Photo Flash: First Look at Trinity Rep's THE GRAPES OF WRATH

Trinity Rep kicks off their 50th Anniversary season with John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, the definitive American tale of the strength of family and the human spirit set in the aftermath of the Great Depression. The Grapes of Wrath is now playing until October 6, 2013 in Trinity Rep's Dowling Theater. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Adapted for the stage by Frank Galati, this evocative and deeply affecting stage version promises to lift Steinbeck's novel to new heights of theatrical urgency, especially when married with director Brian McEleney's visceral storytelling style. Part naturalistic epic, part road novel, part inspirational gospel, The Grapes of Wrath boasts a 17 member cast and original folk-rock music from the show's band, 3pile.

Natural disasters. Rampant foreclosures. Corporate greed and record joblessness. Written in the wake of the Great Depression, The Grapes of Wrath speaks to the same harsh realities that America faces today. The story of a nation is told through the eyes of one Oklahoma clan - the Joads - driven off their farm and forced west to find work in California's "promised land." Throughout their epic journey, the family refuses to lose hope in the face of suffering as they cling furiously to their human dignity.

Director McEleney and his design team have transformed the Dowling Theater space into an intimate and rustic country bar setting and the production will be staged in the round with the audience on both sides. Set designer Michael McGarty has built a functioning bar in the middle of the playing space, and the bartenders will be serving patrons before and after the performance while the house band plays. Resident costume designer William Lane has created the period costumes, lighting designer John Ambrosone and sound designer Peter Sasha Hurowitz lend their talents to the creation of the rustic environment.

Led by resident Acting Company memberStephen Thorne as Tom Joad, the cast features fellow Acting Company members Stephen Berenson, Janice Duclos,Mia Ellis, Anne Scurria, FrEd Sullivan, Jr., Charlie Thurston, Joe Wilson, Jr. ; guest artists Jessica Crandall andRichard Donelly, and Brown/Trinity Rep MFA actors Alex Curtis, Sherri Eldin, Ben Grills, Zdenko Martin, Nikki Massoud, Ted Moller and Matt E. Russell.

Tickets for The Grapes of Wrath and the rest of the theater's 50th Anniversary season go on sale Saturday, August 17th at the Trinity Rep box office, 201 Washington St.; by phone at (401) 351-4242; and online at www.trinityrep.com.

Photo Credit: Mark Turek

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