World Premiere
TO THE ORCHARD
Written by Les Hunter
Directed by Dale Heinen
Friday – Saturday at 8:00 pm & Sunday at 2:30 pm
May 27-29 & June 3-5
Creative Space at Waterloo Arts
397 E. 156th Street, Cleveland, OH 44110
June 10-12
Dobama Theatre
2340 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
College student Rachel Bergman reveals her sexual identity to her Orthodox Jewish father, who also is struggling with his own hidden past. In coming to terms with each other–and themselves–the pair must reconcile the conflicting pulls of tradition and individual desire. To the Orchard takes place in Brooklyn in the recent past, but incorporates dreamlike visits to turn-of-the-century England and the lost Jewish Eastern Europe. The spirits of Robert Plant and Virginia Woolf add a touch of magic realism to this intimate work about making mistakes, coming clean, and the power of history and family.
Run Time: Approximately 130 minutes, including one intermission.
PLAYWRIGHT
Les Hunter wrote for all three parts of the Jackson Heights Trilogy (Theatre 167, NYC). Selected other plays include Cyrano de Bergen County, New Jersey (published, Playscripts),and Biggest Break (Artistic New Directions, NYC). Les teaches English and theater at Baldwin Wallace University, is a member of the Playwrights GYM at Dobama Theatre, is the former Curator of New Plays at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center in New York, and a previous participant of the Mellon School of Theater and Performance Research at Harvard University. Les would like to thank David, Dale, Elana, Playwrights Local and the entire cast and crew for their inspiring work on this play.
DIRECTOR
Dale Heinen is an award-winning director/dramaturge focused on new work. Her previous experience includes long stints at Soho Theatre in London’s West End and as co-Artistic Director of an equity off-Loop theatre in Chicago. She has also worked as a director in New York, Glasgow, Dublin, Tokyo and Brazil. In Dale’s hometown of Cleveland, she has directed at Cleveland Public Theatre, Lake Erie College and Playwrights’ Local. Dale also teaches playwriting, acting and public speaking, and is director-in-residence at Playwrights’ Local. She has a BA from Northwestern University and an MFA in theatre directing from Middlesex University (London).
CAST
Kelsey Angel Baehrens……….Rachel Bergman/August Belmont
Andrea Belser……….Tracie Braggs/Virginia Woolf
Robert Branch……….Simcha Bergman
Michael Regnier……….Rabbi Isidore/Robert Plant
CREATIVE TEAM
Laura Carlson Tarantowski……….Set Design
Inda Blatch-Geib……….Costume Designer
Eric James Dahl……….Assistant Director
Paul Kit……….Carpentry
T. Paul Lowry……….Projection Design
Jonathan Maag……….Lighting Design
Daniel McNamara……….Sound Design
Francesca Mamlin……….Production Manager
Megan Mingus……….Stage Manager
Heather K. Pederson……….Prop Design
PRESS MATERIALS
Publicity Images (Credit: Dale Heinen)
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Jewish Plays Project 2016 National Finalist
National Foundation for Jewish Culture New Play Development Grant
MEDIA
Playwrights Local Brings a Fascinating To the Orchard as Their Inaugural Work
AXS Cleveland, 13 June 2016
Engaging To the Orchard Pits Tradition Against Desire
Cleveland Jewish News, 30 May 2016
New Theater to Produce Local Writers’ Scripts [To the Orchard Review]
Cool Cleveland, May 2016
Dale Heinen Handpicks To the Orchard as Her Next Assignment at Playwrights Local
Land of Cleve, 23 May 2016
To The Orchard: Company Interview
Playwrights Local Blog, 9 May 2016
To the Orchard [Radio Interview with Playwright Les Hunter]
The Sound of Applause [WCPN], 1 June 2016
SUPPORT
Funding for this production is provided, in part, by the Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation and Baldwin Wallace University.
