IN THE GROVE OF FORGETTING Comes to T2

TheatreSquared has announced their next show: the world premiere of In the Grove of Forgetting by T2's Artistic Director Robert Ford. Directed by Damon Kiely, the show opens April 16 at TheatreSquared (477 W. Spring St., Fayetteville), and runs through May 4 with 7:30 pm performances Tuesday through Saturday and 2:00 pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday. 

Summer, 1938. Ilona, a concert pianist known for her sharp wit as much as her musical passion, refuses to be ruled by fear, even as fellow Jewish artists and academics flee Hungary. Surely Budapest is safe from the growing Nazi fervor—isn't it? Filled with intrigue, music, and wry humor, this world premiere is a taut emotional thriller, as a woman caught in one of history's darkest moments fights to find a way forward.

“Two things drove me to write this play,” says Ford. “First, in my own artistic life, before theatre there was music. So ‘In the Grove' is a love letter to music, its sheer power—to blind us, to distract, and maybe, maybe, to make us whole. Second: I'm continually intrigued by our ability as humans to completely forget the past. And not even the distant past, but past that's within living memory. And with that ability, our seeming urge—our zeal—to repeat it. And repeat it again and again."

This marks the seventh production penned by Ford to hit the T2 stage. Past shows have included The Spiritualist, ‘Twas the Night, The Fall of the House, Look Away, and Fault. My Father's War, first presented in 2007 during T2's second season, received an updated production in 2021. Kiely directed a workshop reading of the play last summer during the Arkansas New Play Festival. In fact, says Kiely, he's been involved with the show since its conception.

“After really enjoying working on My Father's War, Bob and I had a conversation about four years ago in my kitchen where we said we wanted to do another play together and we wanted it to be theatrical, epic in scale, and full of imagination,” says Kiely. “We were inspired by the same British Company—Knee High—and wanted to make a play where music, dance, movement, costume, and spectacle were just as important as dialogue and scene work. We gathered every six months or so to try new material, sometimes new scenes by Bob, but sometimes movement exercises. One of my favorite moments was when we did a ‘music through' only playing the music, live or recorded, and seeing what story that told us.

“I think this play could only be written by Bob Ford,” he adds. “He's written novels so he understands plots and epic sweep, he's trained as a musician and even played for the Fayetteville Symphony, so he knows the power of music to move audiences. He's written plays for years and knows how to develop characters and dramatic action. And he's a skilled artistic director so he knows that art comes through deep collaboration."

Kiely, who directed the 2021 production of Ford's My Father's War, is a professional director and writer, as well as a full-time professor of directing and acting for DePaul's Theatre School. His books How to Read a Play: Script Analysis for Directors, How to Rehearse a Play: a Practical Guide for Directors, and Play Directing: The Basics were published by Routledge.

In addition to Kiely, the show's creative team includes Eleanor Kahn, Scenic Design; Helene Siebrits, Costume Design; Michael Gottlieb, Lighting Design; PA Worthington, Sound Design; Hope Rose Kelly, Production Stage Manager; Joy Lanceta Coronel, Dialect Coach; John Walch, Dramaturg; Ron Hetzler, Research Dramaturg; Heidee Lyn Alsdorf, Choreographer; Sarah Behrend-Wilcox, Assistant Director; Amber Holley, Assistant Stage Manager; and Kelsey Blotter, Assistant Costume Designer.

The Acting Company includes Amy Herzberg, Actor 1; Steven Marzolf, Actor 2; Rebecca Keeshin, Actor 3; Will Mobley, Actor 4, and Ron E. Rains, Actor 5.

Tickets Performances of In the Grove of Forgetting are scheduled from April 16 through May 4, with 7:30 pm performances Tuesday through Saturday and 2:00 pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday. The play is in the Spring Theatre at TheatreSquared, 477 W. Spring Street in downtown Fayetteville, Arkansas. Tickets range from $20-$53. All fees are included, with no additional charges at checkout.