When our co-production of My Name is Asher Lev opened recently at Delaware Theatre Company, Howard Shapiro, theatre critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer, gave it a rave. Here’s a little of his review.

“Masterful… a beautiful realization of the script, and a profound declaration of the power of storytelling on a stage. Everything about director Jeremy Skidmore’s production works at the highest level. The tale of Asher Lev – a boy whose talent for art gradually carries him from the tight, devout Brooklyn community of his parents into the world of galleries, critics, fame, and secular profanity – plays out as a metaphor for the way each generation must decide to handle what it’s handed.”

He singled out the performers, all of whom will be seen at Round House when Asher starts on March 17.

“Three muscular actors [have] a keen sense of the characters’ time and the changes these figures witness, spur, or try uneasily to accommodate: Adam Heller in multiple roles as the father, the rabbi, the artist-mentor, and more; Lise Bruneau as the mother, a gallery owner, and an artist’s model; and Alexander Strain as Asher Lev. The endearing Strain has a finely nuanced sense of vulnerability. It becomes his shield, his weapon, even his character’s partner.”

Here’s a photo preview of the show that won his applause – and that’s coming to our stage. These photos are by Matt Urban of Delaware Theatre Company. Click on each of the photos to view at a larger size.

Alexander Strain, seen here as Asher, was in Forum Theatre’s Helen Hayes Award-nominated production of Angels in America at Round House Silver Spring.

Alexander Strain, Lise Bruneau, and Adam Heller as Asher and his parents. Lise was seen on at Round House in The Book Club Play and was part of our Helen Hayes Award-nominated cast of Alice. Adam appeared in the world premiere of Asher Lev at Philadelphia’s Arden Theatre Company.

Adam Heller and Alexander Strain. Adam’s Broadway appearances include Caroline, or Change, A Class Act, Victor/Victoria, and Les Miserables. This is his Round House debut.

Alexander Strain and Lise Bruneau. Lise’s appeared in D.C. in  Legacy of Light at Arena Stage and Ion, Othello, and The Winter’s Tale at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. She has also directed for Taffety Punk. Alexander made his RHT debut in Lord of the Flies. His D.C. appearances include The Seagull on 16th Street (Theater J) and Caligula (Washington Shakespeare Company). He has been nominated for three Helen Hayes Awards for acting.

In addition to Asher Lev, playwright Aaron Posner’s other recent adaptations include Mark Twain’s A Murder, A Mystery & A Marriage (which was seen at RHT) and Ken Kesey’s Sometimes a Great Notion. His adaptation of Chaim Potok’s The Chosen won Philadelphia’s Barrymore Award in 1999 for Best New Play and has been produced around the country. Aaron has won Helen Hayes Awards as a playwright and as a director.

Directing Asher Lev is Jeremy Skidmore, who’s nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Forum Theatre’s Angels in America: Millennium Approaches.

Watch this blog for more info about My Name is Asher Lev.

Lance Tucker
Director of Marketing and PR

Producing Artistic Director Blake Robison has announced our 2010/11 Bethesda season. It includes 1 world premiere, 1 U.S. regional premiere, and 2 area premieres. We’ll be bringing you more theatre than ever as we expand to a 6-play Bethesda season. We’re also adding Tuesday evenings back into the schedule.

In announcing the lineup, Robison said, “Our audiences told us that they want more first class theatre in Bethesda. So, we’re thrilled to expand our season with this slate of exciting productions.”

You can subscribe to all 6 plays for as little as $120 – only $20 per play. You can also select the 3 shows that you want to see and subscribe for just $75.

• Flexible packages can be tailored to suit your interests, schedule, & pocketbook. Select 3 or more plays & save!

• Receive exclusive benefits – including priority seating & our ticket exchange program ¹

• Subscribe to 6 plays & get a “Bring a Friend” coupon for 1 free non-subscription ticket

Subscribe now to the 3+ plays of your choice: click here or call 240.644.1100

THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY

Playwright Phyllis Nagy

U.S. regional premiere
A play by Phyllis Nagy
Adapted from the novel by Patricia Highsmith
Directed by Blake Robison

September 8 – 26, 2010
Round House Theatre Bethesda

Enigmatic conman Tom Ripley is determined to gain wealth and social status by any means possible. The perfect opportunity arises when American financier Herbert Greenleaf sends him to Italy to track down his son, who has been living the high life there with his beautiful girlfriend. His mission takes on a sinister twist as the lives of Ripley and young Richard Greenleaf become inextricably entwined.

