Play sends theatre troupe down the 'Rabbit Hole'
By Jennifer Huberdeau, North Adams Transcript
Article Launched: 11/30/2007 11:28:16 AM EST

Friday, November 30
NORTH ADAMS — When author Lewis Carroll sent Alice down the rabbit hole, she landed in Wonderland, a world were very little made sense. Since then, the rabbit hole has come to represent any event that triggers a completely unexpected and uncommon situation.

For playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, it is the death of a 4-year-old boy that sends his parents into a world of grief in his Pulitzer-winning play, "Rabbit Hole," which is being performed by Mill City Productions at the Main Street Stage, 57 Main St., over the next three weekends. Performances begin tonight at 8.

"The play is about a family that experiences the loss of a child," director Joshua Bishoff said Wednesday. "We journey with the parents, Becca and Howie, through their stages of grief. We see the way we can build ourselves up after a tragic event."

He added, "The writing is very real. It's raw with emotion and wit and humor. The parts that are funny are truly funny. The play is so heavy with emotion, the humor is put there to break it up."

For Liz Urban, president of the acting troupe, who also plays the part of the grieving mother, the play's theme hits home.

Her father worked with retired Clarksburg Elementary School teacher Donna Morgan, who lost her only child, Diana, to bacterial meningitis 11 years ago. Diana, then 19, was a freshman at Marist College. Since her retirement last year, Morgan has focused on fundraising for an Angel of Hope memorial park for bereaved parents, which will be located in Southview Cemetery.

"When I was reading this play, I really thought this would be a great way to help her out," Urban said. "We'll be accepting donations for the park in the lobby. We're excited to help her out and bring an awareness to anyone who might not know about the park. We want to help her gain momentum."

Morgan said she has raised just over $12,000 of the $25,000 needed to create the park.

"I've had a lot of parents donate time and money, and a lot of parents are on the committee with me," Morgan said Thursday. "The Bounti-Fare held a fundraising night for us. There was a spaghetti supper, and a little boy sold muffins for us. We've gotten a lot of donations of money and time."

She said she believes the play will shed some light on the grief felt by parents when they loose a child.

"That's part of the magic of theater," Urban said. "You get to experience and get to understand things through the actors and the play."

In the play, Becca (Urban) and Howie (Chad Therrien) are devastated when their 4-year-old son is hit by car driven by a teenager named Jason (Trevor Foehl). Becca's mother, Nat (Jackie DeGiorgis) and sister, Izzie (Ameila Wood), try to uplift the spirits of the family as the couple grows further apart.

"Jason is in the wrong place at the wrong time," Urban said. "The little boy runs out into the road and Jason hits him. He's not drunk; he's not speeding. It's one of those things that has no sensible explanation. It's harder to deal with because you can't say it's so-and-so's fault."

Three members of the cast — Therrien, Wood and Foehl — are new to the acting troupe.

"I know a lot of people in the production company," Wood said. "I either performed with them in high school or in college. I did some work with the MCLA theater, but after graduating in 2006, I've kind of been out of commission. I'm very excited to be working in this unique theater and with the rest of the cast.

Foehl, fresh off the set from the Drury Drama Team's production of "The Wizard of Oz," in which he played the scarecrow, was a last-minute addition to the cast after the actor playing Jason fell ill and bowed out of the production.

"Mrs. DeGiorgis is a teacher at Drury, so when they needed a new cast member, she asked a bunch of the guys in 'Oz' to come down and audition."

Foehl, 16, said, "I came down on a Saturday, did the audition and got the part. I'm really excited and amazed to get involved."

"Rabbit Hole" is not recommended for children under the age of 13. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 on Dec. 1, 7, 8, 14 and 15, with Sunday matinees at 2 on Dec. 2, 9 and 16. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for seniors and students. For reservations, call 413-663-3211 or visit www.millcityproductions.org.

Donations for the Angel of Hope memorial park can be sent to Children's Memorial Garden, in care of Donna Morgan, 19 Pinehill Terrace, North Adams, MA 01247. Morgan can also be contacted at 413-663-3555.