A years’ long dream will come true for theater director Christian Wilson on November 3, 2023 when Jefferson-Morgan school district begins their run of the Pulitzer Prize winning play, “Harvey” by Mary Chase.
“‘Harvey’ has been a show that I have always wanted to put on but never had the courage to do until this year. I was always waiting around for the perfect Elwood P. Dowd,” Christian says. “When I would tell my father this, he always told me that I would never do the show if that high exception would always be there… Although I did not find the right guy for the part, I did, however, find the perfect woman for the role. Which is why we are now renaming the role Edna P. Dowd.”
A wonderful part of entertainment is the ability to take us out of our ordinary lives for a little while. “For 100 some minutes, this show takes you away from the real world. It gets you away from all the evil, nasty, yucky things that are going on. This show also gives you a chance to rekindle the time you had with your imaginary friend that we all had at one point in our lives … even if it’s just for a short amount of time.”
Harvey is about someone that, “ultimately reinforces the need for optimism and faith in a cynical world – a message that was much needed in America and around the globe in the mid-1940s.” (www.historymatterscelebratingwomensplaysofthepast.org) It’s safe to say that this is a universal message that is just as timely today.
Harvey is set in 1944 and the scenes take place between Edna’s house and Chumley’s Rest. The play tells the story of Edna P. Dowd and her six-foot tall, imaginary, white rabbit named Harvey. Edna’s sister is embarrassed by her stories of Harvey and she commits Edna to a sanitarium called Chumley’s Rest. But wires get crossed and Edna’s sister is the one who gets committed.
The central theme of Harvey is friendship. “Edna has so many friends that you hear about during this show. You also see her handing out business cards to people she hardly even knows because she’s still trying to meet and connect with new people. She never has anything bad to say about anyone, even if they have done something wrong to her.”
Twenty students are involved with the play: ten are acting in the play and the other half are helping with the technical aspects of the show. Auditions were held in August, and the students have been rehearsing since then.
Harvey is a three act play and runs a little over 100 minutes. The play begins its run November 3 and runs through November 5 (11/3 at 7pm, 11/4 at 12pm and 7pm, and 11/5 at 2pm) at the Stanley Fowler Auditorium on Jefferson Road, Jefferson, PA. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. “We usually have a maximum of 200 tickets per night, but we do not send anyone away who wants to see the show.”
Don’t miss your chance to see this wonderful show and follow Jefferson-Morgan High School Drama Club on Facebook for information about their upcoming spring musical, The Little Mermaid.