This subversive, psychological thriller explores the mind of one of literature’s great anti-heroes; an intelligent, suave, charming psychopath whose amorality is at the center of a plot about duplicity and murder.

“The talented Phyllis Nagy gets closer to the black heart of Highsmith’s novel than you would have thought possible.” – Financial Times
“Superb” and “clever” ‑ The Express

AMERIVILLE

Photo courtesy of Universes

Area premiere
Directed by Chay Yew
Written by Universes ‑ Steven Sapp, Mildred Ruiz, Gamal Chasten, Ninja (aka William Ruiz)

October 20 ‑ November 7, 2010
Round House Theatre Bethesda

The Universes performance ensemble makes its exclusive DC area appearance in a theatrical tour-de-force that was a hit at the renowned Humana Festival and has won raves across the country. An explosive fusion of storytelling and the infectious rhythms of jazz, Gospel, and hip-hop, Ameriville puts the state of the Union under a microscope – politics, history, race, poverty, and government – examining our country through the lens of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

An ensemble of multi-disciplined writers and performers, Universes’ work is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking. Deftly weaving humor, song, and powerful performances, Ameriville says, “Here’s the situation. Now…what do you think?”

Universes is “exuberant” and “insightful” ‑ New York Times
Their work “absolutely demands to be seen.”  ‑ Boston Globe

A WRINKLE IN TIME

Playwright John Glore

Area premiere
By John Glore
From the novel by Madeleine L’Engle
Directed by Casey Sams

December 1 ‑ 26, 2010
Round House Theatre Bethesda

Before Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, there was Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, the original youth sci-fi classic.

On a dark and stormy night, the eccentric Mrs. Whatsit arrives at the home of Meg Murry, a tomboy who doesn’t fit in at her New England high school. Meg’s scientist father vanished over two years ago, under mysterious circumstances. Aided by Mrs. Whatsit and her friends, Meg, her gifted brother Charles Wallace, and her friend Calvin are transported through time and space on a mission to rescue their father from the evil forces that hold him prisoner on another planet.

John Glore’s delightful, wildly theatrical adaptation brings this acclaimed adventure story magically to life.

Madeleine L’Engle’s story is “original, different, exciting” ‑ Saturday Review

A Wrinkle in Time is sponsored in part through generous support from Michael Beriss & Jean Carlson
Evening performances of A Wrinkle in Time begin at 7 p.m.

CHARMING BILLY

Author Alice McDermott

World premiere
Adapted & directed by Blake Robison
From the novel by Alice McDermott

February 2 – 20, 2011
Round House Theatre Bethesda

In a small Bronx bar, a funeral party has gathered to honor Billy Lynch. Through the night, his friends and family weave together the tale of a husband, lover, dreamer, and storyteller, but also that of a hopeless drunk whose immense charm was but a veil over a lifetime of secrets and all-consuming sorrow. Charming Billy is a masterful look at how a community can pin its dreams to one man, and how good intentions can be as destructive as the truth they were meant to hide.

Blake Robison directs his adaptation of the novel by Bethesda’s Alice McDermott, a National Book Award winner.

McDermott’s novel is “luminous and affecting” ‑ New York Times

Charming Billy is sponsored in part through generous support from Bonnie & Alan Hammerschlag

THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL

Director Timothy Douglas

By Horton Foote
Directed by Timothy Douglas

March 16 – April 3, 2011
Round House Theatre Bethesda

Trapped in a cramped Houston apartment with her soft-spoken son and self-absorbed daughter-in-law, widow Carrie Watts dreams of returning to her home in the small Gulf Coast town of Bountiful, where she grew up and raised her own family. Fearing that she’s an imposition and chafing under her daughter-in-law’s watchful eye, she steals away with her latest pension check and heads home in the journey of a lifetime. The results are both brilliantly life-affirming and heartbreaking in one of legendary playwright Horton Foote’s most beloved works.

Timothy Douglas (Permanent Collection) directs an African American cast in a new production endorsed by the Foote estate especially for Round House.

