It had been produced a few years earlier at the Theatre de Lys with Lotte Lenya in the cast. The new production, directed by Gene Frankel, was bare bones. Subtitled An Improvisation, it was made up of excerpts from Brecht’s writings and songs, interspersed with taped readings from his appearance before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947. The cast consisted of six actors, three male and three female, who recited monologues or sang or both. There wasn’t much of a set to speak of—just a few chairs and maybe a table and a large photo of Brecht on a scrim in the background. The Sheridan Square Playhouse didn’t have a raised stage. The audience seating was in front and to the left and right of the performance area, which was in front of the theater’s back wall. There was a backstage room off to one side. I was the assistant to the stage manager and set designer, Quinton Raines. Quinton was originally from the South and in his late twenties, or early thirties. He was an aspiring playwright, and I later acted in a few showcase productions of one of his plays.
What do You think about A Freewheelin' Time (2008)?
