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player ready...Artistic Associate Jeff Casey said he has learned “to be ready for anything” during the course of two decades of programming at Towle Theater.
As Towle Theater in downtown Hammond launches a new season in 2024 with new titles, the new year also includes a new administrator.
After guiding Towle Theater since its founding in 2003, Casey and partner Kevin Bellamy are transitioning from their administrative roles to secondary leadership positions in support of the Towle Board of Directors naming Emily Nelson as the new executive director.
“As we were planning last year for this 21st season, it was before we had Emily in her new position and we soon found out that three of our four planned titles for the season were no longer available because of licensing considerations,” Casey said.
“That’s when we quickly started looking for what our next title options might be.”
Casey and team decided a two-man stage story with musical transitions was the ideal title to open the 2024 Season with the Northwest Indiana premiere of “The Story of My Life“ by Neil Bartram and Brian Hill, directed by Casey with assistant directed by Nikki Dizonnd music direction by Elizabeth Tuazon.
With weekend performances at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays Feb. 23-March 10, “The Story of My Life” is about the small town lifelong friendship of Alvin and Thomas, reunited to relive memories after Alvin’s mysterious death.
“These two men have known each other since they were children, and now Alvin is faced with having to write a funeral eulogy folding in the friendship, love and adventures they’ve shared, as well as the many changes both of their lives experienced over the years,” Casey said.
Debuting on Broadway in February 2009, the production closed after 19 previews and five regular performances, a fate which Casey believes was a result of the intended small cast and scale of the musical not resonating with Broadway audiences.
“This is such a sweet and well-told story, but I think it was too intimate to be the right fit for Broadway,” Casey said.
“But for our 120-seat Towle Theater, it’s perfect.”
Casey is excited the musical welcomes two new names to the Towle stage, Daniel Rausch of Chicago cast as Thomas Weaver and Max Trotter from Bensenville, Illinois, as Alvin Kelby.
“Last year, for our 20 milestone season in 2023, we did all small pre-cast shows which didn’t require auditions the past year,” Casey said.
“We were a little worried that after a year of not doing auditions, would we have talent return and find us for the audition process?”
Casey said audition response was even better than expected, and his casting Weaver and Trotter meant he would be directing two actors who not only had never worked at Towle Theater before, but also had never worked with one another.
“Since this is a two-person musical, there’s only the one shared story spotlight on these two characters,” Casey said.
“These two guys have to be believable playing two people who have known each other since they were kids. It can be challenging to capture that chemistry and have it be genuine to play out before an audience. But these two actors accomplish creating an onstage friendship that is real and believable.”
Casey said the set and surroundings for the story scenes are intended to be “stark and simple.”
“In building the set design, I worked with Kevin (Bellamy) for him to create a look we’ve never done before at Towle,” Casey said.
“We opted to build these high, towering walls which reach all the way up, and almost to the lighting area, for a towering dramatic effect and symbolic that there’s not a definition of time and space, as the story shifts and unfolds with the memories of the two men.”
‘The Story of My Life’
When: Feb. 23-March 10
Where: Towle Theater, 5205 Hohman Ave., Hammond
Cost: $24
Information: 219-937-8780; towletheater.org
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Philip Potempa is a freelance reporter for The Post-Tribune.