Directed by Rod Oden
Music Direction by Laurie Klaus
November 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 & 28, 2020 at 7:30pm
When her father dies unexpectedly, graphic novelist Alison dives deep into her past to tell the story of the volatile, brilliant, one-of-a-kind man whose temperament and secrets defined her family and her life.
Moving between past and present, Alison relives her unique childhood playing at the family’s Bechdel Funeral Home, her growing understanding of her own sexuality, and the looming, unanswerable questions about her father’s hidden desires. Fun Home is a refreshingly honest, wholly original musical about seeing your parents through grown-up eyes. Winner of the 2015 Tony for Best Musical, and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Cast
ALISON
43 years old, a cartoonist
MEDIUM ALISON
19 years old, a college freshman
SMALL ALISON
around 9 years old
BRUCE BECHDEL
Alison’s father
HELEN BECHDEL
Alison’s mother
CHRISTIAN BECHDEL
Alison’s brother, around 10 years old
JOHN BECHDEL
Alison’s brother, around 6 years old
ROY
a young man Bruce hires to do yard work
MARK
a high school junior
JOAN
a college student
PETE
a mourner
BOBBY JEREMY AND THE SUSAN DEYS
imaginary television characters
Production Staff
Rod Oden
Laurie Klaus
About the Composer Jenine Tesori
Jeanine Tesori has written a diverse catalog for Broadway, opera, film and television. Her Broadway musicals include: Fun Home (2015 Tony Award Winner, Pulitzer finalist); Violet; Caroline, or Change; Shrek the Musical; Thoroughly Modern Millie; Twelfth Night (LCT); John Guare’s A Free Man of Color. Delacorte: Mother Courage (starring Meryl Streep). She has received five Tony nominations, three Obie Awards and three Drama Desk Awards. The hallmarks of her work have been described as "close-to-the-surface emotion, structural rigor and rhythmic drive."
Her operas include: The Lion, the Unicorn and Me and Blizzard on Marblehead Neck (MET/LCT Opera/Theater and Glimmerglass Opera commission); her upcoming collaboration with Tazewell Thompson, Blue, was commissioned for Glimmerglass Opera company and will premiere there next season. She wrote the musical featured in the 2016 revival of Gilmore Girls and has also written special material for artists such as The Girl in 14G for Kristin Chenoweth and has been featured in the documentaries Show Business and Theater of War.
Jeanine Tesori became the founding Artistic Director of a new concert series at New York City Center called Encores! Off-Center, for which she has helmed seasons joined by artists such as Stephen Sondheim, Lin Manuel-Miranda, Randy Newman, William Finn, Alan Menken, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Sutton Foster and Jonathan Groff. After producing four seasons of Off-Center concerts, she took one of those concerts, Sunday in the Park with George (starring Jake Gyllenhaal) to Broadway where she produced the 2017 revival, with ATG and Riva Marker. She was the recording producer for Sunday as well as the Original Cast Recordings of Violet; Caroline, or Change; Shrek; Twelfth Night; etc.
A lecturer in music at Yale and on faculty at Columbia University, Tesori has spoken and taught at universities and programs all over the country. She is the founding Creative Director of the non-profit A BroaderWay, an arts empowerment program for young women. She was given the Einhorn Mentorship Award by Primary Stages for her exceptional work with young artists. Her daughter, Siena Rafter, is a sophomore at Brown University.
About the Author and Lyricist Lisa Kron
Lisa Kron is a writer and performer whose work has been widely produced in New York, regionally, and internationally. Her plays include Well, 2.5 Minute Ride, and The Ver**zon Play. She wrote the book and lyrics for the musical Fun Home (with music by composer Jeanine Tesori), winner of five 2015 Tony Awards including Best Musical. Lisa and Jeanine were the first all-woman team to ever receive a Tony for best score. As an actor Lisa was most recently seen as Mrs. Mi-Tzu and Mrs. Yang in the Foundry Theater’s acclaimed production of Good Person of Szechuan (Lortel Award, Outstanding Featured Actress). Honors include a Guggenheim fellowship, a Doris Duke Performing Artists Award, and the Cal Arts/Alpert Award. She is a proud founding member of the OBIE- and Bessie-Award-winning collaborative theater company The Five Lesbian Brothers. Lisa currently serves as Secretary of the Dramatists Guild Council and on the boards of the McDowell Colony and the Lilly Awards.
Mr. Wilson’s early works included the one-act plays The Janitor, Recycle, The Coldest Day of the Year, Malcolm X, The Homecoming, and the musical satire Black Bart and the Sacred Hills. Mr. Wilson received many fellowships and awards, including the Rockefeller and Guggenheim Fellowships in Playwriting, the Whiting Writers Award, 2003 Heinz Award, was awarded a 1999 National Humanities Medal by President Bill Clinton, and received numerous honorary degrees from colleges and universities, as well as the only high school diploma ever issued by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. He was an alumnus of New Dramatists, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a 1995 inductee into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and on October 16, 2005, Broadway renamed the theater located at 245 West 52nd Street - The August Wilson Theatre.
Today, his plays continue to be produced, and his place in the American Theatre continues to grow. New York Public Radio recorded all ten plays in the THE AMERICAN CENTURY CYCLE at the Greene Space, casting many of the actors that worked on the original productions. PBS aired a documentary on Mr. Wilson entitled, The Ground On Which I Stand, as part of the American Masters series. Mr. Wilson was born and raised in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and lived in Seattle, Washington at the time of his death. He is immediately survived by his two daughters, Sakina Ansari and Azula Carmen Wilson, and his wife, costume designer Constanza Romero, who is the executor of his estate.
Executive Director Rod Oden
Whether for the audiences on a professional stage or teaching students in a technical workshop, Rod Oden is proud to have over fifteen years experience in a variety of venues, genres and audiences. Rod has designed on stages from Los Angeles to New Orleans, and in virtually every type of venue. He enjoys working alongside community members, volunteers and students to help grow and create professional experiences in the theatre. Rod’s experience has provided him a varied theatrical background, including being a former Artistic Director, founding 2 non-for-profit theatre groups, marketing and business systems for the theatre, all the while enjoying the privilege of Technical Directing.
Some of his favorite work includes Tuck Everlasting (New Orleans Regional Premiere), Chicago, August: Osage County, The 39 Steps, The Mousetrap, Spamalot, How I learned to Drive, Shrek, and Lombardi (WV Premiere). Rod was previously the Production Manager & Technical Director of the Jefferson Performing Arts Society in New Orleans, LA and the Technical Director of the Actors Guild of Parkersburg in Parkersburg, WV. He has worked with countless community theaters, educational organizations and professional troupes to produce quality, high-end productions audiences have enjoyed watching.
As Executive Director, Rod looks forward to continuing Lee Street’s strong delivery of productions, concerts and events that exemplify our Mission Statement and Values. He also looks forward to continuing and growing our community partnerships, investing even more on the strong community that is Salisbury. Rod is blessed and thankful for his beautiful wife Raquel and his four precious boys Tristan, Lucas, Jamie and Sylar. He also enjoys spending time with his two lovely daughters Ariel and Isabelle.
Reviews
"A rare beauty, extraordinary and heart-gripping." - Ben Brantley, The New York Times
"Few shows are as moving, relatable, and funny." - Associated Press
"Exquisite. An emotional powerhouse." - Chicago Tribune
"The best musical of the season." - New York Magazine
"The Best Broadway Musical in years, with the finest score in a decade." - Huffington Post
"FIVE STARS. Fun Home has enormous intelligence and sensitivity. It's not your ordinary Broadway musical, because it is extraordinary." - Time Out New York