Chester Theatre Company Presents
Allison McLemore & Joel Ripka in
See Rock City
By Arlene Hutton
Second Play of the Nibroc Trilogy to Run July 28- August 8
(Official Press Opening July 29 at 8pm)
THE NIBROC TRILOGY by Arlene Hutton
Last Train to Nibroc- July 14-25
See Rock City - July 28- August 8
Gulf View Drive - August 11-22
For Press Pictures, click here or scroll down
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CHESTER - D-Day 1944, Raleigh and May return from their honeymoon just in time to hear that her brother Charlie has shipped out, setting in motion See Rock City, Arlene Hutton's powerful sequel to her smash hit Last Train to Nibroc. See Rock City, the second play in the Nibroc Trilogy, will be performed at the Town Hall Theatre in Chester from July 28-August 8.
CTC Artistic Director Byam Stevens reminds theatre -goers that, "While See Rock City is part of a trilogy, each of the three plays stands on its own. If your busy summer schedule makes it impossible to see all three, you'll still be well rewarded if you can only see one or two."
Now that their honeymoon is over, Raleigh and May must navigate a tricky path that includes in-laws from very different backgrounds, the hardships of World War II in rural Kentucky, the demands of their diverging livelihoods, and even the possibility that their future might not be together. The Berkshire Eagle hailed this the touching, humorous and deeply moving portrait of life on the Home Front,"Arlene Hutton has done a risky and wonderful thing, she has created a sequel that is every bit as accomplished as its progenitor."
This tale of two young Kentuckians wondrously conveys a portrait of a changing America in mid-20th century. Hutton's capacity for capturing the shifting cultural landscape and couching it in intimate scale drama was praised by The New York Times: "She seems to possess the ability to weave the epic and the incidental with the lightest and least obtrusive thread."
THE CAST
The cast of See Rock City features Allison McLemore as May, Joel Ripka as Raleigh, Carole Monferdini as Mrs. Gill and Susanne Marley as Mrs. Brummett. Set Design by Charles Corcoran, Lighting Design by Lara Dubin, Costume Design by Charles Schoonmaker, Sound Design by Tom Shread.
Allison McLemore's credits include: The Madras House at New York's Mint Theatre Company; The Underpants at The Olney Theatre; Cyrano de Bergerac at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival; Othello and Jane Eyre at Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre; Pygmalion (Denver Post Ovation Award) Antigone Now at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; and Little Women at Peterborough Players.
Joel Ripka has performed extensively theatres in the Pittsburgh area, including The Pittsburgh Public Theater, City Theatre, Irish and Classical Theater where he appeared in Othello and the world premiere of Martin Giles' Beautiful Dreamers. With Pittsburgh Public Theater, he understudied Mozart in Amadeus and played John in the world premiere of Harry's Friendly Service, both directed by Ted Pappas.
Carole Monferdini's credits include the Broadway production of The Misanthrope with Diana Rigg and the National Tour of Waltz of the Toreadors with Anne Jackson & Eli Wallach. Off- Broadway she played Diana Vreeland in Full Gallop and then toured the show to Williamstown Theatre Festival, Philadelphia Theatre Co. and GeVa Theatre. Other off-Broadway credits include The Club, directed by Tommy Tune, for which she won an OBIE award and Charles Busch's long-running hit, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom.
Susanne Marley has appeared twice previously at CTC, as Sally Talley in Talley's Folly and as Ma Brummett in the 2005 production of See Rock City; Most recently she was on Broadway appearing in the Tony Award winning: August: Osage County. She played Hannah in the National tour of Angels In America. Her extensive Off-Broadway credits include: John Malkovich's Balm in Gilead; Fool For Love; How the Other Half Loves; Other People's Money; and God's Daughter.
SPECIAL EVENT: THE TRILOGY IN A DAY
The Nibroc Trilogy will culminate on the final two Saturdays of the season (August 14 & 21) with the presentation of the complete cycle in one day. Special event tickets for those days will include an afternoon ice cream social and a country style dinner.
SPECIAL EVENT: THE NIBROC TALKS
CTC will present a series of Pre-Show talks by eminent professors from UMASS Amherst and Yale University in conjunction with its production of the NIBROC TRILOGY. NIBROC TALKS are set for Friday July 16, July 30 and August 13 at 7:00pm at CTC's Town Hall Auditorium. There is no admission charge.
Hutton's funny, romantic, touching tale of two young Kentuckians who meet, fall in love, get married and create a unique family unit also explores life on the Home Front during World War II, the plight of young men barred from service by medical complications, the stigma of congenital diseases, the increasing role of American women in the work force and the early days of the civil rights movement. The NIBROC TALKS will address these and many other issues raised by the plays.
See Rock City Preshow Talk by Professor Laura Lovett at 7:00 PM, July 30
Ms. Lovett is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her research interests concern gender, race and the family in 20th century America. She is the author of Conceiving the Future: Pronatalism, Reproduction and the
Family in the United States, 1890-1930. She is currently engaged in research on two topics: one on the role of gender in the Scopes Trial and another on the rise of non-sexist early childhood education. She is the Director of the Five College Women's Studies Research Center, and co-editor of the Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth.
TICKETS
Performances take place at the Chester Town Hall Auditorium, Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00pm., with matinees Thursday and Sunday at 2:00pm. Tickets are $28-$32; group rates are available. For tickets, call 1-800-595-4TIX or go to www.chestertheatre.org .
SPONSORS
CTC performances are supported, in part, by funds from Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, and the Local Cultural Councils of Blandford, Chester, Cummington, Huntington, Middlefield, Montgomery, Otis, Russell, Washington, and Worthington.
ABOUT CHESTER THEATRE COMPANY
Chester Theatre Company was founded in 1990 by Vincent Dowling and H. Newman Marsh. CTC produces 4-5 plays each summer and fall, performed by top-flight actors, directors and designers from across the country. Performances take place in the intimate setting of the Chester Town Hall. Over the years, The Miniature Theatre of Chester, as it was then known, grew from "little miracle of the Berkshires" (The Berkshire Eagle) to a company that "has produced a record that can rival the best the area has to offer." (The Boston Globe)
Photo #1 featuring Allison McLemore, Joel Ripka and Carole Monferdini. Photo credit: Rick Teller
Photo #2 featuring Allison McLemore and Joel Ripka. Photo credit: Rick Teller
