Heidelberg Theatre Company ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST HEIDELBERG THEATRE COMPANY (HTC) BOOKINGS 03 9457 4117 ENQUIRIES 03 9455 3039 EMAIL [email protected] WEB www.htc.org.au HTC is a member of the Victorian Drama League. HTC acknowledges financial assistance from the City of Banyule. HTC Artspace Artist - Teresa Schipano Teresa’s paintings are heartfelt, as her inspirations come from the hidden beauty she discovers in Light, Nature, Water and People. She endeavours to express herself by using either oil medium or soft pastel and claims to be in a meditative state as she embraces each painting experience. Teresa has recently won the 2013 ArchiBawBaw Portrait Prize in the inaugural ArchiBawBaw Exhibition at Mt Baw Baw, and has also been granted a copyright title from the Mary MacKillop Foundation in Sydney for her painting of Australia’s first Saint, ‘St Mary of the Cross’. Since 2008 Teresa has painted and exhibited with the Nell Street Painters, Greensborough, and her commissioned work has been pivotal in cultivating her strengths and techniques throughout her artistic career. Our mezzanine display has iconic costumes from the 1960’s including crocheted dress and garment with psychedelic patterns. To assist those with hearing difficulties, a hearing loop is installed in the theatre – seats 1 to 10 in rows A to F. HTC gratefully acknowledges a City of Banyule grant for this service. presents by arrangement with Origin Theatrical, on behalf of Samuel French Ltd 12 Sep - 28 Sep 2013 About the Play Ken Kesey’s experiences while volunteering in a project to study the effects of psychedelic drugs served as the basis for his first novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1962). It was the publicaon of this novel that garnered him worldwide fame. A year aer the novel’s publicaon Hollywood actor, Kirk Douglas recruited Dale Wasserman to write a stage adaptaon. It premiered at the Cort Theatre on Broadway in November 1963 and ran for 82 performances. Kirk Douglas also bought the film rights to the novel, intending to star in it. However this project was delayed; the film was not made ll 1975 and by that me, Douglas was too old to play the lead. Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman refused the leading role; eventually Jack Nicholson was hired to play McMurphy, for a career‐defining portrayal. The play, starring William Devane, was revived in 1971 and it was a great success, running for 2000 performances. It was the success of this revival that encouraged Hollywood to turn the story into a major film in 1975. A second revival of the play appeared on Broadway in 2001. Featuring Gary Sinise in the lead role, this producon won two Tony Awards. The play later appeared in London in 2004 and featured Chrisan Slater. Ken Kesey Ken Kesey (1935‐2001) was an American writer. While studying at Stanford University, Kesey aended a creave wring course taught by the novelist Wallace Stegner. At this me, Kesey also took a job at a Veterans’ Administraon hospital in Menlo Park, California where he was paid to take mind‐altering drugs and report on their effects. These experiences as a part‐me aide at a psychiatric hospital and the LSD experiments led to Kesey having a vision of a Nave American silently sweeping the hospital floor. This image formed the background for One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Kesey’s next novel, Somemes a Great Noon (1964), is now considered Kesey’s undisputed masterpiece but puzzled crics when first published. Aer its relavely lukewarm recepon, Kesey gave up publishing novels. Dale Wasserman Dale Wasserman (1914‐2008) wrote for theatre, television and film for more than 50 years and is best known for the musical Man of La Mancha, a mulple Tony Award winner. His stage play of Kesey’s novel also won several Tony Awards. Both shows connue to be produced naonally and internaonally with an esmated 300 producons a year. About the Director “...consider that One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest is about the paradox This is Chris' 6th direcng gig at HTC aer the of living in a modern democracy of successes of ‘Shirley Valenne’, ‘The Rise and Fall of only two political parties, a dominant Lile Voice’, ‘The Grapes of Wrath’, ‘Cloudstreet’ and theme of modern culture. How can ‘Under Milk Wood’ (4 of those winning in‐house Best you live within a democracy that Producon awards and ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ expects you to participate, to hold winning the VDL for Best Producon and Director). an opinion and vote and thereby He has also appeared on stage here many mes with control and be responsible for your Gene Glimmer in ‘Side Man’ (VDL Best Actor in a society—but at the same time, you Drama award) and Oscar Wilde in ‘The Judas Kiss’ (in must surrender and follow the will house Best Actor award) being his favourites. of others if even the slimmest Chris has directed over 50 producons, most majority disagrees with you? notably at Williamstown Lile Theatre, including the Australian premiere of ‘33 Variaons’, To live in a democracy, you must be ‘Kindertransport’, ‘The Drawer Boy’, ‘Old Wicked willing to live as a saviour