THE TIN WOMAN
May 17 – June 10, 2018
Written by Sean Grennan
Directed by Michael Barr
Production Manager Maureen O’Donoghue
The Play
Based on a true story, The Tin Woman uses humor and pathos to explore loss, family, and what it means to be given a new life. Instead of relishing life after her heart transplant, Joy enters a downward spiral, unsure of whether she truly deserves a second chance. Meanwhile, Alice and Hank mourn the loss of their son, Jack, whose heart was used to save Joy. At a friend’s urging, Joy tracks down Jack’s family to nd closure. But are Alice, Hank, and their daughter Sammy ready to accept Jack’s death? Directed by Michael Barr.
“Full of laughter and light, even at the darkest moments.” -Green Bay Press Gazette
“…a mature, deftly crafted and accomplished work.” -Florida Theatre
“…the play builds to a closing scene that evokes genuine sentiment and empathy by finding its own heart. It’s hard to refuse.” – newsreview.com
Cast & Crew
Joy– Joanna Cretella
Alice – Ellen Brooks
Hank – Keith Jefferds
Sammy – Isabelle Grimm
Jack – Jesse Lumb
Nurse/Darla – Sumi Narendran Cardinale
Director – Michael Barr
Production Manager – Maureen O’Donoghue
Costume Designer – Adriana Gutierrez
Lighting Designer – Ellen Brooks
Set Design – Ron Krempetz
Sound Design – Clint Bajakian
Property Design – Dhyanis
Set Construction – Michael Walraven
Stage Manager – Maureen Scheuenstuhl
Publicist – Karin Conn
Graphic Designer – Jayme Catalano
Photography – Robin Jackson
What Critics Are Saying
“The Tin Woman is a winner …a very laudable tear-jerker infused with humor… Jesse Lumb excels.”
– Kedar K. Adour, M.D., TheatreWorld
“Toss together a strong cast, a sweetly humorous and affecting play, and intelligent, capable direction, and you have a hit show at Ross Valley Players…a superb rendition…An all-around excellent cast gives the play a boost with first-rate performances.
Tremendous, too, are Joanna Cretella, who portrays Joy, the guilt-ridden recipient, with just the right degrees of prickliness and confusion; Isabelle Grimm, who plays Alice and Hank’s befuddled, airy-fairy pre-school-teaching daughter, Sammy, with perfectly cartoonish behaviors that significantly leaven the play’s solemnity; and Jesse Lumb as Jack, whose constant, mostly silent ghostly onstage presence is transmitted by roving eyes and restless pacing.
Director Michael Barr, who recently helmed A Streetcar Named Desire for the Novato Theater Company, has saturated the 105-minute life-affirming show with what the United States needs most now: compassion, honesty and — like the Tin Man in “The Wizard of Oz” — yes, as might be expected, heart.
…the non-Equity Ross Valley Players have become so consistently first-rate they’ve dodged virtually all the traps typically encountered in community theater. It’s been my pleasure to experience that professionalism.
So, as the old Alka-Seltzer commercial bellowed incessantly, I strongly suggest that you “Try it! You’ll like it.” – Woody Weingarten, Talkin’ Broadway