'Awake and Sing!' to Open at PowPAC

Theatregoers will soon be able to find inspiration and perseverance in Awake and Sing!, a drama that highlights a family’s struggles during the Great Depression.

“This is a really important story,” Producer Lynn Wolsey said. “It has historical significance not only theatrically but also culturally for us Americans. It’s hard times and it’s one thing we share with people from 75 years ago.”

The show will run at the from March 2 to 25. On Fridays and Saturdays, performances begin at 8 p.m. while Sunday shows begin at 2 p.m. Talk backs with the cast are scheduled on March 9, 18 and 24 immediately after performances. 

The play features a lower-middle class Jewish immigrant family struggling in the Bronx, New York in the mid thirties, from 1933 to 1935.

“The show is about the human nature,” Director Charley Miller said. “It’s about our wants and desires to succeed in life, to see our children succeed in life and to carry on the American dream. [Awake and Sing! shows] the journey of the Berger family in dealing with all the elements of life.”

The two-year story tells the lives of three generations living in an small apartment also dealing with the rise of fascism in Europe and the rise of the workers’ movement in Russia and Eastern Europe.

“Because of the similarities in time [and] our current economic situation, there’s a lot of similarities with that,” Miller said. “A lot of people will latch on to and connect to that concept almost immediately.”

In the play, there are cultural and generational tensions as well as pressures of maintaining a sane, familial life.

Parents Myron and Bessie (Dan Feraldo and Charmaine Reed, respectively) struggle to keep food on the table while their children, Hennie and Ralph (Roxanne Reed and Clayton Gage, respectively) optimistically strive to fulfill their own dreams and juggle family life. 

Meanwhile, grandfather Jacob (Michael Adler) rallies against capitalistic inequities and uncle Morty (Fred Gaines Jr.) is a successful, though corrupt, business man.

Other characters include Peter Schwartz as apartment janitor Schlosser, Daniel Sky as family friend Moe Axelrod and Lee Howell as Hennie’s suitor Sam Feinschreiber. Last but not least, a dog named Rosey will play Tootsie.

“The journey that is taken from the start of the show to the end of the show is such an intense, moving experience that every audience member will take something different away,” Miller said.

The play was written in 1935 by Clifford Odets, who is considered one of the most American playwrights in the last century.

Wolsey said Awake and Sing! is one of the first dramatic theatre productions, as opposed to variety shows on stage

The cast and crew have been preparing for six weeks since auditions in mid-January.

“At this point, we’re finishing up details on the set, making sure props are in place and making sure actors can work with the props,” Miller said. “We’re adding in layers of sound and lighting and rehearsing the play in its entirety now with all the pieces coming together.”

Miller is looking forward to the audience.

“In all theatre productions, the last and final character is the audience,” Miller said. “Without the audience, there’s no reason to do the show at all. What I’m always looking forward to is adding the last and final character to the piece. I’m excited to see the audience’s reaction.”

Wolsey, who is also the publicity manager of PowPAC, expects a full house on opening night. There are 66 seats available at the community theatre, which features a raised stage.

There will be an opening night party after the show where the public can meet with the cast for an additional surcharge

“We usually do really well on opening night because it’s a fun time and it’s a very exciting night,” Wolsey said. “It’s kind of like saying ‘we did it!’”

Ticket costs $18 for general admission and $15 for seniors and students. For reservations, contact the PowPAC box office by emailing boxoffice@powpac.org or calling at (858) 679-8085.