THE SPEED OF DARKNESS Gets Regional Premiere

Some went willingly, others were drafted. Some protested and stayed home, some protested and left the country. Regardless, too many didn't come back. The Speed of Darkness honors those who went but came back forever changed to a country unprepared to acknowledge and honor them. A drama of riveting power, author Steve Tesich's examination of a mid-western family torn apart by a sordid past becomes a compelling metaphor for our country's historical amnesia when it comes to Vietnam.

Joe is an unsung Vietnam war hero, one of many who served his country and came home to find that his country had turned its back on those who'd served. After floundering to adapt, Joe eventually steadies his life, so much so that now, twenty plus years later, he's one of four finalists for "South Dakota Man of the Year." That's when Lou shows up, his long-ago Vietnam war best friend, who Joe rescued in combat and is godfather to Joe's 18-year-old daughter Mary. Lou's been following the traveling exhibit of "The Wall" as it tours the country. Penniless and homeless, Lou knows secrets about his and Joe's past that could forever change Joe and his family's life in the small town where Joe has built his reputation.

Written by the author of the Academy award winning film Breaking Away, this is a powerful statement on the brutal legacy of Vietnam, the emotional trauma for veterans of coming home to a nation that didn't want to see them, and the national reluctance to be held accountable for our actions.

Steve Tesich was born in Yugoslavia and immigrated to East Chicago at 14. Turning to writing during college, his first triumph came with his Academy-award winning screenplay for Breaking Away in 1979. After his breakthrough success in theatre with 1982's frequently produced Division Street, Steve turned exclusively to writing for film, including the screenplays for The World According to Garp, Eyewitness, Eleni and American Flyers.

In 1989, he returned to writing for the stage, confronting how time and politics had changed his own views of America. From the naive optimism shown in Breaking Away, he began to examine a society that was trumpeting selfishness as a national virtue and a country that, since the loss of the Vietnam War, had both retreated from the world stage and failed to face up to the emotional conflict of returning veterans we did not want to see to remind us of a war we did not want to remember.

Out of this came his searing play, The Speed of Darkness, first presented at three regional theatres: the well-known Berkeley Rep and the Goodman in Chicago, plus a final production at Tampa Players in Florida, where Bill Lelbach, now the Artistic Director at Chenango River Theatre, first directed the show. The show then opened on Broadway, garnering Tony and Outer Critics Circle award nominations.

Four of the five cast members are from NYC, with one from Cape Cod. Heading the cast are Actors' Equity members Jody O'Neil (Joe, the husband and Vietnam war hero), Kristyn Koczur (his wife Anne), and David Sitler (in the pivotal role of Lou, the homeless bum). Equity Membership Candidates Amy Crossman (the daughter Mary) and Daniel Bender Stern (Eddie, Mary's boyfriend) round out the ensemble.

Chenango River Theatre's production will run Sept. 29 - Oct. 15. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., plus Sunday matinees at 2 pm. Tickets can be purchased online at www.chenangorivertheatre.org, or by email: tickets@chenangorivertheatre.org. You can also make reservations 24 hours a day by voice mail at 607-656-8499. Individual tickets are $22 Thursday, $23 Friday, $25 Saturday and $23 Sunday. Half price for college students and those under 18. All performances start on time - late seating is not available.

Chenango River Theatre is just 15 minutes north of Binghamton at 991 State Highway 12, Greene, NY. Chenango River Theatre's 2017 season is made possible in part by The New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and The New York State Legislature.

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