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Indecent
By Paula Vogel Nashville Repertory Theatre Directed and Choreographed by Micah-Shane Brewer Scenic Design - Gary Hoff Costume Design - Heather McDevitt Barton Lighting Design - Phillip Franck Sound Design - Kevin O'Donnell Music Direction - Randy Craft Projections Design - Micah-Shane Brewer Stage Manager - Isaac Krispin Cast Sarah Aili, Delaney Amatrudo, Laurie Canaan, Rona Carter, Dustin Davis, Thomas DeMarcus, Galen Fott, Eric Sorrels, Trevor Targowski, Garris Wimmer Press "Nashville Repertory Theatre's Best Production of the last ten years!" - Jeffrey Ellis, Broadway World "Nashville Rep’s Indecent is a sumptuously mounted and sublimely acted production, directed by the company’s artistic director Micah-Shane Brewer and featuring a ten-member ensemble who bring more than 40 different characters to vivid life over the course of the one-hour-and-45-minute play that is presented without intermission. Without question, Nashville Rep’s Indecent is the best and most satisfying production offered by the company in the past decade...Brewer and his exemplary cast of actors – and the creative team who provide them with everything they require to present a truly exceptional piece of theater – imbue Indecent with palpable energy and commendable vigor. They thoroughly eschew the temptation to go over the top in their portrayal of the characters and their heartrending stories, instead delivering a play that fairly rings with authenticity and remains loyal to the memories of those long-dead individuals who gave of their souls to create the story being interpreted herein." - Jeffrey Ellis, Broadway World "Ultimately, under the direction of Micah-Shane Brewer, Nashville Rep has put together a masterpiece of performance and staging that is tragically timely and profoundly poignant." - The Frenetic Peripatetic Director's Notes “Art matters when we’re in political danger; art matters when we’re in the middle of division.” - Paula Vogel We’re living in a time which many of us feel uncertain. There is so much uncertainty in our world right now, and for many marginalized groups - finding safety in times of turmoil is paramount. Safety for immigrants, safety for people of color; safety for the LGBT+ community. But yet, in times of trouble, we find ways to strengthen our connection and unite, and as theatre makers, we tell stories. It’s our need to tell and pass down stories that connect every one of us - regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation. This need to tell stories goes back centuries. We tell our stories to pass along knowledge, to understand others, to speak truths, to bridge gaps, to learn respect. At the heart of the play there is immense joy for the love of making theatre and telling stories. What you’re about to see today is based on a true story. Some of the characters are fictitious, but the events surrounding this play really happened. This is the story of the original production of The God of Vengeance as it moved from its premiere at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin in 1907, through European productions, to the lower East Side of New York, and finally to an English production on Broadway in 1923. This is where the trouble begins. The God of Vengeance tells the story of Yekel, a brothel owner who lives with his wife above the brothel. Yekel’s life’s desire is to preserve his daughter, Rifkele, from any harm; to mold her into the perfect maiden, To that end, he commissions the writing of a Torah scroll – a sacred and expensive task – so that he can hang it in his daughter’s room for protection. What Yekel doesn’t count on is the developing love between Rifkele and Manke, one of the prostitutes in his brothel. What is decent, and what is indecent? And who deems it as such? What stories do we as a society allow to be told? And what stories do we push away or resist? How do we learn from history so the same mistakes are not repeated? One hundred years later, we’re still fighting the same battles. Censorship is oppressing our society. We’re facing an unprecedented resurgence in anti-semitism. Laws are being passed all across our country to marginalize certain populations. Albert Einstein said “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” My hope is that this story speaks to you in a powerful way, and that you as our witness, are transformed by the power of theatre and are moved speak up and share your story. The play belongs to the people who labour in it. Micah-Shane Brewer |
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