INHERIT THE WIND RUNS THROUGH SEPTEMBER 20TH!
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Length of Show: 2 hours
SHOW SPONSORS
Sponsor: Andrews, Harrell, Mann, Carmin, & Parker, PC
Additional Support: BLU Boy Chocolate Cafe and Cakery
Producers: Bill and Karen Hicks
Additional support of Educational Materials: The Raymond Foundation; Bloomington Community Arts Commission and the City of Bloomington
Thanks to our wonderful sponsors for their support of Inherit the Wind!
REVIEWS
Herald Times Review
by Glenn Kaufmann
Sept. 7, 2009
INHERIT THE WIND ELEVATES EMOTIONS TO FEVER PITCH
Essentially a retelling of the groundbreaking1925 Scopes trial (the “monkey trial”), which pitted legendary jurists Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan against one another on the subjects of evolution and creationism, the issue at bar in the original court case was a Tennessee law which outlawed the teaching of evolution in schools.
In the stage recreation of events, the small town of Hillsboro is invaded by the media, two outspoken lawyers, and the collective morals of the wider world. Most of the residents are hard-working, God-fearing Christians, and would just as soon pass judgment on Bertram Cates (the offending school teacher) away from the prying eyes of outsiders. As the national scrutiny becomes ever more intense, and one antagonistic journalist (based on H.L. Mencken) baits the key figures in this drama, the pressure along with the insufferable summer heat in the courtroom elevates emotions to a fever pitch.
Complications arise well before the trial begins when we learn that Cates is romantically involved with Rachel, the daughter of the Rev. Brown, the town’s spiritual leader and an outspoken advocate for the law banning the teaching of evolution in schools. Rachel pleads with Cates to give in and apologize for his transgressions. Ultimately, though, she finds herself questioning her own beliefs.
The bulk of the action takes place in the courtroom as a verbal joust between the two lawyers. It seems that they have history on both a personal and a professional level, but have since drifted far apart. The real story, however, is less about events onstage than it is about standing up for what you believe without destroying that which you seek to defend.
It is the subtlety of this message that is rendered so beautifully onstage in Cardinal’s production. The script by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee is meant to show us first what is at stake (morality, the townspeople, and the respect and friendship of the competing lawyers) before it questions those things and puts them in jeopardy. That interplay of what is at stake and the consequences of our actions is the root of all good drama.
The show’s director, Cardinal Artistic Director Randy White, does his best work with large ensemble casts and is at his best in this show. His ability to render small-town America onstage (as with his direction in "Our Town") is most evident in the background scenes with townsfolk coming and going. Whether they are the focus of the action or not, he tasks his players with small bits of business (fiddling with a purse, straightening a garment) from the moment they come on stage until they exit. It is the very ordinariness of these “unimportant” actions that “sells” the notion of the community and ultimately the way of life that is at stake.
The show’s large and gifted cast is led by Danny Goldring, as the passionate lawyer for the defense, and Ernest Perry Jr., as the grandstanding prosecuting attorney. Their conflicted relationship ranges from deepest respect to spittle flinging outbursts, and deftly portrays the depth of emotions on both sides of this debate.
Cardinal’s production is presented in conjunction with Indiana University’s College of Arts and Sciences Themester: Evolution, Diversity and Change. And, given the recent Bloomington-based controversy over the Atheist Bus Campaign, it is clear that the conversation about the role of God and religion in our community is not over.
WFIU Review
by George Walker
Sept. 8, 2009
INHERIT THE WIND FINELY CRAFTED
The production directed by Cardinal’s founder Randy White boasts a strong nicely disciplined cast. Featured were Brian Bradshaw playing the part based on the defendant John T. Scopes, Mike Price in the role based on the acerbic journalist H. L. Mencken, Gerry Pauwels as the decidedly biased trial judge, Ed Mobley as the diffident bailiff, Ken Farrell as the fiery Reverend Jeremiah Brown, Talya Hernandez-Ritter as his hesitantly rebellious daughter, Gladys DeVane as a frequently outspoken “amener,” and Howard Brown as one of Scopes’ students. There are twenty-seven actors, any one of whom you may have seen starring in area shows.
