LTG

Interview with Harry Towne

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 11:47:51 -0600

The following is from a publicity release prepared by Steve Harrington — thanks Steve!

One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the play, adapted from the book made famous by Jack Nicholson’s memorable performance in the movie, opens next month. Presented by the Little Theatre Group, Cuckoo’s Nest is directed by long-time resident of Costa Rica, Harry Towne.

In a recent interview, Harry talked about how a common literary theme is the circular nature of life and added, “The performance of this play certainly reinforces this cyclical pattern of life. Twenty-five years ago I directed 12 Angry Men and acted in One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Last year I acted in 12 Angry Men and am now directing One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

“I have been wanting to direct Cuckoo’s Nest for years, but the timing has not been right. Now it is, from several perspectives. For me, there are themes addressed by this play that have become more pertinent than they were in the ’60s, when the story takes place.

“In the ’60s, many of the themes were underground but are now surfacing. The experiments in brainwashing, electroshock therapy, sensory deprivation and psychological torture conducted at McGill University (among others) were institutionalized by the CIA, only to be exposed in the on-going “war on terror” 40 years later.

“But, there was another institution rising to the surface, pushed by the military-industrial complex warned about by President Eisenhower. The “Corporate Man” emerged from the depths, with a “right-thinking mind“ to lead the corporation. When the “blank slate” right-thinking worker was inscribed by the corporate Combine, this worker always made the right decision for the corporation without having to be told to do so. If the slate was not blank, there were garbled messages and, as Cool Hand Luke was told, “we have a failure of communication here.”

“Today, of course, the corporation is trans-national, but the operating principals are the same and the prize is much greater. I think the audience will enjoy this titanic struggle between the corporation and the individual, between (from my perspective) good and evil.”

One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest runs May 15^th to June 8^th at the Laurence Olivier Theatre, (next to Sala Garbo) on Ave. 2, Calle 28. Parking lots are across the street.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays and at 2:30 p.m., Sundays.

For reservations, call 8355-1623 or visit www.littlehteatregroup.org
—Stephen Harrington
—publtg@gmail.com

At February 2,2009 Open House. We took time out to cheer for...

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:57:36 -0600

At February 2,2009 Open House.

We took time out to cheer for Bob & Dorothy Allison last night.

They are 2 very talented people that had to return to Florida for medical reasons.

LTG misses you both and must not forget the “scotties”.

Some Notes by Dorothy about “Freedom Comedy Night”:
The Director, encouraged by the quality of LTG’s talent, took “the show through several metamorphoses to become what it is—hopefully an annual event of humor aimed at adults to celebrate the U.S. Independence Day.’ Mrs. Allison also added, ‘I would like to say how grateful I am that the government and people of Costa Rica share the same principles and philosophies regarding freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom from censorship, and I wish to thank them for allowing us this forum to express our views.’

Notes about “Nunsense” the first musical that LTG has presented in a long time:

Dorothy Allison (Director) I’ve been involved in community theatre since the early 1980’s beginning with The Octorian Theatre Company in Frederick, Maryland. Have done everything backstage, from running crew, to props, lights, sound and stage managing and now Director. Have performed in The Bad Seed, Applause, Born Yesterday, Antigone, Exit the Body, Not Now Darling, Madwoman of Chaillot and some others I don’t remember. Have served on the Boards of Directors for The Octorian Theatre Company, and Daytona Playhouse, and The Key West Players, Fla. In real life, worked as an accountant for over 20 years and served as Comptroller and/or Chief Financial Officer for various firms in the States. Also have a marketing/PR background and lots of writing experience. Love theatre and everything associated with it — especially the people!

Bob Allison (Musical Director) also first became involved in theatre with The Octorian Theatre Company in Frederick singing in the pit chorus for their production of Sweeny Todd. He has also run lights and sound and has extensive stage experience, appearing in Company, Born Yesterday, The Butler Did It, Exit the Body, Applause, Twelve Angry Men, Kiss Me, Kate (lead) and The Sound of Music (lead). Besides his stage experience, he has sung professionally with a group, The Questers, who performed in the Washington, D.C. area. He studied classical guitar at American University and has also sung with the Frederick Chorale in Frederick, Md. and the Bel Canto Singers in Daytona Beach, Fla. Retired now, in his past life he was a project manager/ estimator for several large construction firms in the States.

Welcome!

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 21:55:00 -0600

This “blog page” is the brainchild of Steve Harrington, a dedicated member of the Little Theatre Group and our publicity guru. His intent is to make frequent short posts about what’s happening in the LTG.

There will also be posts by other LTG activists!

Don’t forget to explore the Little Theatre Group’s web site. For example, click on the “What’s Happening?” tab and then visit the “News” page to see what plays or other events are upcoming or the “Calendar” page if you want to see if anything is happening a particular day, week or month.