BUFFALO

THEATRE

ENSEMBLE SUBTEXT Giving Stories Life

July 2012 Volume 23 Number 4

T he premise of The Drawer Boy is drawn from a historic chapter in Ca-

nadian theatre. In 1972, a group of young, Toronto based actors head-

ed into Southwest Ontario in order to interview local farmers and their families

and create what became The Farm Show. They lived with the farmers, worked

with them, watched them and learned their stories. Then the actors created a

play, through improvisation and based on their interviews. The daily work on

the play, within the walls of a barn, was simple and pure. The artists had no idea

that locals would be charmed by hearing their own language and watching their

own stories. As a result, Theatre Passe Muraille (theatre "goes through walls‖)

became one of the most revolutionary and significant theatres in Canadian histo-

ry.

According to Wikipedia, Theatre Passe Muraille‘s ―radical intention was to cre-

ate a distinctly Canadian voice in theatre. It was conceived in the notion that

theatre should transcend real estate; that plays can be made and staged any-

where—in barns, in auction rings, in churches, bars, basements, lofts, even in

streetcars; and it was interested in the idea that theatre need not be a vehicle of

social change, but rather it should endeavor always to be a mirror to social

change.‖

Theatre Passe Muraille used an improvisational method they called ―collective-

creation,‖ where the plays were made by the actors themselves, developed out

of their own experiences. ―The collective-creation idea was inspired obviously

by the Living Theatre,‖ said Paul Thompson (former Artistic director), ―but

more closely by a company called Theatre d‘Aujord‘hui. They were a group of

actors who had come out of the French section of the National Theatre School

and were doing some very good improvisationally written shows and that sort

of got me excited...As far as going into a locale, the idea came from stuff I had

been reading about China,‖ continued Paul Thompson, ―They went into areas

and made stories about local heroes, they were traveling companies.‖

In 1995, Toronto based actor Michael Healey was working at the Blyth Festival

in central Ontario, and met with many local farmers who had influenced The

Farm Show. He was struck by the impact that the Theatre Passe Muraille actors

had had on the community. Healy told American Theatre, ―The Blythe Festival is

in the middle of farm country, and I'd never spent time in a rural setting prior to

(Continued on page 2)

Page 2 The Drawer Boy by Michael Healey July 13-29, 2012

that four-month gig. So part of the play was inspired by my asking the locals stupid questions, like,

What is the difference between hay and straw?” Healey based his play on The Farm Show and its history.

It tells the story of a young actor from the city who goes into a rural farmhouse to research two el-

derly farmers for a new play. The play is about interpreting our lives through storytelling and its effect

on our experience.

In honor of The Farm Show, the first production of The Drawer Boy was directed by one of the 1970‘s

actors who had inspired its work, he is also one of the characters in the play, Miles Potter. Since its

premiere in 1999 at Toronto‘s Theatre Passe Muraille, The Drawer Boy has won countless awards, in-cluding Canada‘s Governor General‘s Literary Award and The Helen Hayes Award. It continues to de-

light audiences across Canada, the United States, and around the world. In 2001, The Drawer Boy made

Time Magazine’s top ten list as ―a new classic.‖ The Drawer Boy, Healey‘s first full-length play, won the

Dora Award for best new play, a Chalmers Canadian Playwriting Award, and the Governor General‘s

Literary Award. It has been produced across North America and internationally, and has been translat-

ed into German, French, Hindi, Portuguese and Japanese. The Drawer Boy was the most-produced play

at Theatre Communications Group theatres in 2003-04.

When American Theatre asked Healey to what he attributed his play‘s popularity, he answered ―it‘s a

comedy, non-preachy, and it's about why theatre is of tangible use in people's lives. I think it's a well-

constructed two-act comedy that has something deeper for those who choose to go that way. But re-

ally, I'm at a loss to explain it.‖

(Continued from page 1)

I n 2002, Charles Ish-

erwood‘s New York

Times review beautifully

described the plot of The

Drawer Boy. ―A restrained

Canadian drama...about

the complex ties that bind

a pair of World War II veterans...The play is set in

1972 on a farm in Ontario, where the hard but plac-

id workaday life of Morgan and Angus is interrupted

one morning when an unusual visitor comes to call.