Inherit the Wind does a lovely job of capturing the feel of the small town and its excitement about the arrival of the major figures who joined the prosecution and the defense. Part of the excitement is expressed in religious fervor and it’s a pleasure to hear four or five favorite hymns sung really well. Throughout, there’s a good deal of comedy and even the defense’s frustration at the biased selection of the jury has its richly comic moments.
Although the trial itself could be a bit static, the direction has plenty of good logical movement. Danny Goldring, as the Darrow figure at first tries to introduce expert testimony as to the truth of evolutionary theory, but it’s all denied. He then tries to cite from Darwin’s writings to harmonize some of it with the Bible, but again he’s stonewalled by the judge. Somewhat to his own chagrin, he’s forced to make the defense’s literalism look silly.
In the role based on Bryan, Earnest Perry, Jr. made the most of his bombastically certain and then frustratedly defensive comments. It’s high drama and a fine display of the power of the two actors, but I did wish that the play actually offered a bit more meat. It could have expanded a bit more with a critique of literalism and even offered a real defense of some of the facts of evolution. The retreat to simply a defense of the right to think sounds lofty, but it doesn’t have any real matter.
So digging a bit deeper in either of those two areas is left to the more than 700 area students who’ll be seeing the show, the teachers who’ve come for workshops and the IU students who’ll be participating in Themester 2009 “Evolution, Diversity and Change.”
Finally, here’s a bit of irony about censorship and a footnote linking the story to Indiana University. When the movie was premiered in 1960, the play’s authors Lawrence and Lee were credited along with a Nathan Douglas. There is no Nathan Douglas; it was a pseudonym for a blacklisted writer. And biologist, ACLU leader, and later IU President David Starr Jordan helped raise the money for the defense fund and later helped Scopes get a geology degree at the University of Chicago.
The Cardinal Stage Company’s production of Inherit the Wind continues through September 20.
LOU'S VIEWS: A strong 'Wind' in Bloomington
From Indianapolis Business Journal Review
You would think that decades of courtroom television, from Perry Mason through Law and Order, would diminish the pleasures of theatrical courtroom drama. But the years haven’t tarnished Inherit the Wind, the 1955 drama that—then and now—features one of the best witness-stand confrontations ever put on stage.
The play is based on the famed Scopes monkey trial. But the better productions of the play understand that Inherit the Wind works best as drama, not as a docu-drama (which it isn’t) or a political treatise (the ending goes beyond science vs. religion). And the one being offered at Bloomington’s recently founded Cardinal Stage Co. (through Sept. 20) is a very good one.
As the combating lawyers, two Chicago theater vets shine. Ernest Perry Jr. finds the likability, the innate politician, and the genuine love of people in the William Jennings Bryan-based Matthew Harrison Brady.... With pain in his walk, weariness in his eyes and a sharp mind always at work, Danny Goldring is outstanding as his foe, Henry Drummond, capturing the man’s deep-felt convictions about the case as well as his respect for his opponent. When, in the end, Drummond challenges cynical reporter E.K. Hornbeck (a very strong Mike Price) there’s a chillingly suppressed rage against oversimplification that transcends the specifics of the case.
Cardinal Artistic Director Randy White wisely seems to have devoted as much energy to the supporting cast as he has to the two leads in the plum parts. Gerard Pauwels is particularly winning as the Judge and Gladys DeVane, Kate Braun and others turn what could have been a generic ensemble into breathing human beings.
INHERIT THE WIND AND THEMESTER
Inherit the Wind is produced in collaboration with the College of Arts and Sciences Themester: Evolution, Diversity and Change.
More on Themester >
Education Playbill
As part of the collaboration with the Themester program, audience members will receive a special playbill, chock-full commissioned essays and informational background written by local experts on the Scopes trial, its theatrical adaptation, and the legacy of Darwin more generally.
