Sharon's Grave
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Henry Heymann Theatre inside The Stephen Foster Memorial Sharon’s Grave By John B. Keane Directed by Aoife Spillane-Hinks July 16 - August 1 Copyright © 2015 Playbill Online Inc. All marks used by permission. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A GREAT PERFORMANCE. Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, UPMC is ranked among the nation’s best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. SYS411939_gh_upmc_pict_theatre_ad_color.indd 1 4/16/14 12:41 PM PICT Classic Theatre presents Sharon’s Grave by John B. Keane Directed by Aoife Spillane-Hinks Byron Anthony* Karen Baum* Sharon Brady* James FitzGerald* Martin Giles* Jill Keating* J. Alex Noble* Alec Silberblatt* John Henry Steelman Scenic Designer Lighting Designer Costume Designer Johnmichael Bohach Keith A. Truax Joan Markert Sound Designer Production Manager / Props Master Elizabeth Atkinson Technical Director James Thome George DeShetler, Jr. Stage Manager Sound Engineer Cory F. Goddard* Assistant Stage Manager Kevin Rudolph Liam B. Nute Master Electrician Scenic Artist Nathaniel Seibert Assistant Master Electrician Jennifer Kirkpatrick Lucas Blanchard Gluekert *Member of the Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. Cast Trassie Conlee ........................... Karen Baum* Dinzie Conlee............................ James FitzGerald* Neelus Conlee ........................... Alec Silberblatt* Peadar Minogue ........................ Byron Anthony* Pats Bo Bwee ............................. Martin Giles* Jack Conlee ................................ J. Alex Noble* Moll ........................................... Sharon Brady* Miss Dee ................................... Jill Keating* Donal Conlee ............................ John Henry Steelman Setting: 1925, County Kerry, Ireland SHARON’S GRAVE WILL BE PERFORMED IN TWO HOURS 15 MINUTES INCLUDING ONE FIFTEEN-MINUTE INTERMISSION. *Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. PICT Classic Theatre receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Special Thanks John B. Keane Estate, John Duddy, Lisa Coen, Aonghus Og McAnally, Pat Hynes, Margaret Spillane, Bruce Shapiro, Peter Hinks, Maeve Fitzgerald, Brad Peterson, City Theatre Company, Steve Shapiro, Point Park University and Sara Steelman The use of any recording device, either audio or video, and the taking of photographs, either with or without flash, are strictly prohibited. Please turn off all electronic devices such as cellular phones, beepers, and watches. 2 PICT – Sharon’s Grave From the Board President Dear Friends, One would not expect a play by the name of Sharon’s Grave to be a love story. But then we are reminded of love and what matters most in life when we reflect during a loved one’s funeral. And we face the reality that time is fleeting to accomplish our goals. Most would agree that our priorities in living a full life are caring for family, nurturing lasting friendships, and improving our community. Our investment in time and energy, however, often is skewed, by necessity, in other directions. And when we are bombard- ed by instantaneous communications and 24/7 news from around the globe, it can be difficult to find a moment to reflect on our priorities and how well we are serving them. There are different ways to find opportunities for reflection — church services, reading a thought-provoking book, listening to music. Attending the theater is one of those opportunities. Our aim is both to entertain and to provide stories about which you will talk and reflect after you leave the theater. We believe that theater can be, and should be, transformational and inspiring. If we have a made a difference in your life, please let us know. We would like to share your story. Sincerely, Chuck Moellenberg “Epic” I have lived in important places, times When great events were decided; who owned That half a rood of rock, a no-man’s land Surrounded by our pitchfork-armed claims. I heard the Duffys shouting ‘Damn your soul!’ And old McCabe stripped to the waist, seen Step the plot defying blue cast-steel – ‘Here is the march along these iron stones’ That was the year of the Munich bother. Which Was more important? I inclined To lose my faith in Ballyrush and Gortin Till Homer’s ghost came whispering to my mind. He said: I made the Iliad from such A local row. Gods make their own importance. by Patrick Kavanagh PICT – Sharon’s Grave 3 Production Team Director .......................................................................... Aoife Spillane-Hinks Scenic Designer .............................................................. Johnmichael Bohach Lighting Designer .......................................................... Keith A. Truax Costume Designer .......................................................... Joan Markert Sound Designer .............................................................. Elizabeth Atkinson Props Master ................................................................... James Thome Production Manager/ Technical Director ....................... George DeShetler, Jr. Stage Manager ................................................................ Cory F. Goddard* Assistant Stage Manager ................................................ Liam B. Nute Master Electrician .......................................................... Nathaniel Seibert Assistant Master Electrician ........................................... Lucas Blanchard Gluekert Scenic Charge Artist ....................................................... Jennifer Kirkpatrick Sound Engineer .............................................................. Kevin Rudolph Sound Board Operator ................................................... Matthew Russak Light Board Operator ..................................................... Brian Beighley Wardrobe ........................................................................ Rikkilee Rose Carpenters ...................................................................... Drew Palajasa, James Thome Painters ........................................................................... Lindsay Coda, Dahlia Al-Habieli *Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. A law firm dedicated to defending healthcare professionals 412.338.4750 www. mbo-pc.com Director’s Note By Aoife Spillane-Hinks When I walked into the pub that bears John B. Keane’s name, in his hometown of Listowel, Co. Kerry, I was struck by how ordinary and extrordinary it was. At the oaken bar, an older man drank a pint of Guinness, while the bartender engaged him in quiet conversation, as you might see in any Irish pub. But on the walls, posters from all over the world advertised productions of plays by the man who worked behind this bar for 50 years. This is Listowel, and this is John B. Keane: a place and a writer springing from the intersection of ordinary life and bold artistic imagination. The characters in Keane’s world straddle the deeply ordinary and the hugely extraordinary. Keane—who was born in 1928, six years after Ireland gained independence, and who died in 2002 as one of the country’s best-loved playwrights— understood intimately what the poet Patrick Kavanagh meant when, thinking of disputes among his rural neighbors, he heard Homer’s ghost speaking to him: He said: I made the Iliad from such A local row. Gods make their own importance. Sharon’s Grave is about three such “local rows,” a play in which three stories crash into one. There’s a love story, in which a traveling thatcher meets a kind woman in a lonely house. There’s an epic battle for land, in which a woman fights her evil cousin to keep hold of what’s hers. And there’s a tale of ancient magic, in which a young man pledges his life to a mythical princess. And all the while, a storm is gathering outside. Keane is sometimes described as a “vernacular playwright,” approachable enough that he remains immensely popular on Ireland’s vigorous community theatre circuit. But having directed Waiting for Godot for PICT in 2014, I have been struck by how often Sharon’s Grave reminds me of Samuel Beckett’s work. Indeed, I’ve found myself talking with James FitzGerald—who plays Dinzie in this production, and who played Didi in Godot—about how Keane demands the same kind of precise, vigilant, honest work with the text. These characters live and die in their words. In rehearsals we often jokingly refer to long speeches in Sharon’s Grave as “arias,” but there’s truth to the joke. Keane is all about rhythm, phrasing, and melody. There are moments when the text goes beyond our cleverness or analysis and demands that actors simply “sing” it—in tune and in time. This is a big, bold, and wild ride through a storm of passion, greed, and longing. I hope you’ll enjoy the journey. PICT – Sharon’s Grave 7 Who’s Who in the Cast Byron Anthony (Peadar Minogue) is in his second season with PICT. Previous PICT credits: Willy Moore in Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme. Recent NY credits: Tommy in The Cheaters Club, Nino in The Bad and the Better, Theodore in Pink Knees on Pale Skin, Guildenstern in Hamlet, Bobby in The Picket Line, and Bobby in The Trip Back Down. Karen Baum (Trassie Conlee) is honored to join PICT’s 2015 season as an associate artist after