Synopsis

‘In the aftermath of World War II, two families struggle to come to terms with the brutal reality of what they have lost and gained. The confrontations that ensue lead to the uncovering of a shameful family secret. Provocative and heart-breaking, All My Sons is a compelling story of love, guilt and the corrupting power of greed, and is one of the true classic plays of the 20th Century.’ “All My Sons” By Arthur Miller  is Serious Drama that asks important questions about personal responsibility.  The father and one of his neighbors are partners in owning a factory that builds airplane engines.  It turns out that some of their engines were sent to the government with cracked engine heads which caused planes to crash during World War II and their crews to die.  Based on the father’s testimony, the neighbor is put in prison for knowingly delivering defective engines to the government.  Complicating things is the fact that the father’s son is a pilot who is still missing two years after the war.  Also the other son wants to marry the missing son’s fiancée who happens to be the imprisoned neighbor’s daughter. The play is set at the family home in a friendly neighborhood where nearly everyone knows each other.  We go from scenes of neighborly joking to scenes of intense conflict.

We are featuring a comprehensive archive of photos from the production, including tech and dress rehearsals

In other notes – the first production to make use of our new online booking system for tickets, and our first banner matching our other publicity material

Director’s comments – as published in the programme:

‘One of my earliest Amateur Dramatic appearances was more than 35 years ago, in the Old Bancroftian’s Dramatic Society performance of Arthur Miller’s ‘All My Sons’, I was given the part of Frank Lubey. I’m not sure that it was my greatest performance, and have a recollection of coming onstage peering myopically and trying to navigate past the overhead lights while carrying, upright, a ladder that was much longer than that required by the script and which threatened to send the lighting into disarray.

However, the play moved me greatly and I have wanted to do it again ever since.  Consequently I am delighted that everything has come together this year in terms of cast and opportunity to enable me  to achieve this goal, this time as director.

I have chosen to make this a very simple production, on the floor of the Village Hall and with a limited audience, as I really want those watching to be drawn into the performance as the plot unfolds. Costumes, props and scenery have been kept low key so that nothing detracts from the actors and the drama that unfolds.

I have been blessed with a cast that have thrown themselves into the production, learning lines and accents from the outset in order to ensure we maximise the potential of the play and refine our performances from an early stage of rehearsals. Welcome to Lewis and Julian who debut for Stane Street Players in this production.

Thanks also due, as always, to the rest of the group, who, as ever, have been flexible and if not cast in a role themselves, have been willing to take on the variety of support roles a director relies on to enable him to focus on the performances. I feel that the willingness of every member of this group to do whatever is needed on, off or back stage, to make our performances a success, is a great strength of SSP.

As a drama group, we can choose comedies to perform, knowing it is within our comfort zone, and that we can attract audiences and leave them laughing. On this occasion we have chosen to stretch our acting muscles in a different direction and our aim is to leave you moved.

Duncan McCubbine