Wed. 4/22 A Complex Evening,world premiere plays by William Inge | Thu. 4/23 New Play Reading:Carlos Murillo's Diagram of a Paper Airplane | Fri. 4/24 Gala Dinner | Sat. 4/25 Inge Festival Tribute |
William Inge Theatre Festival Unveils World Premiere of Never Performed Short Plays by Inge
William Inge, on the Broadway set of "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs"
The world premiere of several short plays by William Inge is a treat for all audiences—especially those who think they "know" all about one of America's greatest playwrights.
On Wednesday April 22, at 7:30 p.m., the curtain will rise on a collection of short plays that reveal a William Inge who is also wildly humorous and happily optimistic. The whole evening is packaged together under the title "A Complex Evening."
"People who think they know William Inge's 'style' will be intrigued and thrilled with these unpublished plays," said Peter Ellenstein, Artistic Director of the William Inge Center for the Arts. "They are representative of a formidable range for which William Inge is not widely known."
Inge Festival audiences will get to see the first ever productions of:
Morning at the Beach—is a nostalgic and wistful comedy set at a summer resort. The regular customers and the lifeguard staff intermingle and share their life's desires in an atmosphere of playfulness, but then the daughter of a crusty customer takes a shine to a young man. "This play is very optimistic, and celebrates life as a beautiful poem, a theme that resonates throughout the piece," said Ellenstein.
Bad Breath—This is a full-out farce that veteran theater goers would never guess was written by William Inge! Timely entrances and exits emphasize hilarity. This story sends up commercialism, as a housewife relies on consumer products to attain perfection and rescue her family from mortifying social situations.
Moved In—another upbeat optimistic story. At rise, an African-American couple receives some long-awaited news. Inge is known for his moving portrayal of those outside the mainstream who struggle for acceptance. Moved In explores the successful assimilation of such "outsiders" and affirms that marvelous things can happen to proud, ordinary people.
A Murder—This short play is previously published, but is included on the evening because it is so different than William Inge's best-known works. It is almost a "Kafkaesque" story of a man who simply tries to rent a room but each seemingly innocent effort results in only more troubles.
The Love Death—Mostly a monologue for one man, who at age 35, confronts a realization that his life may not be a success, in his own eyes.
A Silent Call—The plot of this unpublished play is perhaps the most familiar to Inge theater goers. Two single female school teachers in a big city share an apartment, but their ordinary lives unravel after a series of mysterious phone calls.
A Silent Call is one of several short plays Inge wrote for "Complex," a collection of stories set in an apartment building. The evening's collection of plays is thus titled "A Complex Evening."
This world premiere of Inge plays will be directed by Karen Carpenter, an accomplished professional theater artist of many varied pursuits. Carpenter has produced and directed for commercial and non-profit theater for over 20 years.
She served as Associate Artistic Director for the Tony award-winning Old Globe Theater for seven seasons. Last year, Carpenter was one of a select few nominees nationwide for the Alan Schneider award at Theater Communications Group, and the Mike Ockrent Fellowship at the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, the foremost trade association honoring directors' work.
The five never-published plays have been in the William Inge Collection at Independence Community College."Special collections throughout the country are full of unpublished material that has never seen the light of day," said Marcel LaFlamme, curator of the William Inge Collection and Director of the Learning Resource Center at Independence Community College. "Here at ICC, though, we're fortunate to have a close relationship with a premier arts organization that's interested in staging this unpublished work. Other special collections should be so lucky."
The Inge Collection is the repository of more than 400 original manuscripts written by William Inge. Born in 1913 in Independence, Kansas, Inge won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama ("Picnic"), the Oscar for Outstanding Screenplay ("Splendor in the Grass,") and had four consecutive hits on Broadway. He died in 1973. The William Inge Theatre Festival was founded in 1982 to honor his legacy and to celebrate great living American playwrights.
Casting for "A Complex Evening" is underway. Some additional shorter pieces by Inge may also be introduced in the evening's entertainment.