J.B. by Archibald MacLeish

September 14–October 6, 2012
Gunston Theatre Two (directions)

Performed in a circus ring, this theatrical updating of the biblical story of Job begins when two vendors in a circus take on the roles of Satan and God to examine the meaning of life by observing the travails of J.B., a banker whose life falls apart in chunks. Written in response to events around him—two world wars, the Holocaust, and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki—MacLeish turned to the Biblical story’s framework, writing that it seemed a sensible format “when you are dealing with questions too large for you which, nevertheless, will not leave you alone.” J.B., his third verse play, was initially conceived on Broadway by Elia Kazan, the director who shaped so many of Tennessee Williams’ best works. It received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Tony for Best Play in 1959. The play subsequently sparked a national conversation about the nature of God, the nature of hope, and the role of the artist in society.

Longtime TACT artistic associate Rip Claassen directs. Claassen directed the 2011 hit Visit to a Small Planet and most recently was Costume Designer for Marathon ’33. The cast includes TACT favorites John Tweel as J.B. (Job), Bruce Alan Rauscher as Nickles (The Devil), and Steve Lebens as Mr. Zuss (God) with Julie Roundtree as J.B.’s wife, Sarah. Rounding out the large cast are Loren Bray, Jennifer Brown, Kathryn Browning, Kecia Campbell, Evan Crump, Joshua Dick, Caroline Frias, Kaiya Gordon, Robert Heinly, Sam Landa, Chanukah Jane Lilburne, Joshua Rosenblum, Jakob Sudberry, George Tamerlani, Allison Turkel, and Zak Gordon.

Trena Weiss-Null is the Scenic Designer and the Properties Designer is Michelle Hitchcock. Zachary Dalton is the Lighting Designer and Lorraine Slattery is the Costume Designer. Ed Moser is the Sound Designer. Katie Dooley is the Stage Manager and Johanna Schoenborn is the Assistant Stage Manager.

Show-opener Clown Reverie begins 5 minutes before curtain
Running time: 2 hours, including one 15-minute intermission
Note: Performance contains fog effects, smoking— and clowns