Orphan Train: An American Melodrama offers a slice-of-life look at the happiness and hardships endured by farming families during the alter 1920's. Set in the fictional small town of Serendipity, Kansas, the future happiness of these Americans is threatened by the economic and ecological events about to sweep the country prior to the Great Depression.

The MacCleary family is forced to face these challenges; however, their faith and individual beliefs are challenged along the way. At the same time, one of the final trainloads of orphan children from New York, under the unscrupulous care of Mr. and Mrs. Leech, is destined to arrive in Serendipity, KS. The crossing of paths between the MacCleary family and the Leeches results in a classic melodrama struggle of good versus evil.

Under the direction of Guy Sanville, the cast of Orphan Train: An American Melodrama was lead by John Lepard and Inga Wilson as Ty and Nettie MacCleary, with Jim Porterfield and Michelle Mountain portraying Mr. and Mrs. Leech. The remainder of the Orphan Train ensemble of 24 performers, the largest cast ever assembled by The Purple Rose Theatre Company, includes Tonya Beckman, Rhonda Freya English, Theodore Eyster, Jessica Foley, Mila Govich, Tobin Hissong, Paul Hopper, Pamela Lehman, Gary McKenzie, Jeffery Nash, Shirley Perich, Christine Purchis, Maggie Smith, Tracy L. Spada, Kenneth Gerald Sutton, Lynch R. Travis, Aaron Toronto, Beth Watson, Tom Whalen and Will Young.

Orphan Train: An American Melodrama was written by Michigan playwright Dennis E. North and was commissioned by the PRTC in 1997 under the Playmaker Playwrights program.

Photos by Danna Segrest