ESCANABA IN DA MOONLIGHT

A Comedy by Jeff Daniels

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011 – DECEMBER 31, 2011

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the woods, the Michigan classic, Escanaba In Da Moonlight, returns to its original home on the Purple Rose stage. As the Soady clan gathers at the family deer camp, Reuben Soady is hoping to get his shot and shed the mantle of “the buckless yooper.” But as opening day of deer season approaches, a series of weird occurrences and crazy locals seem to prevent him from bagging his buck. One thing is sure, this hilarious hunting trip will be one for the Soady history books!
Directed by Guy Sanville

CAST:

  • Matthew David
  • Nate Mitchell
  • Michael Brian Ogden
  • Wayne David Parker
  • Jim Porter-field
  • Rhiannon Ragland
  • Set Designer: Dennis G. Crawley
  • Properties Designer: Danna Segrest
  • Costume Designer: Suzanne Young
  • Lighting Designer: Dana White
  • Sound Designer: Quintessa Gallinat
  • Stage Manager: Gregory Butka

PRESS QUOTES

“You don’t have to be a Yooper, or even a Michigander, to enjoy the fun Daniels pokes at both north and south. It’s all tempered with a sort of good humor and love for custom and legend that’s awfully appealing.”

– AnnArbor.Com

“…some of the best situational and visual comedy I’ve ever seen in a live theater setting.”

– Heritage Media

“It’s a rare treat to see a play back in the place where it all began. In one fell swoop, The Purple Rose Theatre Company has put both Escanaba AND Chelsea on the map.”

– Encore Michigan

“Physical comedy. Clever dialogue. And a dash of the supernatural…What’s not to love?”

– Detroit Theatre Examiner

A STONE CARVER

by William Mastrosimone

JANUARY 19, 2012 – MARCH 10, 2012

A Stone Carver tells the story of a retired stonemason who clings to the past, and his son who refuses to look back. When Agostino, a seventh-generation stone carver is evicted from his home to make space for a highway he barricades himself in his house, determined to outlast the bulldozers. In a last-ditch effort to save his father from jail, Raff, Agostino’s only son, arrives at the house with his new fiancée. A battle of wills ensues, putting their already-rocky relationship to the test. Can Raff convince his father to move forward before it’s too late?

Directed by Rhiannon Ragland

CAST:

  • Matthew David
  • Guy Sanville
  • Charlyn Swarthout
  • Set Designer: Daniel C. Walker
  • Properties Designer: Danna Segrest
  • Costume Designer: Shelby Newport
  • Lighting Designer: Dana White
  • Sound Designer: Quintessa Gallinat
  • Stage Manager: Stephanie Buck & Gregory Butka

PRESS QUOTES

“…one of the best and most memorable plays I’ve experienced so far this season.”

– EncoreMichigan.com

“…a tight, compelling show without wasted motion or indulgent sentimentality…”

– Detroit Theater Examiner

“…with ‘Stone Carver,” the Rose is offering what may well be its strongest, most thoroughly satisfying production since its multiple-award-winning take on William Inge’s ‘Bus Stop’ in 2005…”

– AnnArbor.com

“It takes a singer with a great voice to bring out the complexities of a well-composed opera. Likewise, it takes an actor with great range to project the nuances of a well-written script. Behold the pairing in “A Stone Carver,” by epic-writer William Mastrosimone, which demonstrates the talents of Purple Rose Theater’s artistic director, Guy Sanville. It’s a marriage of mind and heart made in, if not heaven, at least close to Sicily.”

– Lansing City Pulse

WHITE BUFFALO

a World Premiere by Don Zolidis

MARCH 29, 2012 – JUNE 2, 2012

Winner: 2004 Princess Grace Award for Playwriting & 2011 Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award
When Carol Gelling discovers that a buffalo born on her farm is pure white, she thinks it’s nothing more than a curiosity. She soon learns that the birth of the white buffalo fulfills an ancient Sioux prophecy — the coming of peace on earth and unity of mankind. Almost overnight, her small farm becomes a hotbed of spiritual outpouring — from Native American pilgrims to the Dalai Lama. When a mysterious businessman offers to buy the calf, Carol must decide whether the white buffalo signals the end of her financial hardships or the beginning of her own spiritual enrichment. This award-winning new play weaves a magical story of forgiveness, hope, and belonging.
Directed by Guy Sanville

CAST:

  • Gregory Butka
  • David Daoust
  • Matthew David
  • Rainbow Dickerson
  • Stacie Hadgikosti
  • Alex Leydenfrost
  • Nate Mitchell
  • Michelle Mountain
  • Michael Brian Ogden
  • Meghan Thompson
  • Set Designer: Vincent Mountain
  • Properties Designer: Danna Segrest
  • Costume Designer: Christianne Myers
  • Lighting Designer: Daniel C. Walker
  • Sound Designer: Quintessa Gallinat
  • Stage Manager: Stephanie Buck

PRESS QUOTES

“This is an amazing production — satisfying on every level imaginable, while never stooping to cheap emotional appeals. White Buffalo is funny and spiritually uplifting. It is heartbreaking and healing. It is weird and wonderful. You really need to see it.”

– Detroit Theater Examiner

“Zolidis is a titanic talent when it comes to writing dialogue and monologue for his characters…White Buffalo is so chock-full of loving attention to detail and genuineness at nearly every level that it’s impossible to dislike the experience…a tapestry of rich detail and well-balanced storytelling…”

– Heritage.com

ON GOLDEN POND

An American Classic by Ernest Thompson

JUNE 21, 2012 – SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

This charming love story follows Ethel and Norman Thayer as they return to their summer home in Maine. Their respite is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of their estranged daughter, her fiancé, and his teenage son. Over the course of the summer, an unlikely friendship develops between Norman and the boy, which sparks a renewed zest for life in the Thayer family. In the twilight years of marriage, Ethel and Norman rediscover the joy and romance of every day living.

Directed by Michelle Mountain

CAST:

  • Ian Bejster
  • David Daoust
  • Richard Henzel
  • John Peakes
  • Jan Radcliff
  • Rhiannon Ragland
  • Milo Tucker-Meyer
  • Tom Whalen
  • Set Designer: Bartley H. Bauer
  • Properties Designer: Danna Segrest
  • Costume Designer: Christianne Myers
  • Lighting Designer: Reid G. Johnson
  • Sound Designer: Tom Whalen
  • Stage Manager: Stephanie Buck

PRESS QUOTES

“…a healthy dose of life, love and nostalgia…”

– EncoreMichigan.com

“…this production of On Golden Pond is evocative of the essential summer vacation pleasures: it’s refreshing, it’s spiritually healing, and it offers a brief respite from our clamorous, everyday lives. Good summer vacations help us distinguish between things that are truly important and those that are merely urgent. This play has that same grounding effect.”

– Detroit Theatre Examiner

“…a flawless production that upholds the highest standards…Purple Rose’s On Golden Pond is a wonderful treat for Southeast Michigan theatergoers.”

– New Monitor

“…top-notch talent both on stage and behind the scenes.”

– AnnArbor.com

“…the story still has the capacity to make us laugh, recognize our own imperfect families, tear up, and yet leave the theater feeling good. This is not just a story of growing old but a reflection of what it takes to love one another. Below the one-liners and clever jokes is a universally moving acceptance and affirmation of life.”

– Jackson Citizen Patriot