“The rarest of theater experiences, an evening which will prove an indelible memory” ‑ New York World-Telegram

Co-production with The Cleveland Play House

AMADEUS

Director David Muse

By Peter Shaffer
Directed by David Muse

May 11 – June 5, 2011
Round House Theatre Bethesda

When your hard-earned fame has been surpassed by a brilliantly gifted, though potty-mouthed, golden boy, what can you do but smile to his face while secretly plotting his downfall? Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus, winner of seven Tony Awards ‑ including Best Play ‑ and the Academy Award® for Best Picture, depicts the flamboyant genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as seen through the eyes of his desperately jealous contemporary, composer Antonio Salieri.

The Shakespeare Theatre’s David Muse directs a towering story of greed, obsession, and guilt set to the glorious music of revenge.

“A rich theatrical experience”‑ Washington Post
“Gripping and fascinating” ‑ Saturday Review

Sales are final. Plays, dates and artists are subject to change without notice.
¹ Upgrade charges may apply.
Ripley features adult situations & language. 

Media Contact: Sarah Pressler
240.644.1387
press@roundhousetheatre.org

Round House Theatre
presents the Washington, D.C. area premiere of

My Name is Asher Lev

March 17 – April 11, 2010 at Round House Theatre Bethesda
240.644.1100 or roundhousetheatre.org

Tickets priced from $25 to $60
Specially priced $10 & $15 tickets for patrons age 30 & under

“Masterful…beautiful…profound…Everything about director Jeremy Skidmore’s production works at the highest level”
– Philadelphia Inquirer

“Emotional and intelligent…will connect with audiences of even the most disparate faiths” – NBCPhiladelphia.com

(BETHESDA, MD) Round House Theatre continues its 2009/2010 season with the Washington, D.C. area premiere of My Name is Asher Lev, a play by Aaron Posner adapted from the visionary novel by Chaim Potok. Directed by Jeremy Skidmore, My Name is Asher Lev is a co-production with Delaware Theatre Company.

My Name is Asher Lev is sponsored in part by generous support from The Dupler Family as well as an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. My Name is Asher Lev was originally commissioned and produced by the Arden Theatre Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

My Name is Asher Lev runs March 17 – April 11, 2010 at Round House Theatre Bethesda, 4545 East-West Highway. Tickets are $25 – $60 and may be purchased by phone at 240.644.1100, online at roundhousetheatre.org, or at the Round House box office in Bethesda. Groups of 10 or more should call 240.644.1387.

Specially priced tickets for patrons age 30 and under are available at all performances: $10 Wednesday through Friday and $15 Saturday and Sunday – contact the box office at 240.644.1100 as these specially priced tickets are not available online.

Possessing a prodigious artistic ability, Asher Lev is driven to draw and paint the world he sees and feels. Born into a Hasidic family in post-World War II Brooklyn, his artistic genius threatens to estrange him from both his parents and his community. Asher’s journey is by turns heartbreaking and exultant as he must choose between art and faith.

The Philadelphia Inquirer, in reviewing this co-production’s recent premiere at Delaware Theatre Company, called it, “Masterful…beautiful…profound…Everything about director Jeremy Skidmore’s production works at the highest level…Three muscular actors [have] a keen sense of the characters’ time and the changes these figures witness, spur, or try uneasily to accommodate: Adam Heller in multiple roles as the father, the rabbi, the artist-mentor, and more; Lise Bruneau as the mother, a gallery owner, and an artist’s model; and Alexander Strain as Asher Lev. The endearing Strain has a finely nuanced sense of vulnerability. It becomes his shield, his weapon, even his character’s partner.”

Producing Artistic Director Blake Robison says, “No playwright could be more adept at bringing the novels of Chaim Potok to life onstage than Aaron Posner. His award-winning adaptation of Potok’s The Chosen has been seen at more than 40 regional theatres. His theatrical treatment of My Name is Asher Lev won acclaim from both audiences and critics at its world premiere last year and has attracted interest from producers across the country. We’re thrilled to bring this luminous new play to area audiences at Round House.”

