Audiences in Lewis County will have an opportunity to see the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Rabbit Hole” this weekend at Centralia College.
Drama professor Brian Tyrrell, from Centralia College, directs this live performance, which will show locally for one weekend only following a successful run with Harlequin Productions at the State Theater in Olympia.
“We haven’t done this often, brought a show down from Olympia,” said Tyrrell, who has directed the college drama program for nearly two decades. “But this is such a great show, I wanted my Lewis County family to see it.”
“Rabbit Hole” tells the story of a married couple after the accidental death of their young son.
Actors Peter Beard, Kathy Dorgan, Jason Haws, Megan Kappler and Melanie Moser make up the small cast of this two-hour-long production.
“I think people will find the show very uplifting, despite the theme,” Tyrrell said. “It’s an amazing experience all about hope and coping and where we find comfort in times of need.”
The show plays tonight at 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. in Corbet Theatre. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.
David Lindsay-Abaire’s “Rabbit Hole” opened on Broadway in 2006 and won the Pulitzer Prize in 2007, along with five Tony Award nominations and the Spirit of America Award.
The opportunity to direct such a highly regarded play was attractive to Tyrrell, who has directed and/or produced more than 70 plays during his career.
“Really good plays have universal themes that are easy for us to relate to,” he said, discussing his decision to direct “Rabbit Hole” and his driving interest in theater arts. “Theater allows people to, as they say, walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.”
“Rabbit Hole” will give audiences a chance to see how the Corbetts, played by actors who have children of their own, survive their “grief.”
“Becca and Howie have to find their own way out of their parallel universes, their rabbit holes,” Tyrrell writes in his director’s notes.
Tyrrell, also a father of two who are now in their 20s, believes this show will touch the hearts of all — but it especially resonates for parents, who all secretly pray that life will treat their children with “soft hands.”
“And there is a lot of humor in the show,” he said. “Laughter, as we all know, really is the best possible cure.”
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Dian McClurg is a freelance writer living in Centralia. She can be reached at dlmcclurg@comcast.net.
