Click here for Hi-Res Press Photos

Synopsis

Dora Hand lives by herself on the Nebraska prairie — she’s gone through three husbands and seems destined to play the lonely mistress to her married milkman, Kevin — until a swan crashes into her living room window. Strangely, to all outward appearances, the swan is a charismatic and child-like man who quickly learns the ropes: speech, dressing, checkers, beer, love for his new mistress. A mysterious and comic riff on the classic Leda myth.

Performances July 18-29.

[sc:Small-Text-Start ]

The Swan is sponsored by Dorothy Benzian.

[sc:Small-Text-End ]

Cast

[sc:Col-1-2-Left-Start ]

Dora
Tracy Liz Miller*

Kevin
Jacob H Knoll*

[sc:Col-End ] [sc:Col-1-2-Right-Start ]

Bill
Joel Ripka*

[sc:Col-End ] [sc:Col-Clear ] [sc:Small-Text-Start ]

*Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers
in the United States

[sc:Small-Text-End ]

Artists

[sc:Col-1-2-Left-Start ]

Author: Elizabeth Egloff
Directed by: Daniel Elihu Kramer
Set Design: Travis George
Lighting Design: Lara Dubin

[sc:Col-End ] [sc:Col-1-2-Right-Start ]

Costume Design: Arthur Oliver
Sound Design: Tom Shread
Stage Manager: Colleen Sherry*

[sc:Col-End ] [sc:Col-Clear ] [sc:Small-Text-Start ]

*Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers
in the United States

[sc:Small-Text-End ]

Reviews

Halfway through the 2012 season, Artistic Director Byam Stevens’ Uncommon Love Stories are two for two. The Swan plunges the audience into thinking modes … perfect for those who enjoy puzzles. Director Daniel Elihu Kramer frames The Swan with suspense. This well-crafted, perfectly cast play brings topics to explore during the popular TalkBacks following every performance.
   –Donna Bailey-Thompson, THE ARTS, ETC.

The Swan is, to say the least, a delight. The play moves forward swiftly and leaves the audience breathless with its changes and its miraculous interpretive alterations.The three actors who make up the cast perform absolutely splendidly and give dramatic performances that allow the comedy to come through. This play entrances and holds our attention from beginning to end without lapse.

It is with no little respect for the director, Daniel Elihu Kramer, that it should be pointed out that nowhere, at any time, does anything in this play seem wrong, or impossible or even zany; Kramer has kept the wonder and enhanced the day-to-day existence of his protagonists simultaneously.

Jacob H Knoll as the milkman is one hundred percent believable. Tracy Liz Miller is hard to resist… From A to Z, Miller holds the reins of this play and she holds them tight. Joel Ripka is the Swan, and I mean “IS” and not just is playing. His slow transition from animal into human is heaven to watch… remarkable.

You won’t see a more intriguing take on the psycho-sexual intellect of the species homo that you’ll find in this play and Chester is presenting as fine a production as one could imagine. “
    –J. Peter Bergman, Berkshire Bright Focus 

“The Swan is a bold choice for a theater company and (it) demands excellent actors and direction to keep it afloat. I found Tracy Liz Miller and Jacob H Knoll perfectly cast as Dora and Kevin…Joel Ripka gives a virtuoso and athletic performance…This is a production that director Daniel Elihu Kramer clearly directed with great affection. All the elements cohere to provide an evening of compelling entertainment…Bravo!”
   –Helen Epstein, The Arts Fuse