The Author

Chaim Potok (1929–2002) was born in the Bronx to Jewish immigrants from Poland. Potok’s years in an Orthodox household and schooling through college stood in stark conflict with the world of literature and art that early captured his imagination. Later he found in Conservative Judaism, with its emphasis on historical evolution of Jewish texts, an intellectual home where his love of Judaism and of secular culture could dynamically interact. Upon ordination he served as a US Army chaplain serving 16 months in Korea in the mid-50s with combat medical and engineer battalions. In 1959 Potok and his young family first settled in Philadelphia where he was scholar in residence at Har Zion Temple and pursued a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. He wrote The Chosen in Jerusalem, the same year he wrote his dissertation. In 1967 he became editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society of Philadelphia. He taught writing at Johns Hopkins University and a popular course in philosophy to the Benjamin Franklin Honors Fellows at his alma mater. The Chosen was followed by other famous works such as The Promise, My Name Is Asher Lev and The Gift of Asher Lev. He also wrote plays and children’s literature in addition to non-fiction and short stories.

The Playwright

Aaron Posner is the Artistic Director of Two River Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey and a founder and former Artistic Director of Philadelphia’s Arden Theatre Company. He is a playwright and director who has directed at major regional theatres across the country including Seattle Rep, the Alliance, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, the Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, and many more. His produced adaptations include Who Am I This Time? by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., “What Ho, Jeeves” by P.G. Wodehouse, The Brothers K. by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Echoes of the Jazz Age by authors from the ‘20s, Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons, Third & Indiana by Steve Lopez, and Brief Interviews with Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace (with Scott Greer, Tony Lawton and Michael Hollinger). His adaptation, with Chaim Potok, of The Chosen won the 1999 Barrymore Award for Best New Play in Philadelphia and has now been produced by more than 40 professional theatres. His most recent adaptations include a musical adaptation of Mark Twain’s A Murder, A Mystery & A Marriage (with James Sugg), Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey (Portland Center Stage, spring 2008), and My Name is Asher Lev. He has won Barrymore Awards and Helen Hayes Awards for both playwrighting and directing, and is an Eisenhower Fellow.

The Cast

Lise Bruneau (Woman) is delighted to return to Round House. Credits include The Book Club Play and Alice at Round House; Legacy of Light at Arena Stage; Ion, Othello, and The Winter’s Tale at the Shakespeare Theatre Company; at Baltimore’s CENTERSTAGE The Murder of Isaac, Blithe Spirit, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, and Mary Stuart; and Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Patience at the Wilma in Philadelphia. Lise has also been known to direct for the upstart theatre company the Taffety Punks; most recently the acclaimed all-girl productions of Measure for Measure and Romeo & Juliet, and Let X and The Devil in His Own Words among others. She has performed in regional theatres across the country, such as The Old Globe, ACT, Seattle Rep, Triad Stage, Berkeley Rep, and A Traveling Jewish Theatre; and for the St. Louis, Alabama, Chicago, Santa Cruz and Oregon Shakespeare Festivals. She has been fortunate to wrestle with such characters as Elizabeth I, Margaret of Anjou, Rosalind, Titania, Eliza Doolittle, Josie in Moon for the Misbegotten, The Angel in Angels in America, both Ruth and Elvira in Blithe Spirit, and the divine Amanda in Private Lives. Lise trained at RADA, and is proud to be a Taffety Punk.

Adam Heller (Man) is making his debut performance with Round House. Broadway: Caroline, or Change; A Class Act; Victor/Victoria; Les Miserables. Off-Broadway: Make Me a Song: the Music of William Finn (New World Stages); Endgame (Irish Rep); Normal (Transport Group); The Immigrant (New World Stages); Merrily We Roll Along (York). Tours: Titanic; Falsettos. Regional: Pseudolus in Forum (Goodspeed); My Name is Asher Lev (Arden); End Days (Vineyard Playhouse); Party Come Here (Williamstown); Caroline, or Change (Arden); Merrily We Roll Along (Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration); Art (Hartford Theaterworks); Dinner With Friends (Coconut Grove Playhouse); No Way to Treat a Lady (Barrington Stage); Ragtime (Sacramento); March of the Falsettos & Falsettoland (Hartford Stage); American Vaudeville (Alley). Film: Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen’s; Isn’t She Great. TV: The Sopranos (penultimate episode); Law & Order (All); Oz; Queens Supreme. Graduate: NYU/ Tisch.

