Most of these strangers end up at Ida’s boarding house, which becomes the center of their lives, and of this play. It is 1942: still suffering the lingering effects of the Great Depression, America has just entered a world war, and the country’s future is uncertain.
As these characters confront the fire outside that they have in common, they each must face the fires within them. Among the fire’s revelations is that not everyone is what they seem.
The Fire-Bringer is a new play by Judy GeBauer, presented as a staged reading for one weekend only, Thursday through Saturday, September 18-20 at 7:30 p.m. in the Gist Hall Theatre on the HSU campus in Arcata.
The Fire-Bringer is the first production in the New Play Season that Humboldt State University’s Department of Theatre, Film and Dance presents every three years. New plays are solicited from around the country, and this year, two have been selected.
Its local relevance was one of the appeals of this play. “It seemed very topical to me, even though the horrific wildfires we’ve had this year weren’t yet happening when we selected the play,” said Margaret Thomas Kelso, head of the Dramatic Writing program. “We have to deal with wildfires every summer in California.”
“But that’s not the only reason we chose it,” Kelso added. “We also liked the style of it—it’s a realistic drama, but with mythic elements to it. It’s also about fire and the human relationship to fire, for good or ill.”
“These people come together to put out this huge, menacing forest fire that can at any minute take this town out,” said Dan Stone, who directs this staged reading. He is Artistic Director for the Eureka Theatre and co-Artistic Director for Sanctuary Stage. “They have to come together for each other. They are dealing with this physical fire, as well as their personal fires. This town is trying to save itself, and the characters are trying to save themselves.”
Currently living in Denver, Judy GeBauer has written plays produced by the Long Wharf Theatre, Philadelphia Festival Theatre and Irish Arts Center in New York. She has received numerous grants and awards, including the HBO Writing Award, the Beverly Hills Theatre Guild’s Julie Harris Playwriting Award and an Innovation Award from the Colorado Federation for the Arts. Four of her plays have been chosen for the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Center, the most prestigious workshop for new plays in America.
The story The Fire-Bringer tells is fictional, but playwright GeBauer admits that the Tillamook Burn on the northern Oregon coast in the 1930s and 40s was an inspiration. “I used to live in Oregon,” she said, “and my husband and I used to drive through Tillamook. That forest had never grown back. The hills were still bare. Those fires redefined Tillamook at that time. Lots of men were out of work during the Depression, and they arrived in droves because they could get room and board in exchange for fighting the fire.”
The Fire-Bringer is presented as a staged reading, which means that actors carry their scripts, and there is minimal set, costume and lighting. But the actors move around the stage and act out the play. After a few minutes, audiences often don’t notice the scripts.
The staged reading format allows the playwright to change the script during rehearsals. Though playwright GeBauer lives in Denver, she will be on campus for the final week of rehearsals.
This format also emphasizes the role of the audience in the process of creating a new play. “Our audiences will be the first to ever hear this play. When the playwright hears it with these audiences, she may discover new things about her play she hadn’t thought of before,” said director Dan Stone. “Our audiences can be part of what this play might end up being.”
To increase this participation, there will be a talk-back session after the Friday performance, where the audience can articulate their responses.
But there is an additional dimension to the talk-back for this play. “When I describe this play, people often tell me their stories about wild fires in this area,” said Margaret Kelso. “Someone told me about driving down 101 from Crescent City and there were fires on both sides of the highway. So I think there are a lot of stories that people are interested in sharing, and this talk-back could be a way to explore these stories, too.”
The Fire-Bringer is presented three nights only, Thursday through Saturday, September 18-20 at 7:30 p.m. in Gist Hall Theatre. There are special prices for this staged reading: $5 general, $3 students and seniors, with limited free seating for HSU students, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. More information: Http://HSUStage.blogspot.com.