For additional information on the extensive educational efforts associated with Inherit the Wind, including post-show talkbacks, click here >
Download Press Release: Inherit-the-Wind-Press-Release.doc
INHERIT THE WIND CAST
Ernest Perry, Jr. & Danny Goldring join us from Chicago
With 30+ years onstage experience, Ernest and Danny join Cardinal as real-life American icons Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan
Ernest Perry, Jr - Matthew Harrison Brady (Bryan)
Ernest has been a 30 year resident at Goodman Theatre in productions of Magnolia, Gas for Less, An Enemy of the People, A Raisin in the Sun, Galileo, A Christmas Carol, Puddin ‘n’ Pete (JEFF Nominated), Tis A Pity She’s A Whore, Miss Evers Boys, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice and Heart Break House. In Chicago, he has also been seen in Alls Well that Ends Well and Playboy of the West Indies (Court Theatre), Henry V, Measure for Measure, As You Like It, and Cymbeline (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), Suspenders (JEFF Nominated, Chicago Theatre Company), Five Rooms of Furniture (BTAA Award, Best Actor, Organic Theatre), as well as performing at Victory Gardens Theatre, North Light Theatre, and Briar St. Theatre. Ernest was in the Broadway production of Death and the Kings Horseman (Lincoln Center Theatre) and has worked extensively in Regional theatres, including American Shakespeare Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Arden Theatre (Barrymore Nominated for his work in Fences), Alliance Theatre, Virginia Stage Co, Actors Theatre of Louisville, GEVA/Syracuse Theatres., Hartford Stage, LaJolla Playhouse and Milwaukee Rep. Internationally, he has worked at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Vienna English Theatre, and the RSC Thalia Theatre. T.V. Credits include ER; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; The Howard Beach Story; Early Edition; Unnatural Causes; The Watcher, and The Untouchables. Film Credits include Barber Shop II, Liar, Liar, Rage in Harlem, The Color of Money, and Running Scared.
Danny Goldring - Henry Drummond (Darrow)
A veteran Chicago actor, Danny has appeared in Goodman Theatre productions of Finishing the Picture, Tooth of Crime, and Who’s Happy Now?; in Wisdom Bridge Theatre’s Ten November (also seen at the Los Angeles Theatre Center), Congo Square Theatre’s King of Coons, and in the Negro Ensemble Company’s national tour of A Soldier’s Play. Goldring’s films include Soul Survivors, Children of the Corn V, Bean, Goodbye Love, Chain Reaction, Virtuosity, Natural Born Killers, The Fugitive, The Babe, The Package, Above the Law, and Vice Versa. His television work includes cable and network movies and series, including Normal, Always Outnumbered, In the Company of Darkness, Johnny Ryan, Six Feet Under, Kind of Queens, The Practice, Early Edition, Turks, NYPD Blue, ER, Star Trek – Voyager, and Star Trek Deep Space Nine.
And
Mike Price as E.K. Hornbeck (real-life journalist H.L. Mencken)
Mike works as an Artistic Associate with Cardinal Stage Company. His acting work with Cardinal includes roles in Unveiling, Oliver!, Amadeus, Doubt, The Diary of Anne Frank, A Year with Frog and Toad, and Treasure Island. He most recently performed at Brown County Playhouse in There Goes the Bride. Mr. Price has an MS in Instructional Systems Technology and has worked as a video director and instructional consultant. Mike assists Cardinal with various media work and production sound design.
