TheProvincetown Theatre Company NOTABOUT HEROES the friendship of Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen

A Play by Stephen MacDonald directed by Norman R Allen designed by P. J. McKey with Bill Clark and Stuard Derrick

Thursdaythrough Sunday August 29through September15 at8PM

Provincetown Inn One CommercialStreet P.J. McKEY (Designer): This is P.J.’s first The Provincetown Theatre Company design project with P.T.C. She has designed productions for both college and professional presents theatre including Beckett’s Endgame and Arrabal’s Guernica. Earlier this season P.J. directed Damnee Manon, Sacree Sandra. She Not About Heroes holds an in directing from UMass Amherst MFA the friendship of Siegried Sassoon and has worked with Boston’s AKA Theatre, and Wilfred Owen The Music Theatre Group at the Lenox Arts Center, and the Berkshire Theatre Festival. by Stephen MacDonald P.J.’s next project will be directing Tales of the Lost Formicans for Wellfleet Harbor Actor’s Theatre. Directed by Norman R. Allen Designed by P.J. McKey NORMAN R. ALLEN (Director): Norman made his directing debut last season with The Lisbon Siegfried Sassoon Stuard Derrick Traviata. Cape audiences have seen productions Wilfred Owen Bill Clark or staged-readings of his plays Larry, Queen of Scots, Jenny Saint Joan, Juggling Frank, and Here there will be one ten-minute intermission to Stay. Here to Stay was presented at Playwrights’ Platform in Boston this spring. A freelance writer, Norman’s work has appeared in The American Premiere of Not About Heroes was The Boston Globe, Horizon Magazine, Musical presented by the Williamstown Theatre Festival, America, The Mindprint Review, Oak Square Nikos Psacharapoulos, Artistic Director. Quarterly, and Dog Fancy. He is a proud member of the Provincetown Theatre Company’s Produced by special arrangement with Samuel Playwrights Works hop. French, Inc. CapeWeek Cape Cod Times Magazine. Friday, August 23, 1991

CENTER STAGE Director of anti-war drama spurred by old man’s memories Dianne Wiest directing Allen heard about the play, read it, then saw a production in Boston. He Tickets had thought about staging it on the PROVINCETOWN When Cape for a few years, and was re- Norman R Allen was growing up, minded of it during the Persian grandfathertold wonderful Provincetown Theatre Com- his pany will present “Not About Gulf War. Everything came togeth- stories about how exciting it was to er when Allen returned from teach- serve in World War I, and about Heroes”at 8 p.m Aug. 29 through Sept. 1and Sept. ing summerschool in England and the heroic exploits of the soldiers 5-8 found the Provincetown company he and 12-15 at the Provincetown knew. 1 Commercial St. Tickets had had to canceI a planned sum- But when his grandfather got Inn, mer production of “The older, and perhaps,Allen acknowl- are $12 for opening night, $10 for other More Abduction.’ edged, a little senile, he told “the performances. The substitution reunited direc- truth,” Allen said. information may be obtained by calling 487-3466. tor Allen and actors Bill Clark and “He would say things about be- Stuard Derrick the key players of ing at the front, in the trenches. ‘The Lisbon Traviata,” a Province- and seeing a friend being blown to signed. town Theatre Company production bits right next to him,’’recalled Al- Although Sassoon is not particu- of last season. ”The actors were ex- len of those later talks. “It (war) larlywell-known today, Allen said, actly what I wanted. They‘re per- was not a beautiful,heroic thing. Owen’s works, particularly “An- fect together in the parts;’ Allen He told us how it felt to kill them for a Doomed Youth,” are said. And familiarity has helped people.” still featured in many high school speed the rehearsal process along. Those two faces Of his grandfa- and collegeliterature classes. ‘We kneweach other and how ev- ther, and the two faces of war, are Perhaps because of his grandfa- eryone worked.” part of what attractedAllen to Ste- ther‘s involvement,Allen said he And, even though some of the phen MacDonald’s play “Not has always had a keen interest in patriotic fervor of the Persian Gulf About Heroes,”which Allen is di- World War I. A high school English War has died down, Allen sees the recting for the Provincetown teacher introduced Allen to Owen’s. productionof this anti-war play as Theatre Company. work, and, at 15, Men read all of timely. The drama tells the real-life story Owen’s poetry and letters. “Duringthe Gulf War and still, of the friendship between two Bri- Owen at first attracted the young people are so eager to be patriotic,” tish anti-war poets during World Allen because of his defiance. he said. ”There’s nothing wrong War I,Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Owen “defied the majority. All of with that, but sometimes it blinds Sassoon.Both fought in France for England was being very patriotic. you to what actually happened. It’s the French troops, Allen said, and He was telling the truth when exciting and thrillingto have this met at a hospital for shell-shock no one wantedto to hear it.” cause, and the yellow ribbons, but victims. The action of the play is “Not About Heroes” was first it doesn’t change the fact that peo- Stuard Derrick left, and Bill Clark rehearse “Not About to be Sassoon’s reminiscence after produced in 1985 in Williamstown ple Americansor Iraqis were Heroes,” Owen’s death at the frontjust a and then off-Broadway, with Ed- killed..” presented by the Provincetown Theater Company. weekbefore the armistice was ward ___- _- August27, 1991 The Gape Codder, &tion 2

Not About Heroes: Truth About War By ElizabethAldred The play is made up of selections from the two Not About Heroes, by Stephen MacDonald, is a play men's letters and works, and also focuses on the about two poets and pacifists, Siegfried Sassoon and nature of the creative process. Allen says he has been Wilfred Owen, and their friendship during World War "obsessed with Wilfred Owen since I was in high I. Director Norman Allen, who is preparing a produc- school," and has hoped for a chance to produce Not tion of the play for Provincetown Theatre Company About Heroes ever since he fitsaw it about five years to open Thursday, says the theme is timely in the ago. aftermath of the Gulf War. In the current production, Bill Clark will play the "Sassoon and Owen talked a lot about how those part of Owen and Stuard Derrick will portray Sassoon at home are full of patriotic fervor, turning war into Thatmakes it it a reunion of sorts for director and actors, something romantic and heroic," Allen says. In con- who also worked together in last fall's proeuction of trast, both poets portrayed war in graphic terms, call- The Lisbon Traviata Allen describes himself as ing it barbaric and full of savage brutality. And in primarily a playwright, and has worked for three years recent months, Allen says; we have witnessed the with Provincetown Theatre Company. He has just same public self-delusion. "Those yellow ribbons returned from London, where he spent most of the turned into yellow blindfolds," he says. summer teaching performing arts. Both Sassoon and Owen fought in the war; Owen Last week's hurricane barely put a dent in the busy was killed in action a week before the armistice, while rehearsal schedule, Allen says. When power was lost Sassoon, who was decorated for bravery, survived in Provincetown, they simply moved rehearsals to and continued writing until his death in 1967. Allen's home in North Truro. Sassoon, who was older and already well known Performances will be Thursdays through Sundays when the war started, served as mentor to Owen. through September 15, at the Provincetown Inn, One Ultimately, however, both men ended up learning a Commercial Street; curtain time is 8 pm. For reserva- lot from each other, Allen says. tions, call 487-3466