or a slave. Songs’ (VDL for Best Producon and Director), To have all or nothing. And you have ‘Dealer's Choice’, ‘Three Days of Rain’, ‘The Shoe‐ very little control over that choice. Horn Sonata’ (Victorian premiere), ‘Blood Brothers’, ‘Master Class’ and ‘Terra Nova’. Other notable Or... producons include ‘Amadeus’ (Lyrebird Best Producon and Director), ‘The Laramie Project’, Or you can choose something ‘Twelve Angry Men’, ‘Torch Song Trilogy’, ‘Brighton different. You can learn from the Beach Memoirs’ and ‘The Heidi Chronicles’. destruction of others. You can create and live into a new system. Earlier this year Chris directed ‘Burning’ for You can rise above the either/or Geelong‐based company ‘Mad As Us’, starring Logie choice of being a parent versus a Award winner Libby Tanner. His producon of ‘The Laramie Project’ in 2005 at Chapel Off Chapel won child. A saviour versus a slave. And the Green Room Award for Best Independent you can become an adult, not Producon. He is the Arsc Director and founder of rebelling against or caving into your the successful independent company Mockingbird culture, but creating a vision of your Theatre with a remount of ‘The Laramie Project’, own and working to make that option ‘Blue/Orange’, ‘How I Learned To Drive’, ‘Equus’ and into something real. ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ to his credit. That ... consider that as the core of This is his last community‐based producon as a One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. director for a while as he focuses his energies on The rebel. And the follower. And the Mockingbird and is proud to go out with a bang with enlightened witness this wonderful play and amazing cast and crew. He would like to thank Heidelberg for their fantasc From an essay by CHUCK PALAHNIUK support and belief in him over the years especially his on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest extraordinary friend Bruce Akers. CAST CHIEF BROMDEN ................... Paul Schmidt DALE HARDING ..................... Adrian Carr BILLY BIBBIT ........................... James Plunkett SCANLON................................ Rick Barry CHESWICK .............................. Tony Costa MARTINI ................................. Paul Kennedy RUCKLY ................................... Rhys Purdey RANDLE P. M CMURPHY ........ Tim Constantine AIDE WARRREN ...................... Christian Dell’Olio AIDE WILLIAMS ...................... Ben Dowthwaite DR SPIVEY .............................. Bruce Akers NURSE RATCHED .................... Paula McDonald NURSE FLINN ......................... Clare Hayes AIDE TURKLE .......................... David Small CANDY STARR ........................ Catherine Jardine SANDRA .................................. Fiona Heart SETTING: The Day Room in a ward of a State Mental Hospital somewhere in the Pacific NorthWest, USA. YEAR: 1962 This play includes strong language and the use of herbal cigarettes. The play is in two acts. Refreshments are available before the show and during interval. Production Team DIRECTOR Chris Baldock PRODUCTION COORDINATION Bruce Akers STAGE MANAGER Melanie Belcher ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Bobbie Parish SET DESIGN George Tranter LIGHTING DESIGN Deryk Hartwick SOUND DESIGN Chris Baldock WARDROBE Maureen McInerney, Diane Brennan SET CONSTRUCTION Owen Evans, Paddy Moriarty, Des Harris, Neville Wilkie, Ian McCabe, Noel Purdey, Doug McNaughton, Steph Gonelli, Ian Green, Christian Dell’Olio and HTC members PROPERTIES Bruce Akers SET DECOR Mal Cother and HTC members LIGHTING OPERATOR Bruce Moorehouse SOUND CONFIGURATION George Bissett SOUND OPERATORS Trent Ramsay & Emma Fox REHEARSAL PROMPT Steph Gonelli & Bobbie Parish PHOTOGRAPHY David Belton PROGRAMME & POSTER Chris McLean PUBLICITY Bruce Akers, Toni Tyers, Chris McLean BOX OFFICE Toni Tyers, June Cherrey, Linda Coutts, Jenni Purdey FRONT OF HOUSE Jenny Gilbert and HTC members HTC wishes to thank Toni and Bob Tyers, June Cherrey and Melanie Rowe for their contribution to this production. TIM CONSTANTINE (Randle P. McMurphy). ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ is Tim’s first show at Heidelberg since 2011, when he appeared in ‘The History Boys’ and ‘Under Milk Wood’. Other roles at Heidelberg include Lord Alfred Douglas in ‘The Judas Kiss’, Quick Lamb in ‘Cloudstreet’, Louis Ironson in ‘Angels in America: Millennium Approaches’ and Rosencrantz in ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead’. Rosencrantz won him the VDL Award for Best Actor in a Comedy. Last year he won the VDL for Best Actor in a Drama, for his portrayal of Father Brendan Flynn in ‘Doubt’ at Williamstown Little Theatre. In his spare time, Tim is extremely modest. PAULA McDONALD (Nurse Ratched). Paula has appeared at HTC on five previous occasions as Madame de Merteuil in ‘Les Liaisons Dangereuses’, a pregnant ninny in ‘Close of Play’, an historian in ‘Arcadia’, a New York real estate agent in ‘I Hate Hamlet’ and most recently as a homicidal septuagenarian in ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’! This, her seventh show with director Christopher Baldock, shows her level of respect for his inspiring direction.