Photos
About the Show
When Elwood P. Dowd starts to introduce his imaginary friend, Harvey, a six-and-a-half-foot rabbit, to guests at a society party, his sister, Veta, decides to have him committed to a sanitarium to spare their family from future embarrassment. Unfortunately, Veta finds herself committed instead of her brother. When the truth comes out, the search is on for Elwood and his invisible companion!
Mary Chase started writing Harvey during WWII. So many people had lost loved ones and she wanted to find a way to make them smile again. This little tidbit really shaped how I approached the show. While I still looked at the play from a feminist lense, I didn’t want that to be the focus of the play. In rehearsals, we looked at how all the men, except Elwood, mistreated women, and we worked that into the show, but didn’t let it overpower the humor. This was a perfect show for current audiences after losing loved ones to Covid-19. They all needed a show that would just let them laugh.
Reviews
“Director Emily Grimany gives the lean and sturdy farce a good workout, building a steady comic pace that still allows notes of humanity, community, and the sense of decency by which we tend to define post World War II America.”
PRODUCTION TEAM
Directed by EMILY GRIMANY
Produced by JANCE WALTER and CRAIG NOLAN HIGHLEY
Stage Manager/Light & Sound Operator: KAITLIN FORTWENGLER
Lighting Design: JAY PADILLA-HAYTER
Sound Design: DANIEL RIDDLESMITH
Set Design: EMILY GRIMANY and SCOTT DAVIS
Set Construction by SCOTT DAVIS, KARA DAVIS, ELAINE HACKETT, EMILY GRIMANY
CAST
MYRTLE MAE SIMMONS: Magdalen Hartman
VETA LOUISE SIMMONS: Kristy Calman
MRS. JOHNSON: Tiffany Kovats Hill
ELWOOD P. DOWD: Craig Nolan Highley
MRS. ETHEL CHAUVENET: Janice Walter
RUTH KELLEY, RN: Magnolia Hensley
DUANE WILSON: Kenn Parks
LYMAN SANDERSON: Richie Goff
WILLIAM CHUMLEY: John Trueblood
MRS. BETTY CHUMLEY: Jennifer Starr
JUDGE OMAR GAFFNEY: Joe R. Monroe
J. LOFGREN: Ron Dawson
(On July 2, the role of Judge Omar Gaffney was played by Gary Tipton)