Beckwith debuting production of the groundbreaking ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’
Published 10:56 am Thursday, September 14, 2017
(Leader photo/TED YOAKUM)
(Leader photo/TED YOAKUM)
(Leader photo/TED YOAKUM)
(Leader photo/TED YOAKUM)
(Leader photo/TED YOAKUM)
DOWAGIAC — The pursuit of the American dream — in all its guts and glory — will be laid bare on stage at the Beckwith Theatre Friday, as it premieres its production of David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross.”
The show will run the next two weekends, Sept. 15-17 and 22-24, with shows beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets cost $10 and may be purchased at the box office the night of the performance; people may reserve seats in advance by calling (269) 782-7653.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning “Glengarry Glen Ross” tells the story of four Chicago real estate agents who are embroiled in an office contest where the top two sellers end up with prizes — and the bottom two end up with pink slips. The quartet are willing to beg, borrow and (literally) steal in order to get better leads and close deals, and to keep themselves out of the unemployment line.
“The main characters present a whole continuum of character types,” said Jack Gannon, who plays George Aaronow, a timid and depressed agent at the office. “The interactions between them are really electric — partly because of their differing personalities, and partly due to their shared sense of desperation.”
The play, which premiered in London in 1983 with productions in Chicago and on Broadway the following year, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984, and was adapted into a successful Hollywood film in 1992. Mamet’s script is perhaps best known for its rawness, as it is credited with bringing the “f-bomb” to the stage — in force, Gannon said.
Bringing the drama to life on the Beckwith stage has been something that Beckwith veterans Rich Frantz — who is directing the production — and actor Max Sala have envisioned for years. A show that is carried entirely on the backs of its performances, Frantz realized it would require a tour-de-force of acting to do “Glengarry Glen Ross” justice.
Thanks to the partnerships Beckwith has developed with other community theaters in the area, including the South Bend’s Civic Theatre and Michiana Playmakers, and St. Joseph’s Twin City Players, Frantz was able to draw from a pool of talented performers with the acting chops the play’s fast-pace script requires.
“I’ve never worked with a group of actors who have prepared as hard for their roles coming into this play before,” said Sala, who plays Shelly Levene, a once successful salesman who is in the midst of a major slump. “They are dedicated. We have some really good stuff going on. It’s been a treat just to sit back and watch the others work in between my scenes.”
The theater produced a staged reading of the script last year to gauge interest in the show, with many of the actors — a combination of Beckwith veterans and performers with other playhouses — who participated in the reading returning to the same roles for the full-fledged production.
Among the returning actors is Casey St. Aubin, who plays John Williamson, the manager of the real estate office who is in charge of handing out sales leads — something that earns him the scorn of many of his agents.
The play marks the first time that St. Aubin, a regular of the South Bend Civic, has participated in a full production at the Dowagiac community theater, he said. The actor said he was floored by the opportunity to join the cast and has found a great dynamic working alongside the group throughout the past six weeks.
“To have a chance to work side by side with actors like them is why you do local theater,” St. Aubin said. “It is for scripts, for moments like these.”
The theater will host an opening night reception Friday, with free wine from 12 Corners Vineyards. The production is sponsored by Dowagiac’s Judd Lumber Company and Hale’s True Value Hardware, and presented by special arrangement with Samuel French Inc.
The show contains strong adult language and is for mature audiences only.
Cast
Max Sala: Shelley “The Machine” Levene
Bill Svelmoe: Richard “Ricky” Roma
Mark Moriarty: Dave Moss
Jack Gannon: George Aaronow
Casey St. Aubin: John Williamson
Andrew Glisson: James Lingk
Ryan Murray: Baylen
