GOOD PEOPLE
by David Lindsay-Abaire
(February 28 to March 21 15, 2020)
Director: Cliona Kenny
Producer: David Nicholson
The final performance of GOOD PEOPLE was Sunday March 15; performances on March 19,20, 21 were cancelled. We regret the decision, but these are extraordinary times, aren’t they? Further news about our next season will be published as decisions are made.
Click on the ticket below to find out how to buy one – or a subscription – (& for show dates.)
Note: GOOD PEOPLE is Village Player’s entry in the 2019-20 ACT-CO festival. There will be a public adjudication after our Friday, March 6 performance (followed by a private adjudication for cast and crew)
NEWS, April 5, 2020
GOOD PEOPLE earned 9 nominations. Congratulations to:
1. Male in a supporting role: Matthew Taylor
2. Female in a supporting role: Alyssa Quart
3. Female in a supporting role: Chantel McDonald
4. Props design: JD Joute
5. Costume design: Anne Harper
6. Sound design: Samantha DeVries
7. Female in a leading role: Renée Cullen
8. Stage manager: Bridget Jankowski
9. Production (drama): Good People
Production photos by Jennifer Monteith
AND HERE’S OUR CAST! (click on composite photo to see more)
About the play….
Welcome to Southie, a Boston neighborhood where a night on the town means a few rounds of bingo, where this month’s paycheck covers last month’s bills, and where Margie Walsh has just been let go from yet another job. Facing eviction and scrambling to catch a break, Margie thinks Mikey, an old fling who’s made it out of Southie might be her ticket to a fresh new start. But is this apparently self-made man secure enough to face his humble beginnings? Margie is about to risk what little she has left to find out. With his signature humorous glow, Lindsay-Abaire explores the struggles, shifting loyalties and unshakeable hopes that come with having next to nothing in America.
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you understand Margaret Walsh from the get-go, because she’s not an easy gal to get a fix on. Not at first, anyway.”
~ New York Times, 2011. “The scrappy characters have tremendous appeal, and the moral dilemma they grapple with—is it strength of character or just a few lucky breaks that determines a person’s fate? – holds special significance in today’s harsh economic climate.”
~ Variety, 2011“The genius of Lindsay-Abaire’s play … is that our own feelings about Margie — our judgment as to whether she really is “good people” — shifts as new details about her past emerge.”
~ Chicago Tribune, 2017
About David Lindsay-Abaire, the playwright….
David Lindsay-Abaire is a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, screenwriter, lyricist, and librettist. Good People is his most recent play, it premiered on Broadway, and was awarded the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, The Horton Foote Prize, The Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award, and two Tony nominations.
TCG named Mr. Lindsay-Abaire as the most produced playwright in America for the 2012-13 season, and Good People as the most produced play. His previous play, Rabbit Hole, received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, five Tony nominations, and the Spirit of America Award. He also wrote the book and lyrics for Shrek the Musical, which was nominated for eight Tonys, four Oliviers, a Grammy, and earned Mr. Lindsay-Abaire the Ed Kleban Award as America’s most promising musical theatre lyricist.
Mr. Lindsay-Abaire’s other plays include Fuddy Meers, Kimberly Akimbo, Wonder of the World, and A Devil Inside, among others. In addition to his work in theatre, Mr. Lindsay-Abaire’s screen credits include his film adaptation of Rabbit Hole (starring Nicole Kidman — Oscar Nomination), Dreamworks’ Rise of the Guardians, and MGM’s upcoming Poltergeist reboot, among others.
“… because it was about my old neighborhood, I was terrified of anyone seeing the characters as being outlandish or cartoonish or not real. In addition, everyone I grew up with, they were incredibly funny people so I knew humor had to be in there. My friends and family all used humor in a very specific way, often as a coping mechanism to assuage hardships they were going through. No matter how horrible things got, humor was always present.”
~ David Lindsay-Abaire
About Cliona Kenny, the director…
Village Players is tickled pink (or green) to have award-winning Cliona Kenny direct Good People. Her record of accomplishments for Toronto Irish Players include ACT-CO Thea awards as best director for Little Gem (2018) and best direction of an ensemble for Elvis’s Toenail (2015) (the playwright was her sister!). She had previously been nominated for her direction of Shining City, Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, Juno and The Paycock, and Translations. Her Little Gem and Translations both won Theas in their year for best production. That shows the kind of first-rate performances she’s able to inspire in her actors – and which she is now doing for the benefit of Village Players audiences.
An actor herself, Cliona’s roles have included Moll in Moll, Dophie in Midden, Eileen in The Cripple of Innishmaan, Mrs. Gibbs in Our Town, Maureen in The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Maggie in Dancing at Lughnasa, and Mrs Tancreed in Juno and The Paycock.
Village Players 