Rockville Little Theatre Presents 'Book of Days'

From F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre: To conclude its 69th consecutive season of providing high-quality theatre to the local community, Rockville Little Theatre will present Book of Days by Lanford Wilson, a country-noir play about small-town hypocrisies, religion, greed, and lies. Directed by Jeff Mikoni and produced by Jeff McDermott, the show opens Friday, May 5 and runs through Sunday, May 14 at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre in Rockville.

The setting is fictional Dublin, Missouri, county seat of Chosen County, in the late-1990s. The town is home to a prosperous cheese plant, a welcoming church, and a surprisingly good community theatre troupe. It's also home to the Hoch and Bates families, their friends and neighbors, and the occasional visitor. It's a place for community, nostalgia, and Middle-American values.

But when Ruth Hoch begins to question the accidental death of a neighbor and sets out on a determined crusade for the truth, Dublin's residents quickly turn on her-and each other. Part Thornton Wilder's Our Town, part George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan, this intriguing mystery explores how friendship, loyalty, and willful denial prevent people from confronting reality.

"From the first time I read Book of Days, I was hooked. The show takes familiar dramatic moments and twists them in unexpected directions, creating an American nostalgia play that isn't afraid to explore the dangerous side of sentimentality. And Wilson's script is so rich and layered that you can't help but be sucked into the story that he's telling," says director Jeff Mikoni.

Mikoni says the story of a small town and its residents, their secrets exposed after a possible murder in their midst, taps into a fundamental curiosity we all have about the people around us-our friends and strangers alike. The desire to know what others hide beneath the surface, coupled with a fear of what even good-intentioned people may be capable of doing to each other, are what drive the plot of Book of Days and make the play's characters so compelling.

Book of Days contains some mature themes and language and is recommended for ages 14 and over. The Saturday, May 13 show will be an American Sign Language (ASL)-interpreted performance.

Ticket & Venue Information
Performances are May 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, and 14 at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, 603 Edmonston Drive, Rockville, MD, 20851. Friday and Saturday night performances are at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. Tickets are $22 for adults and $20 for seniors and students, and are available by calling the box office at 240-314-8690, or by visiting http://fscottfitzgerald.showare.com. Special ticket pricing for groups is also available. For more information about Rockville Little Theatre, visit www.rlt-online.org.

Book of Days is directed by Jeff Mikoni and produced by Jeff McDermott. Featuring Marnie Kanarek (Ruth Hoch), Erin Kelman (Len Hoch), David Dieudonne (Boyd Middleton), Paige Fridell (Ginger Reed), Natalie McManus (Martha Hoch), Jill Goodrich (Sharon Bates), Spencer Knoll (James Bates), Sara Collins (LouAnn Bates), Matt Williams (Earl Hill), Nick Temple (Reverend Bobby Groves), and Jeff Asjes (Sheriff Conroy Atkins).

Scenic design by John Decker, lighting design by Jonathan Zucker, costume design by Erin Bone Steele, sound design by Jeff Mikoni and Chris Penick, and properties design by Jeff McDermott. Also with Davia Craumer as assistant director, Jen Katz as stage manager, and Narcy Klag as master carpenter.

Image Courtesy of The F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre