The Nerd
by Larry Shue
Directed by Craig Allen Mummey

Time: 1981. Place: Terre Haute, Indiana. Now an aspiring architect, Willum Cubbert has often told his friends about the debt he owes to Rick Steadman, a fellow ex-GI whom he has never met but who saved has life in Vietnam. He has written to Rick to say that, as long as he is alive, "you will have somebody on Earth who will do anything for you" - so Willum is delighted when Rick shows up unexpectedly on the night of his 34th birthday party. But his delight soon fades as it becomes apparent that Rick is a hopeless "nerd" - a bumbling oaf with no social sense, little intelligence and less tact. After just one week, Rick has almost single-handedly destroyed Willum's career, his life and his sanity. Incident piles upon uproarious incident, until the normally placid Willum finds himself contemplating violence - a dire development which, happily, is staved off by the surprise ending of the play.

People get involved in theater for many reasons: to create, to be part of a group, to make a statement about a subject they care about, even to "commit senseless acts of beauty," as the bumper sticker says. And depending on the play, the art created can make you laugh till you cry, uplift your soul, touch your heart, incite anger, inspire activism, provoke debate, and even educate.

I do theater for all of those reasons and I hope for all of those results, but most of the shows I have directed in the past few years have been more serious in tone, plumbing the depths of the soul, examining the darkest side of humanity, our cruelty, our capacity for evil.

There is none of that in this show today, only the highest of hi jinks and a "hideous pagan ritual" or two. For me, the reason for doing this show at this time is for the change of pace, and for the sheer blessed silliness of it all. Enjoy!

Craig Allen Mummey

Week 1: September 28, 29 at 8 pm - September 30 at 2 pm

Week 2: October 5, 6 at 8 pm - October 7 at 2 pm

Week 3: October 12, 13 at 8 pm