettinson The Buddy Holly Story 2007

Kaufman, George S. and M. Ryskind Animal Crackers 1996

Cocoanuts 1998 116

Kaufman, Moises Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde 2000

Larson, Jonathan tick…tick… BOOM! 2006

Larson, Larry and Levi Lee Some Things You Need to Know Before the World Ends:

A Final Evening with the Illuminati 2002

--, and Rebecca Wackler Tent Meeting 2003

Lawrence, Jerome Inherit the Wind 1994

Leight, Warren Side Man 2001

Lemoine, Stewart Vile Governess 1997

Lindsay-Abaire, David Fuddy Meers 2002

Wonder of the World 2007

Lorca, Frederico Garcia The House of Bernarda Alba 2003

Ludlam, Charles The Mystery of Irma Vep 2005

Mamet, David American Buffalo 1990

Speed the Plow 1992

Oleanna 1995

Martin, Jane Talking With… 1989

Keely and Du 1996

Martin, Steve Picasso at Lapin Agile 2000

McClelland, Scott Reservoir Dogs 1997, 1998, 2003, 2006

McClure, James Lone Star 1996

McClure, Michael The Beard 1990

McNally, Terrence Love, Valour, Compassion 1998

Corpus Christi 2001 117

Mitchell, James Cameron Hedwig and the Angry Inch 2007

Mula, Tom Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol 2003

O’Brien, Richard The Rocky Horror Show 1992, 1999

Parker, David The Collector 1990

Prideaux, James The Orphans 1988

Reza, Yasmina Art 2001, 2002

Robertson, Lanie Lady Day at the Emerson Bar and Grill 2004

Rudnick, Paul Jeffery 1996

Sedaris, David “Santaland Diaries” and “Season’s Greetings” 2006

Shaffer, Peter Equus 1991, 1994

Shakespeare, William As You Like It 1990

King Lear 1998

Richard III 2004

Shanley, John Patrick Danny and the Deep Blue Sea 1988

The Dreamer Examines His Pillow 1994

Shawn, Wallace Aunt Dan and Lemon 1992

Shepard, Sam Buried Child 1988

Fool for Love 1989, 1999

True West 1991, 2000

Shue, Larry The Foreigner 1993, 1998

Siefert, Lynn Coyote Ugly 1989, 1997

Silver, Nicky Fat Men in Skirts 1995

Simon, Neil Last of the Red Hot Lovers 2007 118

Swindley, Ted Always… Patsy Cline 1999, 2000, 2002

Honky Tonk Angels 2002, 2003

Taylor, C. P. And a Nightingale Sang 1996

Walker, George F. Escape from Happiness 1995

Williams, Tennessee Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 1989

The Glass Menagerie 1990, 1999

A Streetcar Named Desire 1991, 1999

Slapstick Tragedy 1993

Vieux Carre 2000

The Mutilated 2001

Unknown Floatin’ 1990

Night like a Cat 1989

Cry for the Moon 1991

Pleased to Meet You 1994

A Toy Called God 1995

The Magic of Christmas with Amanda Daggett 2000

Songs that Won the War at the Warner Theatre 2001

In the Christmas Mood with Amanda Daggett 2001

Whose Line (with In All Seriousness) 2003

An Evening with Hank Williams 2004

Choice Cuts 2005

Choice Cuts 2 2006

119

APPENDIX B

PRODUCTIONS STAGED AT THE ROADHOUSE BY SEASON

1988 Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, by John Patrick Shanley

Buried Child, by Sam Shepard

At Home, by Conrad Bromburg

The Orphans, by James Prideaux

1989 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, by Tennessee Williams