Alexander Strain (Asher) returns to the Round House Theatre stage, where he was previously seen as Ralph in Lord of the Flies. Other performances include Angels in America (Louis, Forum Theatre), The Seagull on 16th Street (Treplev, Theater J), and Caligula (Caligula, Washington Shakespeare Company). He has been nominated for three Helen Hayes Awards for acting and was a 2007 recipient of the Boomerang Fund for Artists grant. He is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where he studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.

The Artistic Team

Jeremy Skidmore (Director) has been based in Washington, D.C. for the last nine years. In that time he served for two years as Producer of the Source Festival, Washington’s original city-wide festival for the arts, and for six years as the Artistic Director of TheatreAlliance where he produced 22 productions in five years that garnered 22 Helen Hayes Award nominations. Elsewhere in the Washington area, he has directed at Signature Theatre, Round House Theatre, Theater J, Olney Theatre Center for the Arts, Everyman Theatre, Catalyst Theater Company, African Continuum Theatre, Rorschach Theatre, Forum Theatre, Keegan Theater, The Hub Theatre, Adventure Theatre, University of Maryland, Catholic University, St. Mary’s College and The National Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. Outside of Washington, Jeremy has directed, produced, or taught all over North Carolina and in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, London, Oslo, Galway, Kilimanjaro, Tokyo, Macau, and Tai Pei. Jeremy is a Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts.

The design team includes scenic designer Tony Cisek, costume designer Ren LaDassor, lighting designer Dan Covey, sound designer and composer Matthew M. Nielson, and stage manager Jennifer Schwartz.

My Name is Asher Lev Performance Calendar, Ticket Information, & Audience Events

My Name is Asher Lev runs from March 17 – April 11, 2010 at Round House Theatre Bethesda, 4545 East-West Highway. The theatre is one block from the Bethesda station on Metro’s Red Line. Wednesday performances begin at 7:30 pm; Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening performances begin at 8 p.m.; and matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday begin at 3 p.m.

Due to popular demand, special Tuesday night performances of My Name is Asher Lev have been added on March 30 and April 6. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. on those evenings.

Tickets may be purchased by phone at 240.644.1100, online at roundhousetheatre.org, or in person at the Round House box office in Bethesda. Groups of 10 or more should call 240.644.1387.

Due to brief nudity, My Name is Asher Lev is recommended for ages 15 & up.

Specially priced tickets for patrons age 30 and under are available at each performance: $10 Wednesday through Friday and $15 Saturday and Sunday. Proof of age is required when the tickets are picked up. Limit of two tickets per person. Not valid with any other discount or on previously purchased tickets. Call 240.644.1100 – these specially priced tickets are not available online.

Round House offers discounts on non-subscription tickets to patrons 65 and older. The price is $40 per ticket (including service charge) for center orchestra or center balcony seating at any performance in Bethesda. Call 240.644.1100 for information.

Pay-What-You-Can performances are on Wednesday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 20 at 3 p.m. Tickets for Pay-What-You-Can performances go on sale in person one hour prior to curtain (cash and exact change only, limit of 2 tickets per person).

Designer Discussion – Wednesday, March 17 at 6:45 p.m.
A pre-show look at the production’s costume, set, lighting, and sound designs from the professionals who make them happen.

Directorially Speaking Discussion – Friday, March 19 at 7:15 p.m.
Director Jeremy Skidmore discusses the production in a pre-performance talk.

Post-Show Talkbacks – Sunday, March 28 and Sunday, April 4
These Sunday matinees feature a post-show talk with members of the cast.

Audio-described performance – Saturday, April 3 at 3pm

Sign-interpreted performance – Saturday, April 10 at 3pm

Special Post-Show Discussion with Adena Potok – Sunday, April 11
With Adena Potok (Chaim Potok’s widow), playwright Aaron Posner, director Jeremy Skidmore, and Producing Artistic Director Blake Robison.

#             #          #

When I first started reading the script of Thomas Gibbons’ Permanent Collection, I couldn’t put it down. Loosely based on events surrounding Philadelphia’s Barnes Foundation, it examines how much space – literally and figuratively – society gives to African-Americans in our arts and culture organizations. It asks the question: what’s the cost of failing to view the world through another’s eyes?  Each season at Round House, we seek out plays that make us think, that challenge our preconceptions and force us to re-examine the world around us.  And so I knew immediately that we had to bring this searing drama about art, race, perspectives, and journalism to our stage

I’m confident that you’ll have a lot to say about the play.  And we want to hear it.  So I invite you to take advantage of a new feature on this website. Click “Citizen Reviews” on our home page to post your own comments and critique of our production. Let your friends and neighbors know what you think. And continue the dialogue about the play’s important issues in our own community.

