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Lanford Wilson's mystery-drama in small-town America

Ruth (Shawne Crowe) and Len (Tom Wilson)

Book of Days is set in a small town dominated by a cheese plant, a fundamentalist church, and a community theater. When the owner of the cheese plant dies mysteriously in a hunting accident, Ruth—his bookkeeper—suspects murder. Cast as Joan of Arc in a local theater production of George Bernard Shaw's St. Joan, Ruth takes on the attributes of her fictional character and launches a one-woman campaign to see justice done. As she digs deeper into the events surrounding her former boss’s demise and tries to communicate her suspicions to local authority figures, she runs into a web of small town jealousies, religious hypocrisy, greed, and lies, opening the possibility that she, like Joan, will become a martyr.

Wilson’s script (which won the American Theatre Critics Association "Best New Play" award in 1999) seems at times like an updated version of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town with a liberal sprinkling of Twin Peaks, The Laramie Project, and Murder, She Wrote. He uses note-perfect dialogue to create characters which are remarkable both for their comic turns and for their enormous depth. (NOTE: the play contains adult language, and is not appropriate for children.) As in some of his earlier works, Wilson pays homage to traditional theatrical conventions and then shatters them (e.g., having some characters speak directly to the audience), creating a work with a truly unique dramatic style.

Wilson’s play is a disquieting view of present-day Americana, of small towns and smaller-minded people, and those afraid to speak out, hiding behind a mask of decency, religious fervor, and a simplistic but resolute daydream of right and wrong.

Director Richard Scheeland has an excellent cast — including several actors with professional credentials—headed by Shawne Crow as Ruth. Crow has played roles in productions that run the gamut from the classics to musicals, from contemporary drama to farce. She worked in the film industry for 13 years, and appeared in eight films with the likes of James Spader, Patrick Dempsey, Dylan McDermott, and Emilio Estevez. She also worked with David Lynch, the director of “Blue Velvet.” She’s taught elementary school drama on the Oregon Coast and written two plays with her husband.

Others in the show include Mary DeLorenzo, Alan Aldrich, Tom Wilson, Leslie Murray, Elaine Slatore, Bonnie Stoecker, Mike Hawkins, Adam Leonard, Kory Weimer, Barry Carroll, and Kevin Crowe.

Reserved seat tickets are $14; Thrifty Thursday prices are $10 and senior citizens may attend either of the three Sunday matinees (Jan. 21, 28 and Feb. 4) for $10. The thirteen performances are Friday-Sunday, Jan. 19-21; Friday -Sunday, Jan. 26-28; Thursday-Sunday, Feb. 1-4; and Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 8-10. Curtain is at 8 p.m. except for the 2 p.m. Sunday matinees.

The box office will open on Friday, Jan. 12, from 2-5:30 p.m. and will continue Wednesday-Saturday the following weeks. The Very Little Theatre is located at 2350 Hilyard St. For more information on tickets, call 344-7751.

"...[Wilson's] best work since Fifth of July ... An intriguing, prismatic and thoroughly engrossing depiction of contemporary small-town life with a murder mystery at it's core." — Variety

Book of Days opens January 19; directed by Richard Scheeland

Book of Days Auditions

Book of Days auditions have concluded. Please see our Auditions page for upcoming auditions for other VLT shows!

Book of Days Show Dates

Box Office opens Friday, January 12. Phone: (541) 344-7751.
Hours: Wed. through Sat. 2:00-5:30 PM and ONE Hour before each performance (7:00 PM, or Sunday Matinees 1:00 PM).

Book of Days Cast

Book of Days Production Staff