February 2003

Requiem for William is based on seven short plays by William Inge and conceived by Artistic Director Jack Cummings III.

Using a cast of 26 actors ranging from ages 8 to 80 and 11 composers/lyricists, Requiem for William explored themes of loneliness, the pursuit of fame, and the longing to return to something one can never revisit. Each play was followed by an original song that gave a unique insight sung from the point of view of the most minor character from that particular play. The composers and lyricists included: Michael John LaChiusa, Tom Kochan, Cheryl Stern, Beth Blatt, Jenny Giering, Ellen Weiss, Brian Crawley, Jeff Hardy, Ed Dixon, Mary-Mitchell Campbell, and Leslie Becker.

The seven short plays included: To Boblink, For Her Spirit – Determined celebrity autograph hunters wait outside a NYC Restaurant; The Rainy Afternoon – Three children emulate their parents while “playing house” which is both alarming and revealing; The Tiny Closet – A middle-aged bachelor is upset to find that someone has been tampering with his lock on his closet and has discovered his secret; Memory of Summer – Touching story of a middle-aged woman who has lost her youth; The Boy in the Basement – A miserable funeral home director who lives at home with his parents harbors a terrible shame; The Strains of Triumph – Set at a college track meet, a young man learns about heartbreak; A Social Event – Two Hollywood hopefuls pull out all the stops to get an invitation to a Hollywood bigwig’s funeral.

The orchestrations by Alden Terry used piano, clarinet, acoustic upright bass, and viola.