November 13 - December 14, 2008
at the Manny Fried Playhouse
 DROP
HAMMER
by Emanuel Fried*
Directed by Kurt Schneiderman*
Starring Victor Morales, Tim Eimiller, David A. Hoffmann, and many others.
THREE STARS!!!
"A hard-hitting and intense look into one labor union's internal
struggles."
-- Ted Hadley, BUFFALO NEWS 11/15/08
click here to read this
review
"The Subversive Theatre
production is appealing, and its combination of professional and less
experienced actors lend DROP HAMMER the perfect tone of communal
testimony."
-- Anthony Chase, ARTVOICE MAGAZINE 11/27/08
click here to read this
review
"[T]here aren't many
probing life in the working classes and putting the result on stage.
It's valuable."
-- Augustine Warner, ONLINE BUFFALO 11/27/08
click here to read this
review
For the third annual installment of our "Workers'
Power Play Series," Subversive Theatre was very proud to present a
work by the living legend of Buffalo's Union Movement himself -- the very
namesake of our theatre -- Emanuel "Manny" Fried*.
This play looks back at the bitter differences that
ripped apart one of Buffalo's industrial Unions. Set in the late 1950s at
a time when the plant closures and southward migration that would eventually
ravage our City had only just begun, DROP HAMMER is a historical
play with lessons for rank-and-file Union members that are still all too
relevant today.
This project was sponsored by several local unions --
the United Auto Workers, Region 9, the Buffalo Teachers' Federation, and
the Western New York Area Labor Federation. We were honored to
connect up with modern labor issues through a series of post-show
discussions that featured a long list of our areas most noted labor
leaders and activists as well as the playwright himself.
For our second-ever production in our new home,
The Manny Fried Playhouse, DROP HAMMER marked a
strong step forward drawing stellar reviews and bringing out audiences
from all walks of life. Perhaps the project's biggest success was
just finding a way to fit all of the play's enormous ensemble (17 actors
all told) into our humble little performance space!
Here's the LOOOOONG list of who did what:  THE
CREW:
Director . . . . . . Kurt Schneiderman*
Stage Manager . . . Virginia Brannon*
Set & Light Design . Dyan O'Connell*
Asst. Set & Lights . . . Hank Schmidt
Sound Design . . . . . . John Shotwell*
Costume Design . . . Paul Stephenson
Poster Design . . . . . . . Dan Sterlace*
Artwork . . . . . . . . . . . Carol Carreno
THE CAST:
Carl Morgan . . . . . . Victor Morales
Dave Sigmund . . . . . . . Tim Eimiller
Stanley Gorski . David A. Hoffmann
Louie . . . . . Leon S. Copeland, Jr.*
 Frank
Ryan . . . . . . . Jack Agugliaro
Mildred Morgan . . . . . . Betsy Bittar
Howie Evans . . Marshall Maxwell*
Bill Payne . . . . . . . . . . Tom Izard*
Willie Clifford . Anthony Giambrone
Gene Smoyer . . . Guy DeFedericis*
Sully . . . . . . . . . . . . Dan Sterlace*
Bets . . . . . . . Amanda McCormick
Kewpie . . . . . . . . . . Kevin Dennis*
Eddie Bennett . . . Anthony Tyrpak*
Cedric . . . . Robert "Hodie" Hodas*
Ted Walkowiak . . . . Brian Zybala*
Wally Gawrys . . . . . . Erik Eimiller
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