by Martin McDonagh
Directed by Dorothy Parlow & Denny Wise
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8:00PM Sundays at 2:30PM Also, Sunday, Oct. 1 at 7:30PM Saturday, Oct. 7 at 2:30PM
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Sep. 28 - Oct. 8
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8:00PM Sundays at 2:30PM Also, Sunday, Oct. 1 at 7:30PM Saturday, Oct. 7 at 2:30PM |
In 1934,
Hollywood visited the tiny islands of Ireland to make a documentary. In
"The Cripple of Inishmaan," Billy plans his escape from the gossip,
poverty and boredom of his small village by becoming a movie star--in spite
of his crippled arm and leg. This Celticly sad & funny comedy is full
of unusual characters and unexpected plot twists.
More
photos
Cast and Crew of "The Cripple of Inishmaan" Setting, Ireland, the island of Inishmaan, 1934.
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| Production Staff Directors Dorothy Parlow, Denny Wise Stage Manager George Dempsey Assistant Stage Manager Virginia Swinnen Costume Designer Mary Dempsey Costume Crew Linda Bremer, Debbie McHenry, Mary O'Dowd, Jane Stacy, Dorothy Tressler Dramaturg Beth Hubbartt Lighting Designer Benton Bullwinkel Lighting Crew Sandy Liakus Makeup Designer Arlene Page Makeup Crew Michaellene Barry, Jeannie Burch, Kim Hurley, Pat Huth, Alicia Todd Properties Designer Liz Egan Properties Crew Dave Bremer, Pauline Gamble, Carin Klock Set Designer Rick Young Set Construction Chair Mike Huth Set Construction Crew John Allen, Jeff Arena, Catherine Bloomer, Leon Briick, Anne Cahill, Mark Cunningham, Joe Delaloye, George Dempsey, Kirby Harris, Mark Hewitt, Harry Hultgren, Pat Huth, Kathleen Kusper, Laura Leonardo-Ownby, Rich Ptacek, Paul Roach, Bill Rotz, Fred Sauers, Rob Snyder, Stephanie Williams, Rick Young Set Painting Chairs Tim Feeney, Alicia Todd Set Painting Crew Tricia Boren, Pat Huth, Carin Klock, Laura Leonardo Ownby, Linda Metz, John Mueller, Mary Pavia, Rob Pold, Sandy Squillo, Stephanie Williams Sound Designer Dorothy Attermeyer Sound Crew Martha Hogenboom, Marilyn Weiher Production Box Office Chair Mary Ellen Schutt Production Box Office Crew Peg Callaghan, Susan Cardamone, Terry Fanning, Terry Kozlowski, Barbara Lupo, JoAnn Mallon, Jill Neely, Lori B. Proksa, Joan Roeder, Patti Roeder, Janet Ryan Grasso, Paulette Sarussi, Sandy Squillo, Don Strueber, Carol Suda, Virginia Swinnen, Marilyn Wilson Production Hospitality Crew Brian Centers, Amy Coons, William FitzGerald, Bonnie Hilton, Kathleen Kusper, Caitlin Machak, Lisa Machak, Nikita Machak, David Michael, Fumiko Michael, Carolyn Redding Production Lobby Photo Display Marjorie Mason Heffernan, Jane Stacy Production Posters Kathleen Kusper Production Program Chair Carol Dapogny Production Program Design John Vilhauer Production Publicity Chair Bonnie Hilton About
the Author |
Directors'
Notes The Cripple of Inishmaan is a coming-of-age story told with an Irish twist and a bit of blarney. But it's more than just that. The play is rife with the telling of stories, the passing forward of history, the upholding of and breaking with tradition. Which is only fitting, because this production serves as a manifestation of our love and respect for Dorothy Parlow, who serves as personification of storytelling, history and tradition at tws. Dorothy was the initiator of this production, and it is with her that we share the creation of the production you view. When I was asked to assist Dorothy in the direction of The Cripple of Inishmaan, I was pleased because we had worked well together previously. Additionally, we had many similar thoughts regarding the script. Though Dorothy made innumerable creative decisions regarding the production during its formative stages, she grew too ill to attend rehearsals. I recognized that my task was to carry her ideas to the cast and crew and bring her concept to fruition as best I could. I was able to get a good feeling for her vision prior to her death. Nevertheless, I had expected to be able to consult her on more details of the production throughout the rehearsal period. I'm sorry we weren't given the time. The story told by Martin McDonagh in The Cripple of Inishmaan is fiction, though based on some historical fact. As with all good Irish stories, the ending is never what you think it's going to be. (Don't even try!) The tale is entertaining, but the harsh reality is that the lives of those who lived on Inishmaan during the filming of The Man of Aran were filled with struggle and isolation and death. Take my word for it: it was a very brutal, difficult life. Perhaps the presence of humor, woven throughout the play, helps to soften the sorrow. It has for us. Dorothy's presence is woven throughout our production. We felt it at our rehearsals and anticipate it during the performances. Certainly, some audience members will feel her to be with us. She is a guiding force, yet! And so, I leave to Dorothy the last words on our play. -Denny Wise Beautiful Ireland...the modulations of the light, the surprising moments of the rain. Tonight we are telling a great little story; one-half laughter, one-half tears. The story is about a crippled boy who lives on the barren island of Inishmaan, which has been described as "the island of mourning wind". When two or three Irishmen get together, or so my Irish friends tell me, whether in the kitchen or a pub, a song-fest is inevitable. As in a junket of storytelling, these song-fests reveal two sides of the Irish: the laughter and the tears. They create a beautiful whole, like the weaving together of the glorious colors in an Irish shawl, the purples, the roses, the greens, and the blues. So sit back and relax, and enjoy the Cripple's adventures. No great lesson, no great theme-just a story. The laughter will come of itself. The tears are inevitable. -Dorothy Parlow About the Play While The Cripple of Inishmaan is a fiction, it finds its basis in fact. Hollywood film director Robert Flaherty brought his crew to the Aran Islands in 1934 to make The Man of Aran, a documentary in the same man-against-nature format as his earlier success, Nanook of the North. The Venice International Film Festival awarded The Man of Aran a prize for Best Foriegn Film. Other critics, however, found the documentary flawed by the manner in which it romaticizes poverty. While the conflict between man and nature may be noble in Hollywood terms, not all tales can be told in Hollywood terms. That's why The Cripple of Inishmaan finds itself equally obsessed with gruesome real-life poverty and romanicized Hollywood escape. The Cripple of Inishmaan opened in January of 1997, directed by Nicholas Hytner, in the Cottesloe Theatre at the Royal National Theatre, transferring to the larger Lyttelton auditorium in April of 1997. The Cripple of Inishmaan made its US debut at the Joseph Papp Public Theatre in New York in April of 1998 where, following the extraordinary success of The Beauty Queen of Leenane, it sold out its entire run while the play was still in rehearsal. The play's Chicago premiere was at Northlight Theatre last season. |
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