January 8, 2016
Jonathan Woods
"Miles"
The Drawer Boy

As far as Theatre Geeks go, I’m a big one. Huge. Giant. Theatre is to me what Hogwarts is to Harry Potter (I am also a nerd, but that’s another blog for another time …). I majored in Theatre in college; I ate it, slept it and breathed it. It was common knowledge that Jonathan wasn’t free on a Friday night because he had rehearsal. 

So why do I love Theatre so much? I think, at the core of it all, I love the transforming power of Theatre. There’s something very special about an art that not only entertains but educates, makes you question, makes you think. The power of telling a story, watching it unfold and making an emotional connection with your audience is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s like extreme sports for geeks and I’m hooked.

That’s probably why I found myself so intrigued with the script for The Drawer Boy, the latest production from Market House and one that I have the pleasure of being involved with. . I wasn’t even planning on auditioning but a friend of mine (Diane Byrd, who was directing me in my very first MHT production, Dangerous Obsession) loaned me a copy. I read it in a single sitting and after I finished, I immediately flipped back to the beginning and re-read it just to make sure that I had actually read what I thought I had just read. In short, it was one of the best plays I’d ever cracked open. I think I read it another ten or eleven times before auditioning. 

I play the role of Miles, a young actor who finds himself right in the middle of a lifelong friendship between two farmers in the summer of 1972. In Canada, no less. (The play itself is Canadian and written by Michael Healy, also Canadian … are you beginning to see a trend here? I find it thrilling. The Canadians gave us Bryan Adams, Celine Dion and this amazing play. It almost makes up for them giving us Justin Bieber …) Miles is there to learn about farming so that he and his actor friends can put on a play about farmers called “The Farm Show”. In the process, he also learns a personal story between the two farmers, Angus and Morgan, about two young friends who go off to war together and come back changed, albeit in different ways. One of the boys, who drew pictures when they were younger, comes back with a head injury and a very bad memory. The surprise isn’t that the boys in the story are Angus and Morgan. Miles (and the audience) finds that out early on. The real surprise comes when Miles begins to re-enact the stories that he’s been told and that he’s overheard, only to find that Angus and his memory react in a bizarre way to the story he sees … mainly that it jogs his memory. And the stories that Miles has been fed aren’t as fact based as he’s been led to believe. 

It sounds like a drama. It is. It’s also funny, moving, suspenseful and even a little brave. It’s a small story told on an epic scale, one that thrives on characters and the interactions between them. And that’s one other reason that I love Theatre – character. And The Drawer Boy has that in spades.

One bit of trivia before I go … “The Farm Show” is real, as is Miles. Google it. Groovy stuff. 

See you at the Theatre.

- Jonathan

(Upper right photo: Angus, played by Chuck Wilkins, struggles with a painful memory, as Miles, played by Jonathan Woods, looks on. Lower right photo: Miles (Jonathan Woods) watches as Angus (Chuck Wilkins) and Morgan (Tom Dolan) discuss his presence on the farm.)

January 7, 2016
Tom Dolan
"Morgan"
The Drawer Boy

 

I’ve been involved with Market House Theater for over 25 years and have played a large variety of roles- mostly in comedies and musicals.  Every now and then, a show comes along that stretches my abilities as an actor.  “The Drawer Boy” is one of those.  I have always found it easy to do comedy because of my personality and sense of humor.  Dramatic roles don’t always come quite as easily, but I enjoy the challenge each role brings.  I’ve had several dramatic roles that have been both a challenge and a great reward, including roles in “Tuesdays with Morrie” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.”  I hope my portrayal of Morgan in this show will be just as rewarding, and that audiences will appreciate what I bring to the role.

When I first read “The Drawer Boy”, I was immediately taken with the story- two friends who go through life together and deal with many obstacles along the way.  They experience the trauma of war, they find and lose love, they deal with trying to make a living as farmers, and they only have each other through it all.  

The theme of friendship and memories is very strong.  Morgan is the one who takes care of things, runs the farm, and has to make sure Angus is OK.  As the story unfolds, we find out so much about their relationship.  They made sacrifices for each other and carried each other through the various parts of their lives.  

After Angus is injured in the war, it’s Morgan who takes care of him.  In order to do that, he has to remind Angus of certain things in their lives.  He tells him stories about their lives.  We soon find out that maybe all he tells him isn’t necessarily true.  But he does so to protect his friend, and in a way, to protect himself, from what the truth holds.  Sometimes it’s easier to mask the past by creating a new past, and that is what Morgan does. 

When this “story” gets disrupted by a newcomer, their world turns a little upside down.  They have been together, just the two of them, for a long time.  They’re content and comfortable, and then that gets shattered as Angus begins to remember certain things that don’t match Morgan’s story.

This is so very well written, and the writer has created these very complex characters that have so many layers to them.  It is very challenging to be able to find those layers and portray them with strong conviction.  Working with Chuck Wilkins (we’ve done several shows together over the years) has made that a bit easier.  Chuck and I have a great stage relationship.  We know what each of us brings to this show and we know we can count on each other to give it our best.  Working with a newcomer, like Jonathan Woods, is always a challenge.   It’s a process to get to know another actor through the roles you play, and he does a very nice job with Miles.  The three of us are having a good time with this show, and I think that will be evident to audiences as they watch the story unfold.  Michael can always get us to delve a little deeper into what the character is and has to offer. 

I really think audiences will enjoy this show.  It has some lighthearted moments as Miles tries to learn about farming, but then also has the heavy-hitting dramatic scenes that will evoke a lot of emotion.

Friendship, memories, the past, the present, the future.  “The Drawer Boy” has it all.  Hope to see you at MHT!

January 6, 2016
Chuck Wilkins
"Angus"
The Drawer Boy

In all the many years I have been involved with Market House Theatre, I have to say that I feel the most comfortable on stage when doing a comedy. There’s something about hearing the laughter of the audience that makes all the rehearsals worth every single hour!

The Drawer Boy is a play that I thought would be definitely outside of my comfort zone. I play the part of Angus in this show with just three actors. My best friend, Morgan, and I live on a farm where he takes care of the farm and I take care of the books for the farm, do the cooking and bake bread. Morgan and I have grown up together and lived life together. What makes Angus different is that due to his injury in the war, he can’t remember from one minute to the next.

We all have friends that we feel close to and probably would do anything for them. The bond of friendship that Angus and Morgan share goes beyond the normal realm of friendship. The short term memory loss of Angus and how Morgan handles it is something that has hit home with me. My dad suffered with Alzheimer’s before he passed away in 2012. His loss of memory was so hard to witness because in my mind, I was thinking this man isn’t my dad. All the memories I had of him were good memories. But this man didn’t even recognize me, his own son.

I believe every one of us know or have known an Angus. Yes, you may chuckle from time to time during The Drawer Boy or you may even shed a tear or two. But I honestly feel that you will leave the theatre with that warm, fuzzy feeling that only a true, heartfelt friendship can give you.

(Middle and lower right photos: Chuck in rehearsal for The Drawer Boy, and with Jonathan Woods—who played Miles, the actor/writer who comes to live on the farm with the two friends in order to write a play about farming and farm life.)