Take Her to See the Maco Lights by Bekah Brunstetter
Prologue Theatre Co.
The Chicago premiere of "Take Her to See the Maco Lights" follows a pair of young lovers to a dark railroad track where the past and the future converge. Drawing from folk history, pop culture, and America’s checkered past, “Maco Lights” weaves a ghostly love story with characters who are on a crash course to a certain stretch of overgrown railroad tracks in North Carolina.
In staging this premiere, I collaborated with the designers to create an environment as near as possible to the spirit of the play, which was originally conceived to be performed outdoors. Real trees and ambient nighttime sounds provided a harmonious environment for an intimate ghost story.
Directed by Margo Gray
Costumes Design by Beth Laske-Miller
Scenic Design by Dylan Marks
Lighting Design by Janna Webber
Sound Design by Curtis Powell
Performers: LaNisa Fredrick and John Wehrman
Photos by Tom McGrath and Stephen Davila
Press
"Bekah Brunstetter's short, sweet two-person play about a pair of star-crossed lovers (he's a rich white boy, she's working-class and African-American) unfolds with a beguiling simplicity and grace—and ends with a satisfying punch." -- The Chicago Reader >>
"The intimacy of the small room places audiences barely eavesdropping distance from the confidences exchanged in a play demanding close attention to every word. Under Margo Gray's direction, LaNisa Renee Frederick and John Wehrman trip daintily through their mosaic text, while Beth Laske-Miller and Barbara Trinh's period accouterments keep us anchored in the present, however slippery its boundaries." -- Windy City Times >>
"It almost feels spontaneous. The entire ambiance lulls with a simplistic charm. Playwright Bekah Brunstetter knows how to tell a story… make that several stories at the same time and over time. Director Margo Gray effectively intertwines the two main tales together." -- Chicago Theater Beat >>