Wednesday, January 27, 2010

THIS TRAIN getting people talking

After watching Tony in THIS TRAIN I find myself sharing stories I've never told anyone about my past. There must be something about Tony... here's what you have been sharing with us:

"Thinking about how my parents both made it through The Depression, Mom in Oklahoma and Texas and Dad in Virginia and West Virginia. Tony Fitzpatrick's This Train opened at 16th Street Theater in Berwyn last night -- it's an emotional ride through those days and today. Thanks Tony and Ann Filmer!" -- Debbie

"The piece was so powerful, it's taken three days to find the words
to express my gratitude for this theater experience!
Like homespun cloth, like jazz . The driving rhythm . . . I could feel the
energy of the rushing train . . . the unrelenting mindless force
that changed a nation and people's lives . . . also as a symbol of the rush
business and politics that catch folks in a whirlwind and obliviously
moves on . . . . contrasted with the details of daily life . . . infused with meaning
through impassioned storytelling.
From my point of view, this was a masterpiece echoing the life force
manifesting beauty, horror, humor . . . heart.
Authentic . . . truly a great privilege to be present to the monumental, human
presence of Tony Fitzpatrick and his friends.
Congratulations, Ann . . . for bringing This Train into the station." -- Joyce

"I must say I've seen a lot of theater in my life and found This Train to be hilarious, sweet, and thought provoking. It made me nostalgic of growing up in the old neighborhood as I have encountered many of the characters Tony speaks of in the play. I laughed, I cried (I did). Wonderful!!" -- Michael

"Thanks for putting together such a fab show! THIS TRAIN was really outstanding....I am a native Chicagoan and so I made a lot of immediate connections with it but I believe there are a lot of universal themes..." -- Rich

"Congrats, Ann,

Thank you for a string of unique pearls, linked together for an excellent concept of home. You directed a clean and simple sketchbook of impacting notions that appeared and disappeared right before our eyes. With surprising brevity, the echoes reverberated many hours later.

This brought to mind an article I recall from many years ago about Picasso visiting a Kindergarten art class. He said, 'When I was their age, I could draw like Raphael; I've been trying to draw like they do ever since.'

You and Tony succeeded in jumping into the middle of our lives and showed us pictures we're often too busy to otherwise notice."

Ron and Celia

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Keep them coming. We treasure the dialogue.