Collecting the World Premiere plays from the first decade of The Williamston Theatre, this anthology celebrates life in the American Midwest. Over the course of its first 10 seasons, Williamston Theatre produced 60 plays, 14 of which were home-grown premieres. Included in Volume One are the first 7 of those plays, including the critically acclaimed "Voices From The Midwest Trilogy". Plays included are: FLAP by Annie Martin, MAIDENS, MOTHERS, AND CRONES by Annie Martin and Suzi Regan, FLYOVER, U.S.A. by Dennis North and Joseph Zettelmaier, HOME by Annie Martin and Suzi Regan, IT CAME FROM MARS by Joseph Zettelmaier, NORTHERN AGGRESSION (formerly titled AND THE CREEK DON'T RISE) by Joseph Zettelmaier, and OEDIPUS by Sophocles, adapted by Tony Caselli and Annie Martin. FLAP "Playwright pens hilarious romp: Bat attack, motherhood inspires Michigan writer" - The Noise "...filled with one delightful twist after another... A fun and funny conclusion to Williamston Theatre's first season..." Between The Lines "...wildly funny farce." Lansing State Journal MAIDENS, MOTHERS AND CRONES "Martin and Regan (the latter also serves as director) have created a striking work with a true relevance for women all over our nation, and also for the men in their lives." EncoreMichigan. "This anthemic extravaganza of American womanhood must be seen to be believed." Lansing City Pulse. FLYOVER, U.S.A. "Flyover is a rich array of thoughtful, colorful stories about fathers and their sons, grandfathers and their garages and men and their tools, cars and campfires of years past... most importantly, there is also a tender vulnerability, evoking held-back tears and a sense of what many boys give up to support families and become men." Lansing City Pulse OEDIPUS "Passionate Oedipus succeeds in simplicity" EncoreMichigan.com "Tony Caselli and Annie Martin's adaptation approaches the investigation with desperate severity and an appreciation for the agonies of discovery." The Rogue Critic "The writing is crisp and contemporary (but not too contemporary), and they succeed in making this 2,500-year-old epic tale as personal and accessible as it can be." Lansing City Pulse IT CAME FROM MARS "Laugh-out-loud comedy" The Oakland Press "Attacks the funny bone! Lansing City Pulse AND THE CREEK DON'T RISE "Delightfully daft CREEK will make you shriek with laughter" - Lansing City Pulse "The beauty of Joseph Zettelmaier's And the Creek Don't Rise lies somewhere in its wonderful simplicity. The playwright's fish-out-of-water premise and intricate trio of relationships touches on a kind of real-world uncertainty, giving warmth as well as benign enmity to a skirmish between neighbors." The Rogue Critic HOME "Elements of comedy and drama complement each other well, and the success of this script is in making both feel equally vital to the work." The Rogue Critic "Heart-felt...Heart-wrenching...Poignant. I lost count of the total of stories after the 10th one, not because they were decreasingly interesting, but rather because they became more compelling, more expansive in characterizing the breadth and depth of families." - Lansing State Journal
Author Biography:
Tony Caselli is the Artistic Director of the Williamston Theatre, and has been honored to direct over 50 professional productions at wonderful places including the Williamston Theatre, Meadow Brook Theatre, Tipping Point Theatre, Performance Network Theatre, Gem Theatre, City Theatre, Purple Rose Theatre Company, Urban Stages in Manhattan, Studio Arena Theatre and the Jewish Ensemble Theatre. Other notable credits include serving as Associate Artistic Director for The Purple Rose Theatre Company, and directing the world premiere of Mitch Albom's play Ernie, at the City Theatre in Detroit. A member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, Tony has been named Best Director for various productions by the Lansing State Journal, Detroit Free Press, Ann Arbor News and Encore Michigan. Annie Martin has had numerous plays professionally produced and read across the state, including a co-adaptation of Oedipus, Home: Voices from Families of the Midwest, Maidens, Mothers, and Crones: Voices from Women of the Midwest, and Flap at Williamston Theatre; and Completing Dahlia at the Purple Rose Theatre. Awards have included a Thespie and Pulsar award for best original script, Maidens, Mothers, and Crones and 2011 Wilde Award for Best Drama fo Oedipus. When not writing plays, she works as a senior acquisitions editor at a university press. Suzi Regan has worked at the Williamston Theatre as an actor or director for their productions of Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune, While They Were Bowling, Home: Voices from Families of the Midwest, Maidens, Mothers, and Crones: Voices from Women of the Midwest, Panache, Music from a Sparkling Planet and The Blue Door. Other acting and directing credits from other theatres include: Good People, The God of Carnage, Time Stands Still, The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead, The Vibrator Play, Vino Veritas, Book of Days and Rain Dance.
