From left to right: Paul Woolery, Michael Reid, and Nathan Rousseau in Big Britches Productions' "The Man From Earth," which will premiere at The Bingen Theater on Oct. 2. Sean Avery photos.
From left to right: Paul Woolery, Michael Reid, and Nathan Rousseau in Big Britches Productions' "The Man From Earth," which will premiere at The Bingen Theater on Oct. 2. Sean Avery photos.
The ensemble of 'The Man From Earth,' which will premiere at The Bingen Theater on Oct. 2.
From left to right: David Dye, Mari Black, and Michael Reid.
Nathan Rousseau (left) and Jesse McKenzie (right).
Nathan Rousseau as John Oldman.
David Dye (right) and Michael Reid (left).
From left to right: David Dye, Jesse McKenzie, Michael Reid, Paul Woolery, and Nathan Rousseau.
From left to right: Jesse McKenzie, Tiernan Ryden, and Nathan Rousseau.
From left to right: Nathan Rousseau, Paul Woolery, and Tiernan Ryden.
Nathan Rousseau plays John Oldman, a 14,000 year old man, in "The Man From Earth."
From left to right: Paul Woolery, Nathan Rousseau, and Jesse McKenzie.
BINGEN — What if a man born in the Upper Paleolithic survived to the present — through every plague, war, discovery, and disaster? Big Britches Productions’ (BBP) latest play, “The Man From Earth,” proposes this question and more, examining time, mortality, and religion in a tight but challenging 90 minutes.
Equal parts comedy and deconstructive history lesson, the show will premiere at the Bingen Theater on Oct. 2 and run for three weekends.
BPP co-owners April and Joe Garoutte — the show’s artistic director and director, respectively — read over 100 scripts while choosing this year’s slate, which has included the psychological drama “The Other Place” and the musical-fantasy “String.”
Based on a 2007 cult-classic film written by Jerome Bixby, Richard Schenkman’s stage adaptation of “The Man From Earth” is relatively unsung, in congruence with many of BBP’s works. April Garoutte found the script engaging, and once she reached a certain revelatory beat — which you’ll have to see for yourself — she determined it would challenge audiences.
“The scripts that compel us are the ones that challenge people,” Joe Garoutte said. “This was an easy choice for us once April found it.”
The story follows university professor John Oldman (Nathan Rousseau), who abruptly resigns after 10 years. After John departs from his going-away party, his colleagues follow and confront him at his house, drawing a mind-warping confession: he is 14,000 years old and has lived through every era since the Stone Age.
From left to right: Jesse McKenzie, Dana Whitmore, Mari Black, Nathan Rousseau, David Dye, and Michael Reid.
For its entirety, the play unfolds as a cerebral, dialogue-driven back-and-forth, as an implausible story confronts skeptical scholars. “The Man From Earth” examines religion as a means of social control, mortality as a gift, and history as a contentious, repeating cycle without offering bona fide answers; it encourages audiences to think critically and openly about what — and how — they’ve learned about humanity.
The Garouttes said the production’s greatest hurdles came in achieving flow and memorizing lines, especially as BBP welcomed new actors. Rousseau and the primary ensemble remain on stage for the play’s entirety, unable to rest backstage, refresh their memory, and return.
Still, they pull it off seamlessly. April Garoutte credited Joe’s “excellent direction — getting everybody to talk to each other like they’ve known each other for years and years,” she said.
Rousseau, who lit up the stage as Zeus in “String” in August, assumes and crushes the lead role this time around. He delivers lines with steady grace, composure, and occasional snark, selling himself as a studied professor and timeless entity. “It was a completely different experience,” Rousseau said. “I had to be locked in from before the first day.”
Nathan Rousseau plays John Oldman, a 14,000-year-old man, in "The Man From Earth."
While rehearsing, Rousseau created a document of every scene and line, picking apart the script’s psychology. “I hope audiences have an open mind,” he said. “That they can hold two opinions at once, and that there’s comfort in uncertainty.”
David Dye as Harry in "The Man From Earth."
David Dye is a comedic standout as Harry, bantering with his colleagues, and Mari Black shines as stubborn religious absolutist Edith. Michael Reid, Tiernan Ryden, Jesse McKenzie, Dana Whitmore, and Paul Woolery mesh well together to round out the ensemble.
The homey set features a rustic cabin located in the American Southwest, garnished by a beautiful mural from April Garoutte, portraying a desert landscape when the characters open the front door.
The cast and crew hope that viewers feel challenged in their thinking, whether philosophical, religious, or something else, and leave eager for conversation on the car ride home.
BBP invites audience members to stay after the show to talk with the cast and crew. The bar will be open, encouraging rich conversations among the Gorge’s passionate theatre lovers. For tickets, visitbigbritches.org.
Newcomers
There were two newcomers in “The Man From Earth” and one actor debuting at The Bingen after a 60-year hiatus.
McKenzie, who plays Art, and Whitmore, who plays Linda, each made their first appearance as adults on stage last Friday.
McKenzie hadn’t seen a musical in the Gorge until enjoying “String” at The Bingen in August. The performance moved him and inspired an audition for “The Man From Earth.” Though he’s never done anything like it, he showed up anyway and got the part. Since then, McKenzie has experienced “the highs and lows of fear, loathing, excitement, and trepidation,” and would like to continue acting.
Whitmore has volunteered with the theater and attended many a preview night. When she saw BBP was doing “The Man From Earth,” which is sampled in a song she likes, she decided to go for it. “I’m not a spotlight person,” Whitmore said. “But it’s been really good getting out of my comfort zone and growing.”
Woolery, who last performed in 1966, did a couple of stage readings recently and enjoyed his experience playing in front of a small audience in an intimate setting. Though interested in joining community theatre, he wasn’t confident he could memorize lines. Still, he knew if he was going to trust anybody, it would be the Garouttes, who he’s known for some time. “Acting is addictive. It’s tremendous fun. We’re having a blast,” Woolery said.
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