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Rain in The Hollows, finished in March of 2002 has won the following
recognition:
Winner & Production – 2003 Pittsburgh New Play Festival; production January, 2003 at the Gemini Theater
Professional Premeire - Tri-State Actors Theater; June 2004
Production - Oglebay Institute Towngate Theatre; April 2004
Professional Premiere – Scheduled for 2004 season, Tri-State Actors Theater
Production - Scheduled for April 2004, Oglebay Institute Towngate Theatre
Unanimous Selection – 2002 Appalachian Festival of Plays & Playwrights; Barter Theatre
Winner –2002 New Play Project; Charleston Stage Company;
Finalist – 2003 New Play Project; Southeastern Theatre Conference
Finalist - 2003 ScriptWorks; Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre (selection of winner pending)
Finalist – 2003 Year End Series New Play Festival; Northern Kentucky University
Selection - 2002 New Voices Reading Series, Round House Theatre
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Stage Review of The Gemini Theater production. By John Hayes, January 25, 2003. BRILLIANT CAST GLISTENS IN GEMINI’S “RAIN” Family dramas, like the families they reflect, can be complicated and precarious. When they work, they're wonderful. But they can derail with a single look and it sometimes seems impossible to get them back on track. West Virginian Sean O'Leary digs deep into his mountain past, mining for context and color in his second play, "Rain in the Hollows." Like many families, he begins with small talk and progresses to gossip as tensions simmer until the whole kettle boils over in conflict. In the story, set in 1972, Claudie Hukill is the pride and prodigy of his insignificant West Virginia mining hollow. The confident golden boy of Logan County, he's a sports champion and ladies' man and everyone basks in his glow. He walks between the raindrops even while skirting the law, and he heroically rescued several neighbors in a mine cave-in that drew national attention. When heavy rains threaten to flood the valley, all eyes are on Claudie to save them. He's the axle at the center of O'Leary's well-constructed wheel and every relationship is crafted relative to the characters' relationship to Claudie. Only, he isn't really there. It's a brilliant setup -- everyone knows Claudie except the audience. With such a scenario, it's impossible to not be drawn into a compelling story that explores the nuances of family dynamics. Director Jason A. Fleece was fortunate to have several fine actors to help him tell O'Leary's tale. Connie Culbertson provides comic relief and much of the richly woven back story as the blind matriarch of the struggling mountain family. One of the play's richest and most realistic relationships is between Culbertson and Dalla Andracchio, completely convincing as Grandma's new daughter-in-law. Ross Donaldson becomes the tool that mines the ore of each relationship as Claudie's brother, who returns home with his new wife after years of estrangement. Young Jenna Panza, a veteran actor before middle school, is rock steady in an important role that should help her to move beyond children's productions. Having last played "insecure" to the hilt in "The Glass Menagerie," JoAnna Lowe again draws sympathy as Claudie's persevering wife, and Larry Herrmann is solid in a supporting role.
From the nominating letter to The Humana Festival of New American Plays by Nick Olcott, Associate Artist and Coordinator, New Voices Playreading Series, Round House Theatre. September 10, 2002. At the Round House Theatre, we included the play in New Voices, a series of rehearsed readings showcasing unproduced plays by playwrights from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Mr. O’Leary’s play became one of the top choices for the series upon a first perusal of the script. Its strong, distinctive characters and compelling dialogue first attracted me to it. Subsequent focused reading revealed the play’s clear dramatic arc and powerful emotional depth. I was thoroughly convinced of the script’s merits. The public reading and audience reaction confirmed my belief in the script. The actors and director found the characters richly written and playable. The audience found the story engrossing and thought-provoking. The discussion following the reading was one of the best we had in the entire series. A particular merit of the script is the author’s daring in
creating a central character who does not appear on stage. The audience
found much to debate in Claudie Hukill’s actions and moral
nature. There were many different opinions about the character,
but every audience member had felt Claudie’s presence. It
is a tribute to Mr. O’Leary’s skill that the spectators
found this absent title character so fully realized. Return to RAIN IN THE HOLLOWS Intro |
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