by Eugene O'Neill
March 8-11 at 7:30pm
March 12 at 2:00pm
Albert Taylor Theatre, Shilling Hall
Millikin University, Decatur, IL

Director
Dr. David A. Golden
Set Designer
Barbara Mangrum
Costume Designer
Krissa Lent
Lighting Designer
Erin Hoffman
Sound Designer
Brian Wussow
Dramaturg
Heidi Schmitt
Cast
William A. Brown 
Phillip Sikes
His Father, a contractor
Jeremy Blair
His Mother
 Sarah Dowling
Dion Anthony
 Jim Harnett
His Father, a builder
Brian Rohde 
His Mother 
Julie Pope 
Margaret
 Christine Cherry
Her Three Sons

Drew Wancket
Zach Uttich
Colin Breen
Cybel
Jennifer Tullock 
Two Draftsmen
Michael Brown
Adam Qualls 
Stenographer
Andrea Giles
Three Committeemen
Casey Baugher
Kenneth Crum
Jonathan Drogos
Police Captains
Ryan Gilbert
Robert Nosek
 Bob Skosky
Crew
 Stage Manager
Stephen Moore  
Assistant Stage Manager
 Shaunessy Quinn
 Assistant Scene Designers
 Matt Borysewicz
Maggie Crawford
Technical Director
Rob Kovarik 
Assistant Technical Director
 Jason Hauslein
 Production Manager
Sarah May
 Properties Master
 Jenn Flentge
Paint Charge
 Maggie Crawford
Master Carpenter
Pietro Notarnicola 
Costume Director
Jana Henry
Assistant Costumer
Glenda Richardson
Cutter/Draper
Matt Willer
Hair/Makeup Designer
Lauren Hysell
Costume Crafts
Rikki Techner
Wardrobe Supervisor
Tiffany Lent
Master Electrician
Megan Stadick
Asst. Master Electrician
Caitlin Hunter
Shop Foreman
Nick Adelsberger
Synopsis
The play focuses on the lives of three main characters: Dion Anthony, a failed artist; his wife, Margaret; and Billy Brown, a successful architect and friend to Dion and Margaret. Throughout the play, these characters wear masks that serve several purposes. They help the characters hide and thus protect their vulnerable inner selves while, at the same time, allowing them to project pleasing public images in an attempt to restore their confidence in themselves. Yet, ultimately, the tensions that result from not being able to reveal their true selves cause the characters to suffer and further isolate themselves from each other. The Great god Brown presents a penetrating study of the inner workings of the human psyche as it struggles to cope with betrayal, failure, and a search fro identity.
from the Director
Notes

Originally produced in 1926, The Great God Brown was an early example of Expressionism and was a precursor to the American avant-garde movement. O’Neill uses multiple masks to represent the public and personal personas of the main characters. The public image of the characters tends to be slick and unfeeling while the lives under the mask, which O’Neill seems to represent as the true reality of mankind, are fraught with sensitivity and vulnerability. Some might think this play is a comment on the artist.

We have chosen to represent the public world as black, white, and gray, while the inner world of the prostitute Cybel is the only colorful haven in the play. As always, O’Neill represents the prostitute as a hooker with a heart of gold. The rich language and symbolism of the play are vibrant and thought provoking.

--Dr. David A. Golden
Poster design by Kyle Nelson, '06
from the Dramaturg
When the Treaty of Versailles ended World War I in 1919, many people searched for an alternative form of expression from the pre-war, nationalist Romanticism and Realism. A new movement in the arts surfaced in Germany – Expressionism. Rather than illustrate “true life”, this new style warps reality by presenting it from a single character’s perspective. Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) serves as a fine example and remains a popular German Expressionist film.

Realism dominated the American theatre scene. Eugene O’Neill became a pioneer for modern American drama through his use of expressionism. He explores this with his use of the masks in The Great God Brown. Eugene O’Neill also addresses other areas of popular culture in the 1920’s such as the theories of Freud and Darwinism.

- Heidi Schmitt