The Process is the Play

It's Old! It's New! It's Now!

At Irondale, we believe that "the process is the play" (as American Theatre Magazine aptly described in this article) and we want to invite you, our audience, to step inside the Irondale process and become a part of our next creative venture:

THE PROCESS IS THE PLAY, a series of 3-day explorations dedicated to experimenting the Irondale methodology of devising plays, in development for over 40 years.

This series marks the third and final iteration of the AMERICAN CENTURY arc and is a bold initiative to open up our creative process to our audiences as we begin to approach "new" plays.

THE PLAYS

• The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder, winner of the 1943 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is a satirical and allegorical play that follows the Antrobus family—George, his wife Maggie, their children Henry and Gladys, and their maid Sabina—as they navigate through various apocalyptic events that mirror major periods in human history. The play was written in 1942 and it premiered on Broadway that same year during World War II, which influenced its themes of survival and resilience in the face of catastrophe.

• I Can't Remember Anything by Arthur Miller, written in 1977, is a short, two-character play about the friendship between Leo, a retired engineer, and Leonora, a widow and former artist, both in the later stages of their lives. As they reminisce about the past, they struggle with memory loss and reflect on the passage of time, the meaning of life, and their differing political views. The play is a poignant exploration of aging, loneliness, and the difficulty of maintaining meaningful connections as memories fade and the world changes around them.

• A House Not Meant to Stand by Tennessee Williams is a dark comedy that follows the dysfunctional McCorkle family in the aftermath of their son’s sudden death. Set in a decaying house on the Gulf Coast, the play focuses on Cornelius McCorkle, a cynical and abusive old man, and his frail wife, Bella, who is losing her grip on reality. As family members and neighbors come and go, the play explores themes of greed, death, and the disintegration of both family and society. The play was written in 1982 and it was one of Williams' final full-length plays, marking a departure from his earlier, more well-known works, and the incorporation of more absurdist and dark comedic elements.

We believe that these plays have been unjustly overlooked, dismissed, or misunderstood in the past, and we want to give our own spin to them. And since the Irondale methodology is deeply rooted in the revolutionary improvisational techniques of Viola Spolin and Paul Sills, so the rehearsal room is truly where the magic happens – that's why we want you there with us!

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THE PROCESS

Our series kicks off with Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth on October 7th, followed by Arthur Miller's I Can't Remember Anything on November 4th, and concludes with Tennessee Williams' A House Not Meant to Stand in February 2025.

Each play will undergo three days of intensive exploration and after each rehearsal, we'll host a special Zoom Debrief exclusively for members of Irondale's new membership program, the Director's Circle, where we'll share the day's discoveries and insights. Then, we will await for you to join us and witness the "process-at-work" that goes on at Irondale.

These performances are open to the public on a Donate-What-You-Wish basis, allowing everyone to experience the magic of theatre. Your support, whether big or small, makes a significant impact on our work.

Join us on this exciting journey into the unknown as we continue to push the boundaries of theatre and storytelling.‍

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A bare stage, a circle of chairs, meet us there.‍