DIRECTOR
PLAYWRIGHT
FAITH HEALER
BY BRIAN FRIEL
NEXT ACT THEATRE
MILWAUKEE, WI
DIRECTOR'S NOTES
Faith Healer is the haunting portrait of a 20 year journey, of three lonely pilgrims driven by an awesome gift. The tale unfolds through a landscape of memory, laden with irony and contradictions. The language is extraordinary, the voices are profoundly personal. Yet by its end, the tale transcends its tellers, casting a stark and soulful gaze on human frailty before the fire of genius.
This production was also remounted at J. M. Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI
REVIEWS
“Next Act Theater’s production, directed by Edward Morgan, captures the myriad richness of Friel’s script - its lilting, glorious language, its resuscitative humor and its slow, devastating journey into the realities of the human soul. And its music... It’s a piece of work that should be – or should have been – seen by everyone who loves the theater and the stories it tells.”
– Milwaukee Magazine
“It is among the best productions I have seen this season…Under Edward Morgan’s confident direction, the Next Act cast fully trusts the text and its audience, resulting in more natural and therefore more affecting performances.”
– Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Director Edward Morgan keeps Faith Healer connected throughout the separate stories, enhanced by Rick Graham’s balanced set design of simple levels and a few well-placed props accentuating the storytelling.”
– Shepherd Express
“[Jonathan] Smoot’s final moments on stage end in a beautiful silhouette by Lighting Designer Jason Fassl. The lights fade. The applause sounds out. Faith Healer’s themes reverberate through the evening.”
– Vital Source Magazine
Lights: Jason Fassl / Mike Van Dresser
Costumes: Marcia Kuligowski
Set: Rick Graham
Sound: David Cescarini
Dialect: Susan Sweeney
