Caption: Award-winning director Patrick Pearson helms the Cal State Fullerton production of “A Prayer for Owen Meany,” a story about faith, destiny and friendship. Photo by Edwin Lockwood
SoCal Premiere
Theatre and Dance Dept. Staging ‘A Prayer for Owen Meany’
Faith and destiny are severely tested in Simon Bent’s dramatic adaptation of John Irving’s “A Prayer for Owen Meany” playing in Cal State Fullerton’s Young Theatre Nov. 11-Dec. 4.
Award-winning director Patrick Pearson (M.F.A. theatre arts-directing ’07) helms the Southern California premiere of the play that took London by storm and recently was featured at the Denver Center Theatre.
Meany is a boy with a diminutive stature, wrecked voice and unwavering faith. He is convinced that he is God’s instrument — destined to carry out a heroic act at the risk of his own life. John Wheelwright is filled with doubt and questions about his father. After a tragic accident at a baseball game, Wheelwright loses what little faith he had. Together, these boys grow up in New England forming a friendship that will forever shape who they are.
“This will be the Southern California premiere of this riveting play, which has only been performed a few times ever worldwide,” explains director Pearson, recently named a Director of the Year by Stage Scene LA for his work on last year’s “Equus,” “I Love You Because,” “Reefer Madness” and “The Trouble With Words.”
The play contains mature subject matter.
Published in 1989, the John Irving novel “A Prayer for Owen Meany” was hailed as an international sensation by readers and critics. Time magazine labeled it “vintage Irving ... a boisterous cast, a spirited story” and “roomy, intelligent, exhilarating ...” Author Stephen King called it “an amazingly brave piece of work.” After the play’s premiere at the Royal National Theatre in London, the Evening Standard raved: “Simon Bent’s adaptation is a triumph of elegant compression. ... a beautiful re-creation for the stage of John Irving’s epic American novel.” In 1998, the novel was loosely adapted into the movie “Simon Birch.”
Irving’s other novels include “The Cider House Rules,” “The World According to Garp” and “Last Night in Twisted River.”
The cast includes Edwin Martinez, David Contreras, Rebecca Tucker, Chris Hayhurst, Tyler Fischbeck, Delilah Kujala, Blake Prentiss, Matthew Evanoff, Jesse Schiffmacher, Charlotte Williams, DanielleAmick, Jennifer Tate, Quinn Sherman, Sam Forbes, Ben LaMontagne-Schenck and Göran Norquist.
Scenic design and technical direction are by Brad Shelton, lighting design by AmyAnne Tafolla and sound design by Jacob Kaitz. Costume Design is by JamieAnne Matthews, make-up design is by Laura Young, and stage manager is Abe Luke Rodriguez.
Tickets for “A Prayer for Owen Meany” are $11, or $10 with Titan discount. Tickets can be purchased from the Clayes Performing Arts Center’s Dwight Richard Odle Box Office in person, online or by phone, 657-278-3371.
For walk-up and telephone sales, the box office is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, as well as one hour prior to a performance for tickets for that production.
Nov. 8, 2011|Updated Nov. 18, 2011