In addition to Permanent Collection, Round House is proud to present the 2010 edition of our dynamic, affordable Silver Spring Series in our black box in downtown Silver Spring. This eclectic mix of theatre, music, and dance features performances by some of the dynamic groups and artists that call the D.C. metropolitan area home. Also, our nearby Education Center has a full range of classes and activities for students of all ages – from Free for All Fridays to our upcoming Spring Break program. You’ll find information about all these activities on this website.

I hope you’re enjoying our new RHT Blog. I also hope we’ll see you often during 2010.

Blake Robison
Producing Artistic Director

P.S. We’ll be announcing our 2010/2011 season soon – watch for more information!

Jacqueline Lawton: Permanent Collection is inspired by the story of the Barnes Foundation and addresses issues of race in America. What compelled you to write this play? How did you decide which characters/points of views would appear in it?
Thomas Gibbons: On the most immediate level, what compelled me to write the play was an image of a particular actor named Frank X standing onstage in an expensive Italian suit. Frank has been in several plays of mine; I’ve written parts specifically for him, as I wrote Sterling North, the central character in Permanent Collection. His opening monologue was written very quickly, and throughout the development of the play I made very few changes in it, apart from changing it from the first person to the second person.

On a larger level, the entire history of the Barnes Foundation and the controversy that engulfed it in the 90s fascinated me. To put it very briefly, the newly appointed foundation head, who was African American, wanted to build a parking lot on the foundation grounds; a neighbors’ group opposed the proposal. Eventually the director accused them of racism, and they sued him for slander. From that point on, the controversy was no longer about a parking lot; it was about race. When I began to do my research, I found that race was an important strain in the Barnes’ history; its founder, Albert Barnes, was well known for his interest in African art, and included specimens in his displays long before this was widely accepted. Instead of focusing on a parking lot, I invented the central conflict of the play – whether pieces of African art in storage should be placed in the galleries – because I wanted to examine the notion of a museum as a place that displays our consensus of what is most valuable in our cultural heritage, and what will be visible. Who decides what hangs on the wall? What criteria are they using?

JL: In an interview in September of 2005, you observed that “Race is the central dilemma in American history, which we still have not succeeded in untangling.” Do you feel that that Americans have come any closer to dealing candidly with the issue of race? Or do you feel that we are as tangled up as ever?
TG: My feeling (and it’s no more than a feeling, I admit) is that many Americans, on a personal level, are able to approach the subject with candor and openness – younger people in particular. Publicly, our racial history is still an occasion for hypocrisy, dishonesty, and posturing.

JL: Throughout Barack Obama’s campaign and at the early stages of his presidency, many in the media decided that we had shifted into a post-racial era. While the definition of “post-racial” is still being debated, the working definition is that we, as a society, had moved to a place where race no longer matters. What are your thoughts on this? Is there such a thing as a post-racial society? Would you ever want there to be one? Why or why not?
TG: Race is part of the American DNA; it will always matter. The question is, exactly how will it matter 20 years from now, or 50? No one knows, least of all the media.

JL: Which aspect of Sterling’s character do you most relate to? What aspect of Paul’s character do you most relate to?
TG: Sterling wants to introduce change to what he sees as an ossified institution, to bring it into the present. Paul wants to preserve what he sees as the best of the past. I recognize both of those impulses in myself.

JL: What was the most challenging part of writing Permanent Collection? Which character’s voice was the most difficult to capture?
TG: Without question, the challenge of this play was to present both viewpoints in the conflict fairly, with as much eloquence and clarity as I could summon, so that the audience feels it’s not being propagandized. I’m not interested in telling an audience what I believe; I hope to prod them into asking themselves what they believe. As for the characters, I’d rather say whose voice was the most enjoyable to write: Alfred Morris, the foundation’s founder who delights in provocation and outrage.

