I’ve been looking forward to Mayberry for a long time. Sean Lewis came to Hancher with the idea for a new play about Iowa City in 2010. He was inspired by the controversial conversations on news outlets about “people from Chicago” and wanted to explore the deeper story behind the dramatic postings on newspaper comment boards. The play that he’s developed, Mayberry, focuses on hot-button topics including the migration of African-Americans to Iowa City and how a college town adjusts to a new group of people in the community.
Since that initial meeting with Hancher, I’ve been working consistently with Sean and his company, Working Group Theatre, throughout the past eighteen months. Sean’s been a part of many educational activities at Hancher, including co-leading a faculty institute with a focus on the arts and being a guest speaker at many university classes. He’s been busy researching this play, writing the script, and directing the production.
I’m lucky because I’ve had an insiders’ view of Mayberry over the course of its development. I’ve been to readings, open rehearsals, seen script and set revisions. Our production staff has been even more involved—building sets, painting materials, stage managing the show. It’s normal to see Sean at our offices once a week. We’ve been integrally involved with the development and production of this play, which is something that we don’t often get to do with touring artists. Our partnership with Working Group Theatre has been an important part of our programming this year, allowing us to be more deeply involved in our local arts scene.
I can’t wait to see the completed production today. This play will make you laugh. It might make you cry. It will probably make you feel uncomfortable. But I am sure of one thing—it will get you to think about your community.
—Erin Donohue
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