Night Like a Cat, collaborative production by the Roadhouse

Fool for Love, by Sam Shepard

Coyote Ugly, by Lynn Siefert

Talking With…, by Jane Martin

1990 The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams

As You Like It, by William Shakespeare

The Collector, by David Parker

American Buffalo, by David Mamet

The Beard, by Michael McClure

1991 Cry for the Moon, collaborative production through the Roadhouse

SPOOKS: The Haunting of the Skowronski Sisters, by Richard Boler

A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams

Equus, by Peter Schaffer 120

True West, by Sam Shepard

Steel Kiss, by Robin Fulford

1992 The Man Who Came to Dinner, by Moss Hart and George Kaufman

Speed the Plow, by David Mamet

Aunt Dan and Lemon, by Wallace Shawn

Rose Cottages, by Bill Bozzone

Laughing Wild, by Christopher Durang

The Rocky Horror Show, by Richard O’Brien

1993 Miss Evers’ Boys, by David Feldshuh

Slapstick Tragedy, by Tennessee Williams

The Foreigner, by Larry Shue

Moose Murders, by Arthur Bicknell

Love Letters, by A.R. Gurney

Cabaret, by Fred Ebb and J. Masterhoff

The Lion in Winter, by James Goldman

1994 Pleased to Meet You, a collaboration by the Roadhouse Theatre

Equus, by Peter Schaffer

SPOOKS: The Haunting of the Skowronski Sisters, by Richard Boler

Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett

The Dreamer Examines His Pillow, by John Patrick Shanley 121

Inherit the Wind, by Jerome Lawrence

Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, by Charles Busch

1995 All in the Timing, a collection by David Ives

Fat Men in Skirts, by Nicky Silver

Baby with the Bathwater, by Christopher Durang

Oleanna, by David Mamet

Escape from Happiness, by George F. Walker

Gorey Stories, by Stephen Currens

A Toy Called God, a collaboration by Roadhouse performers

1996 SPOOKS: The Haunting of the Skowronski Sisters, by Richard Boler

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, by Edward Albee

Animal Crackers, by George S. Kaufman and M. Ryskind

The Marriage of Bette and Boo, by Christopher Durang

Wrong for Each Other, by Norm Foster

Keely and Du, by Jane Martin

Lone Star, by James McClure

Jeffery, by Paul Rudnick

And a Nightingale Sang, by C.P. Taylor

1997 Reservoir Dogs, adapted by Scott McClelland

Coyote Ugly, by Lynn Siefert 122

Three Tall Women, by Edward Albee

Uncle Vanya, by Anton Chekov

You Can’t Take It with You, by George Kaufman and Moss Hart

Pounding Nails in the Floor with My Forehead, by Eric Bogosian

Woody Guthrie’s American Song, by Peter Glazer

Come Back, Little Sheba, by William Inge

Vile Governess / Gnadigies Fraulein, by Stewart Lemoyne

1998 Reservoir Dogs, adapted by Scott McClelland

The Foreigner, by Larry Shue

The Cocoanuts, by George S. Kaufman and M. Ryskind

King Lear, by William Shakespeare

Love, Valour, Compassion, by Terrance McNally

1999 Red, by Althea Bodine and Rick DiBello

Always… Patsy Cline, by Ted Swindley

The Rocky Horror Show, by Richard O’Brien

Woody Guthrie’s American Song, by Peter Glazer

Fool for Love, by Sam Shepard

A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams

The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams

2000 Always… Patsy Cline, by Ted Swindley (at the Warner Theatre) 123

“The Magic of Christmas with Amanda Daggett,” concert performance

Vieux Carre, by Tennessee Williams

Bonefloor, by Althea Bodine and Rick DiBello

True West, by Sam Shepard

Picasso at the Lapin Agile, by Steve Martin

Psycho Beach Party, by Charles Busch

Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, by Moises Kaufman

Night of the Living Dead, adapted by Lori Allen Ohm

