The Falls August 19, 2006

By Jeffrey Hatcher

Inspired by the play The Long Christmas Dinner
by Thornton Wilder

Produced in association with Cornerstone Theater Company
Co-Directed by Bill Rauch and Michael John Garcés

Using Wilder’s play as a jumping off point, we spend a long picnic afternoon that begins in the 19th century and moves to the present. Victorian-era ladies, mid 20th century immigrants, young students and their teachers, church members, a Somali family and a group of Vikings fans all pass through the same space at different times, with the constant factor being their presence along the river and the meaning of the falls. In this bittersweet comedy, the pleasures of outdoor activities along the river are darkened by the difficulties of adjusting to a new life. There are clashes of cultures and pressures to assimilate, population shifts that create business opportunities but also bring an end to more pastoral pursuits, and the undeniable lure of the falls as a place where life ends as well as begins. Throughout its many storylines, the play focuses on the large and small challenges that define the characters’ struggles to summon the courage, wisdom and faith to help them not only to thrive but sometimes simply to survive in Minnesota.

Official Website: http://www.guthrietheater.org