The cast of River Companys production of Woody Guthries American Song. Front row, from left: Ellie Busby, John Monterisi, and Erin Barton. Back row, from left: Nick Azzaretti, Cap’n Frank Bedell, Gary McCue, Ella Ackerman, and Sumner Richards III. (Photo courtesy River Company)
“Woody Guthrie’s American Song” finishes its two-week run at Skidompha Public Library in Damariscotta with a final evening performance on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. and matinee Sunday, Oct. 15 at 3 p.m.
In addition to River Company actors Ella Ackerman, Nick Azzaretti, Erin Barton, Eleanor Cade Busby, and Sumner Fernald Richards III, performances feature music by 32 North members John Monterisi, Cap’n Frank Bedell, and Gary McCue.
“Woody Guthrie’s American Song” features five actors in a true ensemble. Each performer takes a turn portraying Woody Guthrie and other characters. In lieu of giant set pieces, a projector plays images above the actors and the homey staging. With the first two rows at stage level, the audience is part of the action as actors perform and encourage people to sing along with the well-known lyrics.
This show is a favorite of director Torie DeLisle. She first saw it years ago in a phenomenal full production in Burlington, Vt. She had not previously been familiar with Guthrie’s music, but she loved the show and it stuck with her. Later she moved to the Midcoast and worked for a time at Skidompha Library, where she connected with its in-house theater group River Company.
In 2017, Skidompha Library sought companion media pieces to complement “The Boys in the Boat,” a nonfiction novel set at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The book was chosen as part of the Community Read program. DeLisle recommended the period-relevant “Woody Guthrie’s American Song” and that summer River Company performed excerpts in Porter Hall with 32 North.
“It was a highlight of my life to watch Nick (Azzaretti) completely get into character and sing ‘Union Maid,’” DeLisle said. Azzaretti, DeLisle, and 32 North return for this production.
Company member Busby is honored to be performing in “Woody Guthrie’s American Song.” Busby contributes to the Wiscasset Newspaper, where she shared her personal connection to the show. Her father, Curtis Cary Busby, was a member of the musical trio The Monument Mountaineers.
In Chicago in 1933, the elder Busby wrote “We run into this fella, Woody, who sang songs he wrote that got the blood boiling over the many things we need to fix in the world. We sang with this fella several nights and then we got on different freights on the way out west. I hope to run into him again.”
After years of pandemic-mandated hiatus and online productions, River Company is ready to see their regular audience again.
“One of the differences between Zoom theater and real theater is that ability to really connect with and interact with the audience, so doing a fun piece like this, that has a natural singalong feel good vibe component to it, felt important to have now that we can get together again and have that back in our lives,” DeLisle said. “We can all be together, these are all topical (issues), and it’s a fun show!”
Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for youth at the door or in advance by calling 449-2943 or going to rivercompany.ticketspice.com/woody.
