The Grapes of Wrath: Adapting the Novel

We've fielded a lot of questions at the Box Office about the adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath from the novel to the stage. We've gotten everything from "How can a 500 page novel fit into a 2.5 hour show?" to "Is the turtle-crossing-the-road scene in the play?" We found a terrific interview with Frank Galati, who adapted the novel for the stage, that answers those questions (and many others):

 

Haven't read the book in awhile? Spend less than seven minutes listening to this song written and performed by Woody Guthrie. One of our fabulous Facebook friends posted it with a little background: "This is the original "Tom Joad" recording by Woody Guthrie, written overnight after he saw John Ford's film version ... John Steinbeck said that Woody told the story better in the song's verses than Steinbeck had in his 500+ page novel ..."




So yes, not only can you adapt the novel to a 2.5 hour play, it can also be adapted into a 7 minute ballad! 

(And we note that Woody Guthrie also left out the part about the turtle...)

The Grapes of Wrath: Creating the Scene

The truck before moving to its new home at ACT.

This 1923 International Harvestor was purchased specifically for The Grapes of Wrath. Scenic Designer Rob Bowen shares how he found it, why he bought it, and how it will be used onstage:

RB: I was searching for a way to do the truck because how the truck looked would influence the rest of the set design. My research showed many creative ways to create the truck, which is truly a character in the first act. The problem with many of the truck solutions is that they take us out of the world of the play and increased the aesthetic distance instead of bridging it. I felt that if we got something that was reasonable looking, it would allow us to use minimal scenery with props to create the rest of the world, whereas if used a facsimile of a truck, the audience would be pulled out of this minimal setting world by this represented image. I struggled with this problem and how to solve it. Then it hit me as I was driving to the university one day: I pass by this truck on the side of the road everyday and it has been there for a long time. What if we bought it and converted it? I took pictures and approached Jill [Summers, Technical Director] and asked her to meet me at it to look and see what she thought about it. She was enthusiastic so I called a number on a tow truck next to it and that person gave me the number of the owner and I talked with him. It turned out he lives about a half a mile from me.

The more I have learned about this lady of a truck, the more it has grown fonder with me. I was surprised to learn that the rusty engine still works, that it started its career in Oregon in 1923, and that it never was fast - it was made to haul heavy loads. It spent the early 50s until recently with its second owner in Wyoming and then recently came to Asheville. This truck has only had 3 owners with ACT being the 4th.

The truck makes its stage debut in a publicity photo shoot.

ACT: How will it be used onstage?
RB: It will be handled by the cast onstage using a caster system. The truck will interact with the actors on stage and help them make the journey from Oklahoma to California. They will ride in it, they will swing it around. We will see it from the front, the side, the back - as I mentioned earlier, it is a character. It anchors the location and allows us to use lights and platforming to create the world in the mind of the audience.

ACT: What will happen to the truck after the show closes?
RB: We have several options for the truck after the play. I think one reason the play is not performed as often as it could be is that the truck is a major issue and there is no place to rent it. If we could find a place to store it and advertise it, we might be able to make up cost and overhead through rentals. Otherwise, we probably will just disassemble it and see if we can sell it through car restoration sites.

This has been a great collaboration with Jill and the staff of ACT. They are the ones that are going to make this happen.

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Would your theatre like to own this truck for your production needs? Contact Technical Director Jill Summers with inquiries.

Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother"

Dorothea Lange's 1936 photo, Migrant Mother

Along with Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath, the photography of Dorothea Lange brought the plight of the migrant workers to the attention of the American public. Lange was hired by the FSA (Farm Security Administration), which was created as a part of the New Deal, to document the lives of struggling farmers. Her photos gave faces to the disastrous impact that the Great Depression had on American families, and in turn, they helped the American public to understand why government assistance and changes in policy was so desperately needed.

Florence Owens Thompson, the woman featured in Lange's 1936 photo Migrant Mother, recorded a short audio interview about her life before the photo was taken, what happened the day the photo was taken, and a little about her life after the end of the Depression. The strength in her voice, the matter-of-fact-ness about how hard she worked - this is exactly what Steinbeck sought to capture in his novel.  Her story, like so many others, is the story of The Grapes of Wrath.

The power of the arts - visual, literary, or performing - to help explain how others live, to illuminate what might drive a person to behave in a certain way, to humanize a concept has always been a core component of our society. And though The Grapes of Wrath takes place in 1938, it has an undeniable relevancy to 1973, to 1980, to 2007, and to 2013.

Dwarf Star: A Staged Reading on the Mainstage

What would you do for love?  What would you do for money?  What does love of money do to you?  Dwarf Star, inspired by the recent economic meltdown, is a dark comedy about buried passions, hidden crimes and huge money, written by Patricia Green, an Emmy winner for Cagney and Lacey and L.A. Law, who also adapted and produced Catherine Marshall’s Christy for television.

Please join us April 17^th at 8:00 pm for a reading of Dwarf Star on the Mainstage with a stellar local cast (Maggie Marshall, AK Benninghofen, Jeff Benninghofen, Tiffany Cade, and Jaclyn Helms), directed by ACT favorite Michael Lilly, and the Q and A to follow.  This will be the first time Dwarf Star is read to a live audience, a crucial step in the creative process.  

Tickets are free for this event, but reservations are strongly encouraged.  To confirm your tickets, call the ACT Box Office at 828-254-1320 and come help us give birth to a new play!

The Grapes of Wrath: Discussion Guide

Our brand new Discussion Guide for The Grapes of Wrath has hit the stands! A number of local book clubs are reading the novel in advance, then joining us for a performance - and they're also receiving commemorative book marks. If your book club would like to be a part of our "From Page to Stage" program, please contact us at ACTbookclub@gmail.com.

And if you're not in a book club, we encourage you to read the novel, look through the Discussion Guide, and attend the talk back performance on Sunday, April 14, 2014! Or, join us at Avenue M on Merrimon Ave. on Sunday, April 21 at 11:30 am for a pre-show brunch.

Cast List for "The Grapes of Wrath"

We were absolutely thrilled with the turnout for auditions and we're excited to welcome this cast of both ACT newcomers and veterans into the building! Here's the cast list for The Grapes of Wrath:

Casy - McRae Hilliard
Tom - Jason Williams
Pa - Jim Weyhenmeyer
Ma - Teresa Darakjy
Granma - Shirley Cohen
Granpa - Mike Vaniman
Noah - Ehsan Akhavi
Ruthie - Audrey Arthur
Uncle John - Steven Turner
Winfield - Aidan Short
Rose of Sharon - Rachel Adams
Connie - Kai Hamilton
Al - Miles Rice

Ensemble: Gary Gaines, Cam Smail, Bruce Gruber, Jerry Williford, Michael Boulos, Elijah Short, Jenni Short, J.D. Short, Katy Heimlich, Ashleigh Millett, Melissa Glaze, Cade Wooten

Backstage at BARK!

Totally goofy - but we had a lot of fun making this!

Backstage at BARK! from Asheville Community Theatre on Vimeo.

Catch the show this weekend!

BARK! Preview

Last week, the cast of BARK! gave a short preview performance of four songs from the show for an appreciative audience at the home of the composer, David Troy Francis. In those four songs, they covered some of the greatest moments in a dog's day: when the owner returns home, when the whole yard is available for the marking of the territory, and when the sirens wail (and the opportunity to harmonize presents itself).

When your dog howls along to a siren, this is what it really sounds like:



Sigh. Dogs are awesome. (So are musicals about dogs...)