ALSO FEATURING
Brian Bradshaw
Talya Hernandez-Ritter
Ken Farrell
Gerry Pauwels
Linda Ostermeier
Drew Bratton
Roy Sillings
Ed Mobley
Thomas Thompson
Mike Brewington
Gladys DeVane
Brett Gloden
Patrick Reutschlin
Erin Garvey
Bill Goveia
Kate Braun
Mary Frasier
I. James Torry
Amber Turner
McCarry Reynolds
Adam Berndt
Amara Crook
CREATIVE TEAM
Randy White (Director) has directed Treasure Island, The Santaland Diaries, The Diary of Anne Frank, O Lovely Glowworm, Oliver!, A Crime in a Madhouse, Amadeus, Unveiling, A Year with Frog and Toad, and Our Town for Cardinal Stage Company. Originally from Canada, Randy received an MFA in directing from University of Alberta and has directed extensively across Canada and the US, including the off-Broadway productions of Max and Ruby and Underneath the Lintel and productions at Actors Theatre of Louisville (Humana Festival), Portland Center Stage, and Shakespeare Santa Cruz. Randy was an assistant on Broadway’s The Lion King. He has directed and/or taught at Yale, Penn, Fordham, The Guthrie and Indiana University and was resident director at New Dramatists in New York for two years. Randy currently lives in Bloomington with his wife, Ellen McKay who teaches Renaissance Drama in the English department at Indiana University and his son Graeme.
Martin Flynn (Scenic Design) is thrilled to return to Cardinal Stage where he previously designed Doubt while he was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Scenic Design at Indiana University. He is the resident Scenic Design Associate at the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) in San Francisco where he is currently designing the North American premiere of Her Naked Skin. Martin has worked on productions for the Magic Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theater, U.C. Davis, Indiana University, the Phoenix Theater in Indianapolis, and the Bloomington Playwrights Project. He has also been a guest lecturer at U.C. Berkeley. Martin holds an M.F.A. in Dramatic Arts from the University of California at Davis, a Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University, and an A.A.S. in Architectural Engineering from the State University of New York at Alfred.
Alexandra Morphet (Costume Designer) creates costumes and custom clothing at her studio, BIAS. She was a Finalist in the 2006 Threads Magazine “Little Black Dress” Challenge. She has a degree in Music from Yale University and sings in Bloomington’s chamber choir, Voces Novae. Since receiving her MFA in Costume Design from Indiana University, she has designed costumes for many local productions, from Franklin College to Brown County Playhouse, for the Bloomington Early Music Festival as well as the Bloomington Playwrights Project. She designed Cardinal’s inaugural production of Our Town and has continued to design Cardinal’s annual family holiday shows, A Year with Frog and Toad, Oliver!, and most recently, Treasure Island.
Patrick Mero (Lighting Designer) has been the Assistant Lighting Designer for the IU Jacobs School of Music for the past 4 years, lighting productions including La Boheme, Tosca, and the Merry Wives of Windsor. Patrick does extensive design work for the IU Ballet Department and the African American Institute’s Dance Ensemble. Other work around Bloomington includes the tango Opera Maria de Buenos Aires, Transformations, and most recently Cardinal’s productions of The Diary of Anne Frank and Having Our Say. Patrick is originally from Charleston S.C. but calls Bloomington his home.
Sarah Sandberg (Props Designer) is a professional artist licensed to teach art. As a student at Indiana University in the 70's, she studied stage technology at the Musical Arts Center and then spent over a decade in television production before returning to Bloomington. She has worked on Cardinal productions of The Diary Of Anne Frank, Santaland Diaries, and Treasure Island. She designed the sets for the BPP’s Guys and Dolls Jr. and for Bloomington South’s Thoroughly Modern Millie. A master of found objects, she is heartily welcomed at thrift shops and antique malls in the tri-state area!
Lori Garraghty (Stage Manager) enjoys working behind the scenes. She has spent many happy years with the Bloomington Playwrights Project as a stage manager, producer, lighting & sound technician, box office manager, and actor. She recently finished her MPA at Indiana University concentrating in Nonprofit and Public Management and began working with United Way. Last season, she stage managed Cardinal’s Treasure Island and Having Our Say (Assistant). Lori was most recently seen on stage at the BPP in Alone in the Light.
Esther Widlanski - Choreographer
Sue Swaney - Choral Director
Allison Tyra - Assistant Stage Manager
Amber Turner - Assistant Stage Manager
Mike Price - Production Manager
Stacy Brewer - Wardrobe
