Retro Productions Presents Sally Nemeth's 'Mill Fire'

 Retro Productions Presents Sally Nemeth's 1989 Drama Mill Fire beginning May 7 at The Spoon Theater

For the longest time, towns have depended on local industries for survival. The company not only becomes the major economic force in the area, but a social one as well, permeating almost every aspect of life. But sometimes what's good for the company is not always what's best for everyone, as Sally Nemeth aptly illustrates in her bittersweet drama Mill Fire. Directed by Angela Astle and produced by Retro Productions, Mill Fire will be presented at the Spoon Theater, located at 38 West 38th Street, beginning May 7th. This will be the show's first New York production since its 1989 premiere.

In a late 1970s steel town, 25-year-old Marlene is content with her life. She has a menial office job, but is passionately in love with her husband Champ, who works at the local steel mill. When not with her spouse or working she's usually listening to the marital problems of her older brother (and mill foreman) Bo, whose wife Sunny all too often tries to drink her unhappiness away.

Like most people in town, Marlene trusts the mill owners to take care of their workers. But when they fail to do so and disaster strikes, something inside Marlene changes forever. Spurning offers of a cash settlement, she has no intention of appeasing the company's guilt by accepting benefit checks from their accounting department. She further scandalizes her friends and neighbors by refusing to grieve in what they consider to be an acceptable manner.

Weaving past and present together in a gentle mosaic, Mill Fire examines the shifting natures of grief, anger and healing as it presents one woman's resolve to face the future on her own terms.

Sally Nemeth, an award winning playwright and screenwriter, is also the author of The Heights, the Depths and Everything in Between, (Knopf), a novel for young adults. Her plays have been produced by theaters throughout the English-speaking world. Published plays include Holy Days, Mill Fire, Water Play, and Sally's Shorts. Since beginning her television career writing for the hit NBC TV show Law & Order, she has written for every major television network, and her screenplay, Ibeji is currently under option. A documentary she produced, Long Story Short, will be seen this spring at New York City's Tribeca Film Festival. 

Angela Astle recently moved to New York after being a director and producer for several years in Denver, Colorado. Mill Fire will be her New York directorial debut. Past directing credits include Dead Man Walking, based on the movie of the same name, Just Pretend Everything's Perfectly Normal, Extremities, and a Terry Dodd staged reading: Dusk To Dawn At The Sunset.

She has also served as an assistant director on numerous productions, such as The Laramie Project. Angela is currently associate producing for Brooklyn Gallery Players' Lysistrata and is also an associate producer on Warsaw: A Musical Drama opening on Broadway in 2010. She currently interns at the Atlantic Theater Company and is working on future directing projects which include a possible Fringe NYC 2008 show, Panopticon.

A not-for-profit theatre company (and a resident company at the Spoon Theater), it is the mission of Retro Productions to present works of retro theatre. Retro is defined as "involving, relating to, or reminiscent of things past." Retro Productions strives to tell good theatrical stories which have a historical perspective - with an emphasis on the 20th century - in order to broaden our own understanding of the world we live in. Past productions include: Casey Kurtti's Catholic School Girls (2005), Doris Baizley's Mrs. California (2006), Emily Mann's Still Life (2007) and A.R. Gurney's What I Did Last Summer (2007). Backstage called Still Life "compelling" and Mrs. California "a meticulously presented, charming, emotionally affecting play," while nytheatre.com called the latter work "a valiant effort with a lot of heart."  After seeing the production of Still Life, Ms. Mann commented, "Retro is clearly a company dedicated to creating impeccable work that truly matters." While Mr. Gurney noted the production of What I Did Last Summer (which was not open for review) was "first-rate: brisk, sweet and occasionally quite moving, if I say so myself."

Heather E. Cunningham, founder of Retro Productions, wanted to present Mill Fire not only because it fits perfectly with the company's mission, but more specifically because of the many industrial accidents in coal mines, and other refineries and factories, that have occurred in the past year. Ms. Cunningham will portray one of the widows in MILL FIRE. For her performance in Still Life Heather was Marc Miller's choice of "Performances to Remember 2007" for Backstage East.

Running from May 7th - May 24th, Mill Fire will be presented at the Spoon Theater, located at 38 West 28th Street, between 5th & 6th Avenues, on the 5th Floor. The venue is wheelchair accessible. Show times will be Monday, Wednesday-Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $25.00 for adults and $18.00 for students and seniors.  Reservations:  212-352-3101 or 866-811-4111 or www.retroproductions.org.

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