Butch Mahaney as Joe Keller, Claire Veneziano as Kate Keller, Clay Powell as Chris Keller, and Ashleigh McPherson as Ann Deever, at the Sept. 17 rehearsal of All My Sons at Nova Woodbridge.

For the actors and crew of the Nova Woodbridge Theatre Group, Arthur Miller’s 1947 classic, All My Sons, is a work in progress. They had only reached their third rehearsal as of September 17, so the actors, with scripts still in hand, performed in a phase between reading and acting, moving through an approximation of what will, in mid-November, be the final set.
Professor Eric Trumbull, who teaches acting and theatre workshops at Nova Woodbridge, gave them time to get used to the words and the play, all the while keeping the production’s long-term goals in mind. “It’s a play about guilt and responsibility,” Trumbull said. “Those can apply [to humankind] prehistorically or into the future.” Trumbull emphasized that the audience should feel a sense of timelessness in the production, although the play is set in a post-World War II era.
Asked for comments about their experience of the play and rehearsal process, the cast members were universally positive. A. E. “Butch” Mahaney, who plays a corrupt manufacturer, Joe Keller, in this play, admired its “complex emotion of real drama.” Mahaney, who once acted as a professional in Mars Attacks and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and stopped acting for fifteen years afterwards, is in his second production at Nova.
Clay Powell, the president of Nova Woodbridge’s Drama Club, gave some insights into the camaraderie so evident in the cast at this point: “Rehearsals in the beginning are very fun, as we discover more of the play. These [discoveries] are crucial as we move forward.” Powell, who has acted in Nova plays twice before, plays Chris Keller, the idealistic son of a corrupt father.
Andrew Buning, a first-time stage manager, and Joel Morris, a student assistant director, are learning new skills as they help to move this production forward.
Melissa Runyon, who teaches at Nova, attended rehearsal as a student of Professor Trumbull’s. She said she helps with whatever needs to be done, and is used to experiencing bumps along the road to a worthwhile performance. With a wry smile, she said, “Producing a play is like giving birth.”
Two roles in the play are double cast to give as many acting opportunities as possible to Nova students and the community. These are the roles of George Deever, son of the imprisoned business partner of Joe Keller, and Lydia Lubey, George Deever’s former romantic interest.
“Both Georges play guitar,” Trumbull said, commenting on the backstage music that will set the mood for the show. Actress Katy Chmura, who plays Sue Bayliss in the show, is also among the musicians. “Rehearsal has gone very smoothly,” she said. “I enjoy rehearsing because the cast and crew work well together, and the show itself is phenomenal.”
After two more months of developing and changing, the result of this production will be born into the world as something more definitive, delineated, and stressful. Trumbull emphasized the rehearsal process as a way of developing extreme familiarity with the play—familiarity so embedded that when the usual dangers of live theatre throw things off kilter, the cast can improvise to get back on track. The excitement and stress of live theatre will come together in productions on November 12, 13, 19 and 20, at 8PM, and on November 14 and 21 at 2PM. To get more information about upcoming auditions and past performances of the Nova Woodbridge Theatre Group, visit them online at http://www.nvcc.edu/woodbridge/theatre/theatresite/index.html.

By: Christine Boyce

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