'night Mother
by Marsha Norman
Directed by David Deratzian
September 14*-23, 2017
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The Center Theatre
208 Dekalb Street
Norristown, Pennsylvania 19401
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The Cast
Click on the pictures for more information
Production Credits
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Max Minkoff - Production Stage Manager
Lighting Design by Ryan Kadwill
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Originally produced on Broadway by Dann Byck, Wendell Cherry, The Shubert Organization and Frederick Zollo
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Original production directed by Tom Moore
Originally produced by The American Repertory Theatre, Cambridge, MA.
'Night, Mother is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.
Reviews
Allison Deratzian
(Jessie Cates)
Susan Blair
(Thelma Cates)
Synopsis
Jessie and her mother live a small house on an isolated country road. Jessie's loveless marriage ended in divorce, her absent son is a petty thief and ne'er-do-well, and, in general, her life is stale and unprofitable. As the play begins Jessie calmly announces that she intends to kill herself that same night. As Jessie sets about tidying the house and making lists of things to be looked after, her sense of desperate helplessness begins to build. In the end, Jessie quietly closes and locks her bedroom door and the play ends in one stunning and deeply disturbing moment—a moment never to be forgotten by those who have witnessed, and come to understand, her plight.
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Winner of the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award Nominee for Best Play.
About the Director
David has a degree in Theatre, and for many years worked as a free-lance scenic, lighting and props designer in regional and educational theatre. Most recently, he has devoted his time to stage and musical direction in the Philadelphia area, including The Little Mermaid, Fiddler on the Roof, Shrek, Cabaret, and Sweeney Todd as Director; and Legally Blonde, Hair, Jekyll/Hyde and Little Shop of Horrors as Musical Director or Conductor. David has also directed “straight” plays, including one of the first Philadelphia area productions of Clybourne Park, and the World Premiere of a new play, Pursued by a Bear, by Philadelphia playwright, John O'Hara.
