UConn’s Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) continues its 2018-19 season with the regional premiere of Tracy Thorne’s, “Good Children.”
In “Good Children’s” dystopian world, young Val doesn’t know what to do to comfort his traumatized mother. His frantic search for answers leads him to secrets about his family’s past. But something doesn’t feel right. Val longs to overcome his constant fear of losing the people closest to him. But in a society where the secrets of the past are closely guarded, the ones who protect you most may be the ones you should fear the most.
CRT Artistic Director, Michael Bradford, will direct. Bradford says, “In dictatorships and totalitarian governments, the end always justifies the means and we are disheartened, but sadly never really surprised at the depth of our inhumanity. On the surface, “Good Children” is about the toxicity of a secret and the breakdown of community, but its beating heart explores what happens when a person discovers their own humanity in the eyes of their child. They say it takes a village to raise a child, but sometimes it takes a child to save a village.”
Director Michael Bradford is an award-winning playwright and the Department Head of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut. Previous directing credits at CRT include “Our Country’s Good,” “Waiting for Lefty/Severance,” and “Intimate Apparel.” Bradford’s writing has been produced Off-Broadway at the American Place Theatre as well as other New York theatres including the Lark Developmental Theatre, The Flea, The Access, and the NADA Theatre. His plays have received readings and work-shops at the Manhattan Theatre Club, LARK Theatre, the Ensemble Studio Theatre, the Connecticut Repertory Theatre, the Steppenwolf Theatre, and the Actors Theatre of Louisville. Bradford is considered one of the most promising African American playwrights today.
Returning to CRT’s stage to lead as Iris, Helen T. Clark is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre Studies within the UConn Drama Department. She holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College and a BFA in Acting from UConn. Clark says, “It’s so thrilling to be back at UConn and performing with CRT, especially in a production that is structured so intensely. To be able to explore so many themes, especially the intersections of the past and present and one’s commitment to a cause, is exciting. At what point does this commitment to something edge on the side of destruction? How much are we willing to eat to fill a hunger that may never be satiated? It’s an honor to be given the opportunity to dissect this with both my students and treasured former professor and the CRT audiences.”
CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM
The creative team includes: Michael Bradford (Director), Morgan Shea (Scenic Design), Toni Sterling (Lighting Design), Jessica Haswell (Costume Design), Katie Salerno (Sound Design), Emma Mathieu (Dramaturg), Julius Cruz (Stage Manager).
The cast includes: Helen Clark (Iris), Casey Wishna (Val), Rebekah Santiago Berger (Jude), Sophia Ancona (Ella), and Andrew Smith (Matthew).
PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION
Performances will be held in the Studio Theatre from October 25th – November 4th, 2018. For tickets and information please visit crt.uconn.edu or call the CRT Box Office at (860) 486-2113.
The Studio Theatre is located on the campus of the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT on Bolton Rd.
