"Autumn in the Valley" was written by Grand Valley theatre professor James Bell and his brother John Bell, the associate dean of the College of Biology at Brigham Young. It was first developed as part of the Plays-in-Progress series at the Utah Shakespearean Festival in 1999. It had three staged reading performances there as well as a subsequent staged reading at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City, Utah.
The drama concentrates on a young woman who, while confronting her deaf sister and memories of her mother, discovers family secrets that involve the famed trial and execution of IWW organizer and songwriter Joe Hill.
Hill's story is the backdrop for the play about the dynamics of a family of five females. Yet, just as the accounts of Joe Hill's life are hard to pin down as truth or folk lore legacy of a labor union martyr, the play is structured to keep audiences wondering how much is fact or fiction.
"Two of the characters are loosely modeled on family members," said James. "Though they had no connection to Joe Hill, the character Coralee has attributes of our grandmother, and our great aunt inspired the character of her deaf sister, Myna."
The production unfolds in a highly visual and stylized manner including multi-media projections of historical photos and newspaper headlines about Hill's trial and death by firing squad in 1915. A special post-performance question and answer session with the playwrights is planned for Friday, November 10, and a pre-show discussion with the playwrights on Saturday, November 11.
Performances are November 10-11, and 16-18, at 7: 30 p.m., and November 12, at 2 p.m. in the Louis Armstrong Theatre, Performing Arts Center, Allendale Campus. Tickets, available at the LAT Box Office, are $12 general admission, $10 faculty/staff/seniors, and $6 all students. Tickets may also be purchased through Star Tickets Plus, with a service fee, by calling (616) 222-4000 or (800) 585-3737, online at www.starticketsplus.com or at any Star Ticket Plus outlet.
Media may contact James Bell at (616) 331-3066