An eager-eyed young actor, Miles, is researching a

theatre piece about farming to be put on by his To-

ronto based theatre collective, and he wants to ob-

serve Morgan and Angus on their daily routines.‖ In

his review, Isherwood captured the essence of the

story, ―As Miles begins poking around the dusty

corners of these plain-spoken old fellows‘ hearts

and minds, he learns that Morgan and Angus have

lived together on the farm ever since they returned

from their youthful stints as enlisted men. Angus

still bears the mental scars of a brain injury he suf-

fered during the bombing in London. His memory is

all but wiped out, and while he can still make sand-

wiches (and do sums spectacularly), he can‘t re-

member , for example, who Miles is, so the young

man must reintroduce himself every time they

meet...his buried memories are jarred, somewhat

arbitrarily, by Miles decision to use the story of

Morgan and Angus‘ history together in his play...Mr.

Healy‘s dialogue, natural and unadorned...The Draw-

er Boy is affecting precisely because it refuses to

squeeze all the sentimental possibilities from the

bittersweet history it describes.‖

One of the reasons that BTE was so attracted to The

Drawer Boy, was specifically because the play illustrates

so clearly the transformational nature of theatre and

the significance of ―giving stories life!‖ Stories come

out of our authentic human experiences. Stories bring

us to the core of experience, as any good storyteller

or theatre-lover knows. But, there are several psycho-

logical reasons why stories are so powerful, as Pamela

Rutledge, Ph.D. writes in Psychology Today in her arti-

cle entitled The Psychological Power of Storytelling,

―Stories have always been a primal form of communi-

(Continued on page 3)

Mich

ael Healey

W e‘re very early in rehearsal of Michael Healey‘s The Drawer Boy, a script we‘ve talked about producing for some time. In thinking about this script, I was again

reminded about how, as human beings, we sometimes create ‗truths‘ to deal with challenges for ourselves or those we love, or to make sense of what seems nonsensical. And I was

struck by the power and sacrifice of true, deep friendship, in this story. I was recently sitting in the audience of another theatre, watching a good production of a classic script, and, at in-

termission, whipped out my cell phone and texted two long-time, long distance friends, telling them about the production and wishing they were seeing it with me. By the end of the show

(less than an hour later), both had texted me back, warmly wishing me the same.

In our production, with Ensemble member Kurt Naebig directing and with Ensemble member Robert Bailey playing Angus, we have a lovely cast to welcome you into this piece. Jonathan Kraft and Jacob Abbas, playing Morgan and Miles respectively, are both new to Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, and we‘re very happy to have

them with us.

We believe The Drawer Boy is a charming and simple piece about ordinary people, finding their paths in lives, and how we are affected by those we meet on life‘s journey. We look forward to sharing the production with you soon!

In addition, we‘re also looking forward to our next season, celebrating our 26th anniversary with you! As you know, we recently learned that, because of MAC renovations, we‘ve been limited to a three-show season in our interim space next year, and have carefully

debated and finalized a season that showcases our mission, our strengths and the adventure we‘re on, as we move toward a newly renovat-ed Arts Center. Please make plans to join us for The Lady With All The Answers, The Underpants and Trumbo: Red, White and Blacklisted.

We‘re certain you‘ll enjoy yourself!

And we‘re announcing next season‘s subscriber nights in this issue of SuBTExt. All of these dates are Tuesdays, and we‘ll commence at

7:30P again, to allow those of you coming home from work time to join us in our interim space in K Building. For our first show, The Lady With All The Answers – Tuesday, August 28: We‘ll discuss the demands of acting and directing a one-person show; The Underpants – Tues-

day, January 8: We‘ll show you a blocking rehearsal for large scenes and how we create focus; and finally, for Trumbo: Red, White and Black-listed – Tuesday, April 23: We‘ll discuss the dramaturgy of the piece and contextualize it within the history of the Hollywood Ten and

Trumbo. Hopefully, these nights will offer you an intimate way to share with ensemble members an experience you might not otherwise

have had.

