WELCOME from the Producing Artistic Director
Welcome to The Whipping Man, a new play by Matthew Lopez.
Terrence J. Nolen
I’m fascinated by what inspires a playwright to write a particular story – the moment when they are moved to create a new play or musical. For Matthew Lopez, that moment was when he was researching the Civil War and learned that Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox the day before the observance of Passover. “It was this eureka moment,” Mr. Lopez has been quoted as saying. “As these slaves were being freed in the American South, there was this ancient observance of the Exodus story.” These “eureka” moments sustain a playwright over the countless hours and often several years it can take for a new work to come to fruition. It guides the play’s development, inspires their artistic collaborators, and hopefully leads to a connection with you our audience. Many of the stories that we are bringing to the stage this season are new plays (with Cyrano, a new adaptation): this year’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris; Michael Hollinger and Aaron Posner’s new adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s classic play; and Tulipomania, a new musical by Michael Ogborn that draws parallels between the 17th century Dutch tulip bulb bubble and our own recent financial woes. Each of these writers had their own unique inspiration – their own “eureka” moment that compelled them to create. These “eureka” moments also inspire us as a theatre to forge relationships that allow us to extend and deepen your experience with a playwright’s work. Theatre is a collaborative art form, and we are constantly seeking partnerships and connections with other organizations to maximize the impact of any given production. We’ve partnered with The Philadelphia Museum of Art and their exhibition of quilts from Gee’s Bend; with Christ Church for our production of Our Town; and, most recently (and deliciously), with Frangelli’s Bakery for Superior Donuts. For The Whipping Man, we started in our own neighborhood. Here in Old City there is the African American Museum (currently celebrating its 35th anniversary) and the National Museum of American Jewish History (whose new facility includes a core exhibition gallery about the Jewish experience during the Civil War). The Rosenbach Museum & Library is marking the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War with a remarkable blog entitled Today in the Civil War (http://www.rosenbach.org/learn/exhibitions/civil-warbegins) that showcases their collection. Cultural treasures abound in the Philadelphia region. More “eureka” moments await. Thanks for joining us for The Whipping Man and for being part of the Arden.
P.S. Our next production is Charlotte’s Web directed by Whit MacLaughlin. While certainly a departure from August: Osage County and The Whipping Man, it shares with these productions the same commitment to artistic excellence. In fact, several of the actors from August Osage are in Charlotte’s Web. Last season’s production of The Flea and the Professor was recently awarded the Barrymore Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical, further affirmation that our work for kids is great theatre by any standard. If you’ve never seen an Arden Children’s Theatre production, come see Charlotte’s Web. There is no better way to introduce kids to the wonder of live theatre – and to be reminded of that wonder yourself.