A family affair
Local theater group presents Pulitzer-winning drama-comedy
Stacy Mossberger
Issue date: 2/13/09 Section: Lifestyles
"The Rabbit Hole," a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire, will be taking the stage at the Walton Arts Center's Nadine Baum Studios until this Sunday.
"Rabbit Hole" is centered around a family drama and invites the audience to look life and loss square in the face, to laugh and to be deeply moved, according to a TheatreSquared press release. TheatreSquared, a local professional theater company, chose to present this production to the Northwest Arkansas community because of the dynamic script.
"When we read it, we all had an intense reaction to the material and the way it was handled," said Morgan Hicks, the managing director of TheatreSquared. "We were impressed with how honestly the characters deal with a very difficult situation."
TheatreSquared typically likes to use a combination of local and national actors, Hicks said. This rendition of the play will include three actors from New York and two local actors. Arkansan natives Danny Thompson and Betsy Jilka, both who relocated to New York, will be a part of the limited cast, and the lead role will be played by Amy Prosser, who also lives in New York. The cast also includes Mavourneen Dwyer, a member of the UA drama department, and Pete Brooks, a junior at Fayetteville High School.
"The actors are very strong and honest," Hicks said. "They are genuine and have created very believable relationships.
"The show covers difficult territory, which I know might make you want to instantly say 'no way will I see that,'" she said. The play is a good example of truly solid, compelling writing where the audience is given a glimpse into the lives of real people - people who are struggling to live and thrive in the face of tragedy, she said.
"There are quite a few laugh-out-loud funny moments," Hicks said. "I'm not giving away the ending by saying that you do come out of the show with some sense of hope for the future of the people you have met during the course of the play. Most of us can relate to experiencing a tragedy that just seems not to make any sense, and we all hope that we can come out of the other side of it."
"The Rabbit Hole" premiered on Jan. 30 and will end its production Sunday. Tomorrow and Saturday's performances are $22 and Sunday's performance is $18. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.theatresquared.org or by calling (479) 445-6333.
"Rabbit Hole" is centered around a family drama and invites the audience to look life and loss square in the face, to laugh and to be deeply moved, according to a TheatreSquared press release. TheatreSquared, a local professional theater company, chose to present this production to the Northwest Arkansas community because of the dynamic script.
"When we read it, we all had an intense reaction to the material and the way it was handled," said Morgan Hicks, the managing director of TheatreSquared. "We were impressed with how honestly the characters deal with a very difficult situation."
TheatreSquared typically likes to use a combination of local and national actors, Hicks said. This rendition of the play will include three actors from New York and two local actors. Arkansan natives Danny Thompson and Betsy Jilka, both who relocated to New York, will be a part of the limited cast, and the lead role will be played by Amy Prosser, who also lives in New York. The cast also includes Mavourneen Dwyer, a member of the UA drama department, and Pete Brooks, a junior at Fayetteville High School.
"The actors are very strong and honest," Hicks said. "They are genuine and have created very believable relationships.
"The show covers difficult territory, which I know might make you want to instantly say 'no way will I see that,'" she said. The play is a good example of truly solid, compelling writing where the audience is given a glimpse into the lives of real people - people who are struggling to live and thrive in the face of tragedy, she said.
"There are quite a few laugh-out-loud funny moments," Hicks said. "I'm not giving away the ending by saying that you do come out of the show with some sense of hope for the future of the people you have met during the course of the play. Most of us can relate to experiencing a tragedy that just seems not to make any sense, and we all hope that we can come out of the other side of it."
"The Rabbit Hole" premiered on Jan. 30 and will end its production Sunday. Tomorrow and Saturday's performances are $22 and Sunday's performance is $18. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.theatresquared.org or by calling (479) 445-6333.
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