Book-It Rep Presents Toole's A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES 9/16-10/11

Book-It Repertory Theatre proudly presents A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. Adapted and directed by Mary Machala

September 16 - October 11, 2009
Previews: September 16, 17 & 18
Opening night: Saturday, September 19
In the Center House Theatre

Within the opening paragraph of John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces, we get a colorful snapshot of one of the most singular and iconic characters in all of literature: Ignatius J. Reilly. And within the first scene of this world premiere adaptation, audiences have an idea of the kind of comedy in store.

Among the all-time most requested novels by Book-It fans, A Confederacy of Dunces comes to the Book-It Repertory Theatre stage September 16 - October 11 at the Center House Theatre.

"When a true genius appears in the world, you can know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him." -Jonathan Swift, "Thoughts on Various Subjects, Moral and Diverting," 1706 Taking its title from Jonathan Swift, Toole's Pulitzer Prize-winning cult classic is a masterpiece of the Southern literary canon. In this grand tragicomic farce, our hero-of epic proportions-is the slothful Ignatius J. Reilly: writer, cultural critic, bastion of morality, advocate for the disenfranchised, eater of hot dogs, and nemesis of industry. Clad in his green hunting cap and muffler, his grudging ventures into the working world to support his despairing mother bring him face to face with a kaleidoscopic collection of New Orleanians in this hilarious comedy.

John Kennedy Toole was born in 1937 in New Orleans to an overbearing mother and an ailing father. He was educated at Tulane University, taught at University of Louisiana at Lafayette and earned a Master's degree in English from Columbia University. He was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in Puerto Rico where he also began writing the work that would become A Confederacy of Dunces. Once out of the Army, he began work on his doctorate, and shopped his novel to publishers. Receiving little encouragement, he became depressed and took his own life in 1969.

It was only through his mother's unflagging belief in the genius of his work that his opus was eventually discovered by the literary world and published. That journey took several years and led to Toole being posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1981. Book-It made attempts to secure rights to Dunces beginning in 1990 and several times since without success. A phone call to Co-Artistic Director Myra Platt from the book's agent last spring ("I have here, on file, all of your
previous inquiries...Still interested?") granted rights for a limited time. Co-Artistic Director Jane Jones said "we immediately leapt at the once-in-a-lifetime chance to bring this much-loved work of fiction to Seattle audiences.

The serendipitous availability of the book coupled with the celebration of our company's celebration of twenty years of bringing great books to the stage is a great stroke of fortune." Platt notes that, "since announcing Dunces as part of the 20th Anniversary season lineup, the book's fans have come out of the woodwork and books clubs from the area have told the box offIce That they are reading-or re-reading-it in advance of attending." Directing and adapting A Confederacy of Dunces is Mary Machala, a founding member of the company and long- time contributor/collaborator. Her works as director for Book-It include Waxwings, Silver Water, Double Indemnity, and Lady Chatterley's Lover. Machala admits that when she "read it [A Confederacy of Dunces] in the 1980s I thought Ignatius was a horrible character." But she adds about her recent reading, "as I delved into him, I began to see another person-truly, the human who was born in the wrong century. A man whose vast intelligence is misunderstood and
derided by the ‘lesser beings' around him."

Playing this man-out-of-time is Seattle actor BranDon Whitehead; the ‘lesser beings' in Ignatius' world are played by Ellen McLain (as his long-suffering mother Irene), with Betty Campbell Cynthia Geary, David Goldstein, Bill Johns, Todd Licea, and Kevin McKeon, among others. Toole depicts the city of New Orleans circa 1962 as much a character as Ignatius, his mother, Officer Mancuso,
Miss Trixie, and the rest. Scenic Designer Kurt Walls has translated the locations called out in Toole's novel for the stage; period-style costumes are by Doris Black, lighting is by Brian Healy, and sound design by Matthew Starritt.

Making Book-It's 2009-10 20th Anniversary season possible are The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, The Boeing Company ArtsFund, The Bill & MeLinda Gates Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, the Seattle Foundation, and the Washington State Arts Commission. Media sponsor for A Confederacy of Dunces is KPLU FM 88.5 Jazz. Edible props are provided by Dante's Inferno Dogs (a Ballard company inspired by Ignatius' hot dog vending career). Following A Confederacy of Dunces in the 2009-10 season will be Jane Austen's Emma; David James Duncan's
The River Why; and John Irving's The Cider House Rules, Part One: Here In St. Cloud's.
The company also offers free public performances of its Book-It All Over touring shows for youth with the Target Family Fun Series, as well as their Special Editions project, Two Wheels North, produced in partnership with 4Culture at over ten King County locations. Detailed information can be found on the company's website at www.book-it.org.

Three- and 4-Play Subscriptions are still available and range from $85-$123. Call the Book-It box office, (206) 216-0833, Tues. through Fri., Noon - 6:00 p.m. Single tickets for all performances are available through the box office or online at www.book-it.org.

About Book-It Repertory Theatre
Book-It Repertory Theatre, a leader in the narrative theatre movement, was founded in 1990. Book-It is a non-profit organization with a dedication to great literature and quality theatre experiences through simple, sensitive and imaginative production, and to inspiring its audiences to read. The company is funded, in part, by generous contributions from corporations and foundations, and hundreds of individuals who share our passion for literature.

 

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