"This staged reading is hotter than most fully produced shows."

Our American Theater Company's mission is to "bring to life the voices of the American theater, from the classic, the obscure, the unsung, to the new." To that end, they mount several staged readings each year, and generally one fully staged production, many focused on some of our most important historic American plays and playwrights.

February 1 and 2, OAT presented a staged reading of All My Sons, by Arthur Miller. This is a classic play with masterful dialogue and a devastating, though fully plausible, conclusion. Joe Keller's manufacturing plant sent defective plane engines to the military, causing the death of some young pilots. A court case convicted Joe's partner, Steve Deever, of covering up the defects and Deever went to jail. Deever tried, during the court case, to show that Joe Keller knew all about the defects, and the cover up, and ordered the delivery of defective merchandise. Deever is not believed and Keller goes free and goes home.

The play picks up a few years later, after one of Keller's sons, a pilot, dies in the war (World War II) and his other son wants to marry the girl next-door, who used to be engaged to the pilot. Kate Keller, Joe's wife, refuses to believe in her son's death and tries to prevent this marriage. Over a 24-hour period, Joe's secret, he did know about the defective parts, comes out and more tragedy ensues.

Since OAT presents its readings as free/donation, AEA actors may participate at their choice in the readings. So, many fine actors take part in their readings. They don't wear much costuming, maybe looking into their wardrobe to find something appropriate, if necessary, and there is no set and no lighting, and little staging. There are only a few rehearsals. No script memorization is necessary.

In this stripped-down atmosphere, sometimes a staged reading feels like a poor cousin to the real thing. This reading of All My Sons was so powerful, emotional, and well-acted, that it was as good or better than many fully staged productions.

Key to the performance were Richard Ziman as Joe Keller, Therese Diekhans as Kate Keller, Eric Reidman as Chris Keller, Shanna Allman as girl next-door, Anne Deever, and John Ulman as Anne's brother, George.

Watch for their next staged reading, Another Part of the Forest, by Lillian Hellman, March 15 and 16, 2010!