This weekend I’ll be playing Lawrence “Guts” Regan and Wendy will be playing Roberta Van Rensselaer (a.k.a Ruby O’Toole) in Union Street Players production of Ayn Rand’s “Night of January 16th.”
Experience the sensational courtroom trial as a jury of audience members decides the verdict at each performance.
Thu @ 7:00 p.m.
Fri @ 7:00 p.m.
Sat @ 7:00 p.m.
Sun @ 2:00 p.m.
Tickets:
$8 in advance
$10 at the door
Pella Community Ctr.
712 Union Street
Pella, Iowa
Tickets can be purchased on-line at the Union Street Players website or you can call the USP box office at:
641.230.1172
Me (center) as "Guts" Regan chatting at the party with ADA Flint (Doug DeWolf) and Police Detective Elmer Sweeney (Mark Schaeffer).
Wendy and I are currently rehearsing for Union Street Players’ production of Night of January 16th penned by acclaimed author Ayn Rand (Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead). It’s a Law & Order-esque courtroom drama about a sensational New York City trial in the mid-1930s. A Donald Trump type business mogul with no scruples and many enemies is found dead. His secretary and jilted lover is accused of the murder. The fun thing about the play is that the jury is seated with 12 members of the audience and they decide the ending of the play with their verdict.
Because it is a courtroom drama, most of the characters in the play do not interact with one another on stage. So, to have a little fun the show’s director threw a party on Friday night. Each of us were to dress for the party as our characters might dress in today’s fashion. For the first hour or two of the party, we interacted with one another in character and mingled, trying to learn more about each other. After a while the director called us together to take a little quiz with prizes going to those who could identify certain facts about the most characters.
Wendy as terpsichorean Roberta Van Rensselaar.
It was a fun evening. Wendy plays an exotic dancer and I play an Irish gangster and crime boss. We had a fun time hanging out and chatting with our fellow cast and crew members, both in character and as ourselves.
The show is Thursday, March 29th through Sunday April 1st. Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.unionstreetplayers.com.
I’ve had people asking me what’s next for Wendy and me with regard to our humble theatrical activities. Next up for Union Street Players is a fun little courtroom drama by famed writer Ayn Rand. It’s a murder trial whodunnit set in the 1920s. The murder victim was a Bernie Madoff type swindler. What’s cool about her Night of January 16th is that 12 members of the audience get to be the jury. Depending on how the jury decides, there are two different endings to the play.
Wendy and I both have minor roles, but I’m looking forward to playing Irish mobster “Guts” Regan. Aside from being on stage I’m also producing the show while Wendy handles the box office (you gotta love community theatre!). Rehearsals will start this week. Performances are March 29 – April 1.
