Ohio premiere of 'The Shawshank Redemption' at Avenue Arts in Canton
"The Shawshank Redemption" opened at Avenue Arts last weekend, but performances scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday have been canceled due to illness within the cast, Sparks said.
Avenue Arts made the announcement Wednesday, citing "the need to continue to keep our community and patrons safe and healthy."
Sparks said the illness is COVID-19 related.
The director said Thursday morning that performances are still scheduled for Oct. 22, 23 and 24. Friday and Saturday shows are at 8 p.m., and Sunday performances are at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at www.avenueartscanton.com.
Avenue Arts Theatre is at 207 Sixth St. NW.
The theater box office will be contacting those who had purchased tickets for the canceled shows to make accommodations.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, Avenue Arts is requiring that all patrons remain masked at upcoming performances.
Masks will be provided at the door to those who arrive without them. The production also contains violent content and depictions of sexual assault, Sparks noted.
New characters featured
Prior to beginning the project, Sparks rewatched the movie and read Stephen King's novella on which the film and theatrical script are based, "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption."
Retelling the familiar story on stage is "unique in the fact that we are showcasing a work that speaks to different demographics and different people that may not be theatergoers in general but may just be lovers of 'The Shawshank Redemption' and want to see it."
Sparks, however, said the theater version "does a good job of taking details from the novella as well as taking details from the movie and merging them into one (work)."
Characters not in the movie or book are featured "to further the story along ... for theatrical purposes," said Sparks, whose directorial credits include “The Laramie Project”, “Bent” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show."
Survival and hope
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The story is also well-known because prison scenes were filmed at the historic Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield.
The fictionalized Shawshank prison serves as the setting for the tale of main character Andy Dufresne, who is convicted of murder and sentenced to a life term. While behind bars he uses his wits and forges friendships to survive and to keep his hope alive.
Brian Westerley, who plays the role of Dufresne, said he avoided watching the movie again prior to learning his lines and rehearsing so he wouldn't mimic actor Tim Robbins.
"I try to put that all out of my head," he said. "I made it very technical at the beginning and didn't add emotion until after I got all of the technicalities down. I've had people saying Andy's iconic line ('Get busy living or get busy dying') to me, and that they can't wait to hear me say it. I purposely have taken that line as if no one has ever said it before and am delivering it as I think Andy would."
Local theater presents audiences with an opportunity to see "something live that will never be the same again," said Westerley, of Brunswick, who also has worked in theater in Los Angeles.
"You can see a show on opening night and then again on closing night and it'll be different," the award-winning actor said. "Sure the lines and actors and story will be the same, but the pace, the feel will be different every time."
Rooting for characters
The cast also includes Robert Fockler as Red and Mark Adkins as warden Gregory Stammas.
Rounding out the production are Chris Bizub, Tyson Sebree, Brad Vincent, Trenton Eaves, Frank Lucas, Ed Meunier, Samuel Marazita, TJ Hayes and Johnny Repine.
Michael Porter is stage manager.
Vincent, who plays the role of Brooks, said if audiences can set aside preconceived notions of the story, "I think they'll be very impressed and highly entertained."
"Within the first five to 10 minutes of the show, you won't have the movie in your head," said Vincent, 58, of Canton. "You're going to be drawn in the story by our production. At least that's the goal. I certainly think that's what the audience will experience."
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