Événement

Grinder's Stand

Suicide? Murder? Assassination? In 1978, Oakley Hall III, Artistic Director of Greene County's now-legendary Lexington Conservatory Theatre, completed a play called GRINDER'S STAND about the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Meriwether Lewis (of the Lewis & Clark expedition) on the Natchez Trace in Tennessee. That same year, under mysterious circumstances, Hall himself fell from a bridge spanning Schoharie Creek and sustained massive head trauma from which he never fully recovered. His play premiered in Lexington the following summer to wild acclaim. And now, innovative theatre troupe Kaliyuga Arts will mount a major revival of Hall's masterpiece just a few miles from where it was first conceived and produced. GRINDER'S STAND will be presented for eight performances only at the Bridge Street Theatre "Raw Space", 44 West Bridge Street in Catskill, from October 8-18.

"Oakley was a creative genius and an utterly unpredictable force of nature, idolized by those with whom he worked and worshipped by anyone lucky enough to have experienced what he created," says Steven Patterson, who will be featured in the production and was a member of the original Lexington Conservatory Theatre. "And like Oakley, Meriwether Lewis was a rockstar in his day. An erratic, addicted, charismatic hero, beloved by the masses. Given the controversy still swirling over Lewis' death and the uncertainty concerning Oakley's near-fatal accident, there's so much resonance at play that will surely inspire us to make this production an experience to remember."

GRINDER'S STAND features William Dobbins, Stephen Jones, Jon Lee, Phillip Levine, Brett Owen, Steven Patterson, and Nancy Rothman in the cast. Running concurrently with the production will be an exhibit highlighting the life of playwright Oakley Hall III and the legacy of the Lexington Conservatory Theatre as part of Greene County's rich artistic and cultural heritage, featuring archival photos of the company and its productions, as well as screenings of Bill Rose's documentary about Oakley, THE LOSS OF NAMELESS THINGS.