The
award-winning American masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath will open at Asheville
Community Theatre on Friday, April 12, 2013 and run through Sunday, April 28,
2013 with performances on Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 pm and Sunday
afternoons at 2:30 pm. Tickets are
available online, over the phone, or in person at the Asheville Community
Theatre Box Office.
“I
think there’s a misconception that drama means depressing,” says Managing
Director Susan Harper. “The Grapes of Wrath is a drama – but
one that’s full of music and laughter and warmth. It’s also an engrossing look at a time and a
place that feels surprisingly familiar to 2013 and is truly a testament to the
triumph of the human spirit.”
John
Steinbeck’s 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath won the
Pulitzer Prize and was quickly adapted into a film version which starred Henry
Fonda as Tom Joad. The book became an instant
classic, and has remained a staple of reading lists for high school and college
students. In 1988, Frank Galati of Chicago’s famed
Steppenwolf Theatre Company adapted Steinbeck’s novel into a stage
version. The original production of the
adaptation won the Tony for Best Play in 1990.
Steinbeck found poetry in the language of the Oklahoma
farmers, and Galati’s
adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath remains true to the original novel – and
thus includes strong language and imagery, including words and phrases that may
be considered blasphemous.
Asheville
Community Theatre’s production of The Grapes of Wrath is directed by Susan
Dillard who has directed many area shows over the past several decades. A stellar cast of 24 ACT newcomers and
veterans is led by Jason Williams as Tom Joad, McRae Hilliard as Reverend Casy,
and Teresa Darakjy as Ma Joad.
Another star of Asheville Community Theatre’s
production is the 1923 International Harvester truck that was purchased and
repurposed by Scenic Designer Rob Bowen and Technical Director Jillian Summers.
“It
will be handled by the cast onstage using a caster system. The truck will interact with the actors on
stage and help them make the journey from Oklahoma
to California. They will ride in it, they will swing it
around. It is a character,” said Bowen. “It
anchors the location and allows us to use lights and platforming to create the
world in the mind of the audience.”
During
the run of the show, Asheville Community Theatre will be collecting canned food
donations for MANNA FoodBank. MANNA
FoodBank’s mission is to involve, educate, and unite people in the work of
ending hunger in Western North Carolina, and Asheville Community Theatre is
encouraging patrons to help those in need in our region by bringing a donation
of canned goods to the theatre.
For
more information about The Grapes of Wrath or about
Asheville Community Theatre, please visit www.ashevilletheatre.org.
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