THE CRADLE WILL ROCK
Original Musical by: Marc Blitzstein
Play by: Neil Truglio
© Modest Arts
Director: Neil Truglio
Set Design: Neil Truglio
Light Design: Kurt Morgan
Costume Design: Chantelle Frazier
Photo Credits: Sean Dolan
The Cradle Will Rock was adapted from the original musical by Marc Blitzstein and additional source material, including the autobiography Arena by Hallie Flanagan and the original transcripts from appearances before the House Un-American Activities Committee by members of the Federal Theatre Project. It was presented in its premiere musical presentation in January of 2016.
"The Cradle Will Rock presented a unique challenge: how do we tell, not only the powerful union-endorsing musical by Marc Blitzstein, but also the story behind the only play ever censored by the US government? For this purpose the artists involved were tasked with researching the New Deal and all that transpired while the Federal Theatre Project was not only thriving, but also being challenged by the HUAC to its ultimate demise. The play was presented in three acts, and for each act we moved the audience to better tell the story. Act I described the creation of the musical and how it ended up in the Federal Theatre Project and in the hands of Orson Welles. For this act the audience was set looking at the cyclorama in a traditional end-room presentation. Act II showcased the rehearsal process, for this the audience was rotated 180 degrees to be the eyes backstage. The audience took in the process with the empty house as their viewpoint, while the actors rehearsed the production with a live jazz ensemble. For Act III, the audience travelled with the actors to the proscenium house for the official presentation of the musical which featured only Marc Blitzstein behind the piano. The actors then began to perform a reduction of the musical standing in the house among the audience as it was originally presented, since the actors were barred from standing on the stage."