The Hole in the Wall Theater (HITW) in New Britain, CT will present the second production of its 2014-2015 season, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Dale Wasserman and based on the book by Ken Kesey . It will be performed on October 31 and November 1, 6, 7, 8, 14 & 15 at 8:00p.m. at HITW, located on 116 Main Street, New Britain, CT. Tickets are $20.00 (general admission) and $15.00 (students and seniors). They can be purchased at the door and online at www.hitw.org. The November 6th show will be our Pay What You Can performance. Cuckoo’s Nest is under the direction of Jim Williams (Plainville).
“While the sources and methods change, sadly the themes explored in Cuckoo’s Nest are just as applicable today as they were at the time it was written,” said Jim. “Oppression of the weak, misogyny, racism, and cynicism all seem to maintain their positions in our collective consciousness. We can only hope that positive, redemptive themes of the place occupy an equally prominent place in our hearts and minds.”
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a dark comedy intent on shedding a pallid light on Society’s conforming to The Establishment and bringing into question the very nature of our Heroes and our Villains. Feigning insanity in hopes of avoiding the drudgery of the work farm, firebrand R.P. McMurphy (played by Ryan Wantroba of New Britain) is sent to the state mental hospital for evaluation and treatment. “This is really challenging,” said Ryan. “He is very aggressive and impulsive which is not how I am as a person. It’s a funny show, but it is very much a drama. Working on this has broadened by horizons.”
At the hospital, McMurphy encounters a motley crew of inmates and his eventual nemesis, Nurse Ratched (Mary Roane of New Britain). The two dynamic personalities come to an eventual and tragic collision as Ratched’s strict, authoritarian rule is threatened by Mac’s fee spirit and lust to live life; regardless of the consequences to himself and those around him. The battle of these two forces of nature end with all those around them profoundly affected and irrevocably changed.
“Nurse Ratched is a woman living in a time period where women didn’t have many options for a career,” said Mary. “The play takes place in the 1960s, a time where women didn’t have much power. She needed a job that is reputable. She doesn’t see herself as evil. She completely believes in what she is doing”
Other cast members include: Eugene Tellier, Dan Collin, Victor Tellez, Thomas LeBron, Peter Glidden, Jr., Jamie Leigh Kabel (all from New Britain), Scott Hoffman (Newington), Nick Demetriades (Cromwell), Mark Wantroba (Cheshire), Jim Ryan (Milford), Matthew Pechous (Stratford), Gaby Sandoval (Meriden), Peter Weidt (Rocky Hill), and Maria Berté (North Branford).