Timeline Theatre, Chicago IL
August 3 - September 25, 2022
Will Allen Playwright
Nick Bowling Director
Anthony Churchill Projection Design
Sydney Lynne Scenic Design
Sally Dolembo Costume Design
Jared Gooding Lighting Design
Andrew Hansen & Sound Design
Forrest Gregor
Maren Robinson Dramaturgy
It is 1934, and famous novelist Upton Sinclair is all but guaranteed to become the first Democratic governor of the state of California—until a young, unknown pair of consultants from the shadows of the challenger’s campaign attempt to take him down. As Frank Merriam and Sinclair battle it out in the spotlight—seeking endorsements from the likes of Charlie Chaplin and FDR—Baxter and Whitaker work behind-the-scenes to methodically construct one of the most spectacular, unbelievable, and star-studded smear campaigns ever.
This was a passion project for me, as Timeline had asked me to help workshop the play before the pandemic and I was really sad it didn’t get produced before the shutdown. We used the projections as a very presentational vehicle to show the “new media” of the 1930’s, the first time we see smear campaigns and moving images used to manipulate voters.
“But it’s great to see Bowling’s snappy style of direction in TimeLine’s long-standing intimate home combining with some hilarious retro projections from Anthony Churchill that come with as many gags and Easter eggs as the script itself. And, of course, it’s great to watch a made-in-Chicago world premiere of this quality.”
