Photo credit: Tom McGrath, TCMcG Photography
Bury the Dead
by Irwin Shaw
Promethean Theatre Ensemble
April 22 – May 21, 2011
Presented at Live Bait Theater
Reviews
“…heart warming scenes and thought provoking as well. This is a powerful story with some very strong acting from a fairly new theater company that has a lot to say. … The scenes between the men and their women were marvelous pieces of work and worth the price of the ticket alone. This is a play that will make you think. About the wars our government gets us into and in particular the effect it has on our young men and women who join the military, the families and loved ones they leave behind and the memories they may never have.
Promethean is a small company working in a small space and I can guarantee, a small budget. It is amazing to see what our smaller companies can do with what they have to work with. That is one of the beautiful things about our city- wonderful storytelling theater without the glitz.”
Al Bresloff, Around the Town Chicago, 4.24.2011
“…incredibly, painfully moving. Wolf’s staging…comes alive. The actors playing the soldiers deliver poignant, spellbinding explanations for why they’re not ready to leave the world yet, many of them having to do with simple joys—nice weather, pretty girls, cold beers—but, as Emily discovers postmortem in Our Town, it’s the everyday things that can break your heart. Similarly, it’s in these quiet, unadorned moments that Wolf’s production is at its most eloquent and Shaw’s antiwar argument is at its most convincing.”
Zac Thompson, Timeout Chicago, 5.4.2011
“Promethean does a marvelous job making this a timeless story. The actors succeed through subtlety and deep emotions that don’t overdo it. [Anne Korajczyk] is particularly strong and convincing as the selfish wife, who would rather see her husband buried so she can cash in on the army benefits that come with his death. And Shawna Tucker and Quinn White create a realistic portrayal of the doting mother facing the horror of her son’s disfigurement.”
Marla Seidell, Centerstage Chicago, 5.6.2011
“The cast…handle tricky, poignant scenes with grace and guts.”
Justin Hayford, Chicago Reader, 5.9.2011
“Director Beth Wolf wisely keeps the action scaled to the intimate dimensions of the Artistic Home’s storefront auditorium, making for a spartan stage picture as her mostly young actors deliver emotionally intense performances transcending the propagandist archetypes they portray.”
Mary Shen Barnidge, Windy City Times, 5.4.2011
Cast and Crew
Cast: Joel Kim Booster, Janeane Bowlware, Parke Fech, Jared Fernley, David Fink, Sara Gorsky, E. Alexandra Keels, Anne Korajczyk, Carl Lindberg, Marco Minichiello, Jim Morley, Brian Pastor, Brit Cooper Robinson, Dylan Stuckey, Shawna Tucker, Ben Veatch, Quinn White
Production Staff: Paula Consdorf (Costumes), Liz Cooper (Lighting), Aaron Meninga (Scenic), Sharla Nolte (Stage Manager), Claudette Perez (Sound), Melissa Schlesinger (Props)
Beth Wolf 