By Neil Simon
Directed by Jennifer Brown & Rachel Faidley
Benefactor, patron, season and general admission tickets will go on sale September 1, and are $15.00 for adults and $10.00 for youth.
The box office is staffed on weekdays, starting September 1, from 12:00 - 1:00 PM and 6:30 - 7:30 PM, and one hour before each performance. For reservations, call our Box Office at 641-792-1230.
You are welcome to leave a message with your ticket request and phone number and the staff will reserve your tickets and call you back with confirmation.
Part one of Neil Simon’s autobiographical trilogy: a portrait of the writer as a young teen in 1937 living with his family in a crowded, lower middle-class Brooklyn walk-up. Eugene Jerome, standing in for the author, is the narrator and central character. Dreaming of baseball and girls, Eugene must cope with the mundane existence of his family life in Brooklyn: formidable mother, overworked father, and his worldly older brother Stanley. Throw into the mix his widowed Aunt Blanche, and her two young (but rapidly aging) daughters and you have a recipe for hilarity, served up Simon-style. This bittersweet memoir evocatively captures the life of a struggling Jewish household where, as his father states, “If you didn’t have a problem, you wouldn’t be living here.”
| Roles | Descriptions |
|---|---|
| Eugene Jerome | A fourteen-year-old student, Jack and Kate’s son, and Stanley’s brother. Eugene is at the center of the play, observing and taking part in the action and commenting directly to the audience about what’s going on and what’s already happened. Eugene dreams of becoming either a writer or a baseball player, and he often spins out elaborate fantasies of himself in these roles. Eugene is going through puberty and thinks about girls frequently, particularly his cousin Nora. He learns about growing up, including the changes in his body, from Stanley, whom he idolizes. |
| Stanley Jerome | An eighteen-year-old young man, Jack and Kate’s son, and Eugene’s brother. Stanley went to work straight after high school to help support his family. He tries to live by the principles of fairness and risks his job standing up for a fellow employee. Stanley also is his brother’s confidante for issues and questions surrounding sexuality. He believes he has let his family down when he loses his salary, but by the end of the play, Stanley comes to realize that he can’t run away from his problems and needs to stick with his family. |
| Kate Jerome | A middle-aged housewife, Jack’s wife, Blanche’s sister, and Eugene and Stanley’s mother. Kate has spent her entire life taking care of others – first her parents, and now her husband and kids, as well as her sister’s family. Kate manages the household on little money but lets her husband Jack make the important decisions for the family. While Jack recovers from a heart attack, however, she proves herself capable of handling problems on her own. Kate feels like she has given up things in her own life for those she loves but she has repressed this anger for decades. |
| Blanche Morton | An unemployed widow, Kate’s sister, and Nora and Laurie’s mother. Blanche has been widowed for six years, and after her husband left her with no money, she was forced to depend upon Kate and Jack’s charity for the support of her and her daughters. Blanche is unable to get a job due to her poor eyesight and asthma, but she takes in sewing at home to help pay for Nora’s dance lessons. Blanche has never truly been independent but realizes that she needs to learn to take care of herself and her daughters. |
| Nora Morton | A sixteen-year-old high school student, Blanche’s daughter, and Laurie’s sister. Nora has spent many years studying dance and wants to be a performer on stage. She feels angry when her mother Blanche follows Jack’s advice not to let her audition for a Broadway musical. Nora resents her mother’s inability to make the decision on her own or let her be part of the process, and she longs for more independence. Nora misses her father and feels like her mother neither pays attention to her nor shows her love. |
| Jack Jerome | A middle-aged working man, Kate’s husband, and Eugene and Stanley’s father. Jack is a responsible family man, holding down two jobs so he can support his own family and his sister-in-law’s family. His hard work makes him look older than his years and he suffers a minor heart attack that forces him to take several weeks off work. Everyone in the household turns to Jack to make the important decisions. Aside from his own family’s problems, Jack worries about the rise of Hitler in Europe and how it will impact his Jewish relatives. He believes war is imminent. |
| Laurie Morton | A thirteen-year-old student, Blanche’s daughter, and Nora’s sister. Laurie has been diagnosed with a weak heart, so her mother believes she is fragile and keeps her in the house. Laurie uses her weak heart to get out of chores. She has few responsibilities to the household and no friends. Laurie spends her time reading and studying. She has few memories of her father. |
Who's Who in the Cast and Crew
| Role | Actor |
|---|---|
| Eugene Jerome | TBD |
| Stanley Jerome | TBD |
| Kate Jerome | TBD |
| Blanche Morton | TBD |
| Nora Morton | TBD |
| Jack Jerome | TBD |
| Laurie Morton | TBD |
| Stage Manager | TBD |
| Stage Crew | TBD |
| Props | TBD |
| Lights | TBD |
| Sound | TBD |
| Set Design / Construction |
TBD |
| Costumes | TBD |
| Makeup / Hair | TBD |
Approach
Our goal and our passion has been to work hard, entertain our fans, and just plain have fun. We are excited to be performing weekly and hope to see you soon at a show – take a look at our calendar, or just drop us a line.