The Company

This production of Another Part of the Forest completes The Hellman Project, conceived and produced by On the Verge. The company is an informal alliance of seasoned practitioners including Margo Buchanan, Trish Clark, Alberta Labrillazo, Ave Lawyer, Joan Rue, Janet Scott and Lisa Thomas. The group’s intent is to explore challenging work and create untraditional experiences both for theatre aficionados and for those who would rather be mugged than attend a play. Future plans include reviving its site-specific production of The Little Foxes perhaps in repertory with Another Part of the Forest.

Cast: Roger Leasor, Samantha Doane-Bates, Bob Singleton, Tara Adkins, Tim Hull, Ashley Smith, Chris Rose, Allie Darden, Terry Withers, Brenda Crutcher and Lief Ericson Rigney.

Director: Ave Lawyer.

The Play

Another Part of the Forest is the turbulent first chapter in the saga of the Hubbard family, the cold-eyed new breed of American entrepreneur that emerged from the ruins of the Civil War. Fifteen years after the war, Marcus, the wily and unscrupulous patriarch is living large on the tainted fortune he amassed from war profiteering, though hated and shunned by the townspeople of Demopolis. His wife, Lavinia, struggles to live with a buried secret from the past, while his children, Ben, Oscar and Regina connive, manipulate, cheat and steal to secure their own futures. When the secret is revealed, a decidedly uncivil war breaks out. Careless of who is damaged or destroyed in the process, the Hubbards turn on each other in a deliciously vicious struggle for supremacy in which no holds are barred and only the strong survive.

The Playwright

A larger than life talent, Lillian Hellman became a writer at a time when writers were celebrities and their recklessness was admired. Like Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Faulkner, and her lover, Dashiell Hammett, Hellman was a smoker, a drinker, a lover, and a fighter, maintaining a social and political life as large and restless as her talent. A powerful political voice in the 30’s and 40’s, she was dogged in her stance against abuse at high levels and was herself a victim of blacklisting for her Communist ties during the McCarthy era. Her plays were a constant challenge to injustice, her memoirs personal accounts of the exciting and turbulent life behind the art.

The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation

This non-profit advocate for historic preservation that strives to protect, revitalize and promote the special historic places in our community in order to enhance the quality of life for future generations. The Trust was founded in 1955 by a spirited group of Lexington citizens determined to save the John Wesley Hunt residence from demolition. This group raised funds to purchase and restore the property, now known as the Hunt-Morgan House, to its original 1814 appearance.

Over the years, the Trust has helped save many other historic structures, including the Dudley House, Shakertown of Pleasant Hill, the Adam Rankin House, Henry Clay’s Law Office, Belle Breezing’s Row Houses, the Mary Todd Lincoln House, the Stilfield Log House and Benjamin Latrobe’s Pope Villa.

As the region’s leading preservation organization, the Trust works diligently to fulfill its mission of education, service and advocacy while providing leadership and inspiration to the preservation movement throughout the state

The Trust is actively seeking new members to support its ongoing work. Membership benefits include a subscription to the Preservation Matters newsletter, discounted rental of the Hunt-Morgan House, advance notice of all Trust special events, lectures, and workshops, and a sense of belonging to a special group of people enthusiastically committed to historic preservation and the community.