JL: What surprised (continues to surprise you) you about Permanent Collection? Whether it’s the audience response or your response when you see it?
TG: When the play was first produced in Philadelphia, I think audiences viewed it through the lens of the actual controversy unfolding at the Barnes Foundation – that they were going to see the true “backstage” story. In some ways the play has been seen more clearly by audiences in other cities who weren’t all that familiar with the Barnes. It also seems to me that this play about an African American man elevated to a position of leadership, and the controversy that ensues, has acquired an additional resonance that I never anticipated.

JL: What next for you as a writer?
TG: After writing plays that deal with the subject of race in America for about ten years, I’ve come to feel I don’t have anything else to say about it. Also, there are other subjects that I’ve long wanted to explore. My current work in progress, Silverhill (inspired by the history of the Oneida Community in upstate New York), deals with a 19^th-century American communist utopia that practices “Bible communism” and free love, and how it runs aground on the rocks of jealousy, desire, generational conflict, and greed. Human nature, in other words.

Thanks for reading the blog. I hope to see you at Round House Bethesda for Permanent Collection!

Jacqueline Lawton
Dramaturg

Photo of Craig Wallace and Jeff Allin by Clinton Brandhagen.

Robert Deigh is a communications professional with more than 25 years of experience in public relations and journalism. He helps organizations – from startups to Fortune 500 companies – increase their visibility and build brands by creating strong and positive relationships with the press and other audiences. Before starting his own PR firm, Deigh was communications director of two divisions of America Online and the PBS television network where he was also PBS’s chief national media spokesperson. He is the author of the book “How Come No One Knows About Us?” which, in 2009, won three national awards for excellence in business writing. There will be a book signing at the event.

Lunch & Speaker $30. RSVP by March 17 with payment info to Meaghan Phelan at mphelan@roundhousetheatre.org or call 240.644.1402.

Jacqueline Lawton: So to start could you tell me a little bit about where you live (maybe where and what sort of neighborhood)–describe the street where you live–what can you hear if you open a window, what can you see if you look out that window.
Thomas Gibbons: My family and I live in Devon, one of the older suburbs west of Philadelphia. Most of the houses on our street (including ours) date from the 1920s and are about a hundred feet apart, with large yards and plenty of trees. When the windows are open we hear the wind in the trees. We frequently see deer or a fox in our back yard.

JL: Then tell me a little bit about your favorite place to write. Do you write in the same place?
TG: I write in a room devoted to that purpose. It has built-in bookcases, a desk with an old chair, and not much else.

JL: Give us a little background on where you’re from originally, where you grew up, how you ended up where you are now…
TG: I was born in Philadelphia, grew up in the suburbs, and have lived either in the city or the surrounding area my entire life.

JL: Other than being a playwright, what other forms of writing have you done? Were you always drawn to the theatre? How is writing for an audience, writing a work that will be performed live, different (other than the form and format) from the other forms of writing you’ve done?
TG: I started writing seriously when I was a teenager, primarily short stories, and envisioned becoming a novelist. In my senior year in college I took a playwriting course, wrote a one-act play that ended up (through sheer luck) being produced by a small theatre company in Philadelphia, and never returned to fiction. I felt that I’d stumbled into the medium that allowed me to find my voice.

JL: Describe for me all the sensations you had the first time you had one of your plays produced and you sat in the audience while it was performed…what was different about the characters you created? How much input did you have in the directing of that work?
TG: The one-act play that was my first production was originally given a staged reading, and our choice for the central character came down to two actors: one who played the part exactly as I’d envisioned it, and another who made the part something completely unexpected, almost shockingly unlike my own vision, but undeniably brilliant. The director and I argued for hours – I wanted the first actor, he wanted the second – and finally I gave in. The actor gave a marvelous reading, and when the play was given a full production the following season, he was my only choice for the part and gave a performance that even now, after many years, lives in my memory as one of the finest I’ve ever seen on any stage. In other words, I was lucky enough to learn, with my first play, the fundamental lesson that collaboration lies at the heart of theatre. As a playwright, you learn you’ll never see on stage the play that’s in your head; but with luck and the right collaborators, you might see something better.

JL: What is it about writing plays that draws you…as opposed to writing poetry, songs, or fiction?
TG: I’ve grown to like the ruthless practicality of it—the fact that what I’ve written has to work, before an audience whose judgment is immediate (even if they’re not aware of it); and if it doesn’t work, it has to be fixed or cut.

