O'Neill Immersion

When 2 time TONY award winner Brian Dennehy honored us last year with an interview onstage at SCTC I asked him what it took for an actor to play in an O'Neill play.  His answer, to paraphrase, was " You need to leave your heart, emotion, laughter and tears onstage.  You need to give him everything". I conveyed this to my cast for "Exorcism" two weeks ago as our play was taking shape.  After last night's dress rehearsal it proved that they are great students of Mr. Dennehy. As a playwright, directing O'Neill is always something that can lead to dark places.  His work is so honest and personal that, if you are brave enough to dig deep inside his words, he will lead you to your own personal darkness through his own.  He shows you the "secret" as he later wrote about in "Long Day's Journey Into Night" and, as he wrote, that your "seeing the secret..ARE the secret". The humor in this dark play is also honest and comes from a place of alcoholic pain and mask wearing. This play is genuinely very funny which, I think, might surprise some. "Exorcism - a Play in One Act" is a deep, pointed look into a young man's genius...and pain. I am honored to travel this road with the master and to have such an incredible cast of gifted actors to share this path with me. I hope to see you this weekend at SCTC.  I hope Brian would approve.

"Exorcis-ing with O'Neill"

Rehearsing an O'Neill play comes with the knowledge that if you are brave enough to emotionally enter his world, it will stay with you long after you leave the theatre.  His newly discovered "Exorcism - A Play in One Act" is no exception.  This one act play, the story of his own failed suicide attempt was thought to be lost as O'Neill had destroyed all copies after two performances in 1920.  Thankfully, one was discovered in 2010 and SCTC is proud to be only the 5th company to ever produce it that we know. With the drama, though, also come serious laughs brought to you by the denizens of the flop house the play is set in back in 1915.  The cast is superb as I handpicked the actors from men I have worked with many times over the years except for one, who's first onstage appearance will be next Friday at SCTC.  So..I am now home and emotionally worn out as O'Neill's work will do IF...you leave all of your your heart, soul and emotion on the stage..which..these actors do every day.  There are FOUR shows only Friday and Saturday January 18th and 19th at 8PM and Saturday and Sunday the 19th at 2PM. Sunday is already about 3/4 sold so please do not wait.  www.southcamdentheatre.org for tickets.