2001 “In the Christmas Mood with Amanda Daggett,” concert performance

“Songs that Won the War,” concert performance at the Warner Theatre

Art, by Yasmina Reza

Corpus Christi, by Terrence McNally

Betty’s Summer Vacation, by Christopher Durang

Side Man, by Warren Leight

The Mutilated, by Tennessee Williams

2002 Always… Patsy Cline, by Ted Swindley (at the Warner Theatre)

SPOOKS: The Haunting of the Skowronski Sisters, by Richard Boler

Art, by Yasmina Reza

Sammy: the Rock Opera, by Rick DiBello

Honky Tonk Angels, by Ted Swindley

Fuddy Meers, by David Lindsay-Abaire 124

Some Things You Need to Know Before the World Ends: A Final Evening with

the Illuminati, by Larry Larson and Levi Lee

2003 Night of the Living Dead, adapted by Lori Allen Ohm

Reservoir Dogs, adapted by Scott McCelland

Honky Tonk Angels, by Ted Swindley

“In All Seriousness presents ‘Whose Line’,” improv comedy performance

Tent Meeting, by Larry Larson, Levi Lee, and Rebecca Wackler

Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, by Tom Mula

La Casa de Bernardo Alba, by Frederico Garcia Lorca

The Threepenny Opera, by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill

2004 Lady Day at the Emerson Bar and Grill, by Lanie Robertson

“An Evening with Hank Williams,” concert performance by Brian Hunt

pRO_gRESS, by Althea Bodine and Rick DiBello

Richard III, by William Shakespeare

Proof, by David Auburn

2005 The Exorcist, adapted by Lori Allen Ohm

Hedda Gabler, by Henrik Ibsen

The Mystery of Irma Vep, by Charles Ludlum

“Choice Cuts,” a revue

Bat Boy: The Musical, by Keyhte Farley 125

The Great Lakes Film Festival

Eerie Horror Film Festival

2006 Reservoir Dogs, adapted by Scott McClelland

“Class Is in Session,” concert performance with Mary Alice Brown

“Choice Cuts 2,” a revue

“Santaland Diaries” and “Season’s Greetings,” by David Sedaris

Vagina Monologues, by Eve Ensler

tick… tick… BOOM!, by Jonathan Larson

Bat Boy: The Musical, by Keyhte Farley

The Great Lakes Film Festival

Eerie Horror Film Festival

2007 Last of the Red Hot Lovers, by Neil Simon

Glengarry Glen Ross, by David Mamet

Wonder of the World, by David Lindsay-Abaire

Hedwig and the Angry Inch, by John Cameron Mitchell

The Buddy Holly Story, by Alan James and Rob Bettinson

The Great Lakes Film Festival 126

APPENDIX C

PARTIAL CHRONOLOGY OF NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD

Sept. 5 - Nov. 4, 2000 Roadhouse Theatre for Contemporary Art

Erie, PA

Sept - Oct. 31, 2003 Roadhouse Theatre for Contemporary Art

Erie, PA

Oct. 24 - Oct.31, 2003 The Lubbock Theatre Project

Lubbock, TX

Oct. 24 - Nov. 1, 2003 Indiana Theatre

Indiana, PA

Oct. 21 - Oct. 30, 2004 Gemini Theatre

Pittsburgh, PA

Oct. 28 - Nov. 3, 2004 Theatre Nocturne (through Northwest Children’s Theatre)

Portland, OR

Oct. 7 - Oct. 29, 2005 The Performing Arts Guild of South Kitsap

The Bay Street Playhouse

Port Orchard, WA

July 13 - July 26, 2006 Maury County Arts Guild

Columbia, TN

Oct. - Nov. 2006 Hazelwood West High School

St. Louis, MO

Oct. 6 - Oct. 26, 2006 Landless Theatre Co.

Washington, D.C. 127

Oct. 6 - Nov. 4, 2006 The Maverick Theatre

Fullerton, CA

Oct. 15 - Nov. 4, 2006 Dallas Children’s Theatre

Dallas, TX

Oct. 20 - Oct. 28, 2006 Miner’s Theatre

Collinsville, IL

Oct. 20 - Oct. 28, 2006 Northwest Children’s Theatre

Portland, OR

Oct. 20 - Oct. 31, 2006 Blue Ridge Community Theatre

Blue Ridge, GA

Oct. 27 - Oct. 28, 2006 Towne Players of Ken-Ton

Tonawanda, NY

Feb. 15 - Feb. 23, 2007 College Park High School

Pleasant Hills, CA

March 15, 2007 Weaver High School

Weaver, AL

Sept. 28 - Nov. 3, 2007 The Maverick Theatre

Fullerton, CA

Oct. 24 - Oct. 28, 2007 The Coterie

Kansas City, MO