JL: What inspires you to write?
TG: I wish I had a better answer, but I like sitting in a room by myself, with only paper and pen at hand. All writers like this. Any writer who talks about the loneliness of writing is lying. Also, we don’t have to wear ties.

JL: What do you hope to convey in the plays that you write ‑ what are they about? What sorts of people, situation, circumstances, do you like to write about?
TG: For the past 10 years or so I’ve been writing about race ‑ specifically, about the vast divide that separates the white and African-American experiences of living in America, and the mutual incomprehension with which we gaze at each other across the gulf. As in Permanent Collection, my characters are people who run up against the abrasive surface of our racial history. Recently, though, I’ve decided that I’ve said what I have to say about this, and it’s time to move on to other subjects.

Watch for part two of my conversation with Thomas Gibbons – coming to this blog in the coming days. We’ll talk more specifically about the situation, characters, and controversies covered in Permanent Collection.

Jacqueline Lawton
Dramaturg

Hello! My name is Andrea Locke. As Lance wrote in a previous post, I am the Production and Rental Coordinator here at Round House Theatre. I coordinate the many productions and events held at Round House Silver Spring, our black box theatre located in the heart of downtown Silver Spring, MD. I also manage the rental clients at the Round House Education Center located around the corner from the black box.

We say that “Silver Spring has something different every day” and that is certainly true this season—looking at the calendar right now, the next Saturday that the black box is empty is July 3^rd! At least that is the case this very second. For all I know, we could potentially schedule an event on that day in the next six months. And don’t even get me started on the Education Center calendar. We’re busy.

Here is what’s going on:

The Silver Spring Series, our presenting series held at the black box, is kicking off at the end of January. In our second season we are proud to present productions by local artists Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, In-Flight Theatre, Marian Licha, Caleen Sinnette Jennings, Contradiction Dance, Will Gartshore, and Happenstance Theatre. I’ve been writing e-mails, contracts, and programs; organizing schedules and calendars; and answering questions since November. It’s a surreal feeling knowing that it’s finally time to put the work on stage.

Our Sarah Play this year is Neil Bartlett’s adaptation of Moliere’s The Misanthrope. Performances are at the black box April 30^th -May 9^th, 2010. Rehearsals begin at the Education Center this week!

We’re also presenting a blended production with University of Maryland College Park’s Department of Theatre of Hotel Cassiopeia by Charles Mee at the black box June 5-13, 2010. We are already in rehearsals for the University of Maryland leg of the production.

In addition, we’ve also got productions and classes by our Artistic and Community partners:

Contradiction Dance just moved into their office at our Education Center as Round House’s dance company in residence. Dance classes begin on January 11^th, and as previously mentioned, the company is included in the Silver Spring Series.

Forum Theatre, our theatre company in residence, will be joining us again at the black box this February and March. They received rave reviews for their productions of Angels in America: Millennium Approaches and Angels in America: Perestroika this past fall. This spring they’ll be presenting Jordan Harrison’s Amazons and Their Men. Rehearsals are to start any day now at the Education Center.

Music Together continues to hold music and movement classes for pre-kindergarten students at the Education Center on weekday mornings.

Lumina Studio Theatre will also be returning to the black box on multiple occasions in the coming season. Their production of WHAT HO, JEEVES! takes place the weekend of January 29^th, 2010.

ArtStream has been in rehearsals at the Education Center since September for their production at the black box the weekend of April 15^th, 2010.

And of course, we’ve got a whole slew of productions, meetings, auditions, and classes at Round House Silver Spring and the Education Center presented by our rental clients (“rental” is one of my middle names after all). Some of these great organizations include, in no particular order, McLean Bible Church, Weight Watchers, Lango, Maryland Community Theatre Festival, The Actor’s Center, Inkwell Theatre, and The Princeton Review.

WHEW! I wasn’t kidding about just how much is going on around this place, and the above list doesn’t even include all of Round House’s own programming. In the coming months I’ll be back on the blog detailing more specific stories and exciting events that are taking place here in Silver Spring. Until then, I hope you’ll consider a trip to see us at the black box or at the Education Center. And of course, if you have any questions or an idea for a blog entry, please leave a comment!

See you in Silver Spring,

Andrea Locke