It‘s truly a scorcher outside today! We‘re hoping you‘re enjoying the coming of summer, both enjoying the heat and finding ways to stay

cool! We look forward to seeing you, soon, at the theatre! All our best to you!

Page 3

Artistic Director, Connie Canaday Howard

& Associate Artistic Director, Amelia Barrett

Connie & Amelia’s Corner

cation. They are timeless links to ancient traditions,

legends, archetypes, myths, and symbols. They connect

us to a larger self and universal truths. And, stories are

about collaboration and connection. They transcend

generations, they engage us through emotions, and

they connect us to others. Through stories we share

passions, sadness, hardships and joys. We share mean-

ing and purpose. Stories are the common ground that

allows people to communicate, overcoming our de-

fenses and our differences. Stories allow us to under-

stand ourselves better and to find our commonality

with others. Stories are how we think. They are how

we make meaning of life. Call them schemas, scripts,

cognitive maps, mental models, metaphors, or narra-

tives. Stories are how we explain how things work,

how we make decisions, how we justify our decisions,

how we persuade others, how we understand our

place in the world, create our identities, and define and

teach social values. Stories provide order. Humans

seek certainty and narrative structure is familiar, pre-

dictable, and comforting. Within the context of the

story arc we can withstand intense emotions because

we know that resolution follows the conflict. We can

experience with a safety net. Stories are how we are

wired. Stores take place in the imagination. To the hu-

man brain, imagined experiences are processed the

same as real experiences. Stories create genuine emo-

tions, presence (the sense of being somewhere), and

behavioral responses. Stories are the pathway to en-

gaging our right brain and triggering our imagination.

By engaging our imagination, we become participants in

the narrative. We can step out of our own shoes, see

differently, and increase our empathy for others.

Through imagination, we tap into creativity that is the

foundation of innovation, self-discovery and change.

(Continued from page 2)

SuBTExt

McAninch Arts Center

at College of DuPage 425 Fawell Blvd.

Glen Ellyn, IL 60137-6599

Phone: 630-942-3008

Fax: 630-790-9806 Email: Canaday@cod.edu

SuBTExt edited by

Amelia Barrett,

design by

Carla Achziger

Founding Artistic Director

Emeritus, Craig Berger

The Company

Artistic Director

Connie Canaday Howard

Associate Artistic

Director Amelia Barrett

Designers

Jon Gantt

Allison R. Amadei Michael W. Moon

Barbara Niederer

Galen Ramsey

Ensemble Carla Achziger (in memory)

Robert Jordan Bailey

Amelia Barrett

Bryan Burke

Connie Canaday Howard

Loretta Hauser Kurt Naebig

Michael Sassone

William (Sandy) Smillie

The Drawer Boy by Michael Healey July 13-29, 2012

The Drawer Boy– An-

gus‘ name for Morgan

because he liked to draw

pictures.

Donnellys – Canada‘s

most notorious family,

five members of whom

were brutally massacred

in 1880 by a vigilante

committee near London,

Ontario.

Ensilage – the process

of preserving fodder (such as cornstalks, rye,

oats, millet, etc.) by com-

pressing it while green

and fresh in a pit or vat

called a silo, where it is

kept covered from

the air.

Freshie – the Canadian

equivalent of kool-aid.

Mow – a stack of hay or

other feed stored in a

barn; also the place in a

barn where hay, grain or

other feed is stored.

Low – the characteristic

sound made by cattle.

Prince’s Patricians

(―Pats‖) – the World

War II military unit from

south central Ontario.

Rochdale College –

the center of radical

left-wing activity on the

campus of the University

of Toronto in the ‘60s

and ‘70s. The company

that developed The Farm

Show was based at

Rochdale College before

they got their own build-

ing and became the

Theatre Passe Muraille.

Shinney – ice, street or

field hockey played infor-

mally with a ball, can or

similar object.

See you

Soon!