Mike Ricci's Production
of Sly Fox

Cast

Simon Able	.. ..	Joe Galatz
Sly's Servant	.. ..	Heidi Werdier
Sly's Servant	.. ..	Jen Sarkela
Foxwell J. Sly	.. ..	Brendan Berthold
Jethro Crouch	.. ..	Jerry Wozniak
Abner Truckle	.. ..	Josh Zollar
Miss Fancy	.. ..	Suzann Rian
Mrs. Truckle	.. ..	Maren Bingham
Crouch's Servant	.. ..	Nathan Torrey
Captain Luther Crouch	.. ..	Marcus Tworoski-Wise
The Chief of Police	.. ..	Marc Rouleau
Policeman/Bailiff	.. ..	Andy Zahorsky
Policeman	.. ..	Tony Rubio
Court Clerk	.. ..	Jackie Provenchar
The Judge	.. ..	Jack Zollar

Top of page

Crew

Stage Manager	...	Lisa Anderson
Technical Director	...	Michael Ricci
Assistant Technical Director/Master Carpenter	...	Dan Dolinar
Set Design	...	Michael Ricci, Dan Dolinar
Scenic Artist/Billboard Artwork	...	Ellie Ricci
Lighting Design	...	Dan Dolinar
Sound Design	...	Michael Ricci
Costumes	...	Dorothy Simkins, Jen Nelson Michael Ricci
Props	...	Gretchen Mayer, Amanda Avery Lisa Anderson, Michael Ricci
Set Construction	...	Dan Dolinar, Michael Ricci Sam Adams, Mike Ball Aric Schumacher, Bernadette Pospeck Lisa Anderson, Neil Brooks Sandi Johnson, Jackie Provencher Ashley Michalski, Michelle Koehler Cindy Eisbrenner
Crew Chief/Shift Crew	... ...	Melissa Tessman, Neil Brooks Sandi Johnson,Flynn Adams Bernadette Pospeck, Mike McLaughlin Aric Schumacher
Light Board Operator	...	Cindy Eisbrenner
Sound Operator	...	Dan Dolinar
Box Office	...	Barb Suech

Top of page

Director Notes

As I begin my fifth season here at HCC Theatre, we all find ourselves in unsettling times. Our world changes faster than we can adapt to it, and the recent attacks on our country have left us with a vulnerability we had never considered before. It became increasingly evident to me that we must all continue with our lives and rededicate ourselves to becoming the best person we possibly be, and to strive to make a positive difference in the people around us. And somewhere in the middle of all of this, we must find time for laughter, for it is in laughter that our spirits are rekindled, and we learn that through our ability to laugh at ourselves, we grow and bond with each other in ways we never thought possible. What better way to celebrate this communal spirit than by laughing together at other peoples antics through the magic of theater.

SLY FOX is a play about greed taken to extremes and has its roots in the Roman theatre. Although adapted from Ben Jonson's VOLPONE (The Fox), which premiered at the Globe Theatre in 1606, it was in fact the Roman playwright Seneca who first mounted a production of "The Fox" in the 1^st Century B.C. It is recorded that during the first act of that initial performance, the spectators became so incensed by what they considered blasphemies that the play was stopped and Seneca was called out to explain that his characters would be punished for treating money as if it were a god.

It is interesting to note that most of Jonson's characters bore the Latin names of animals. Volpone is, of course, Gelbeart's Sly Fox. Originally, Simon Able was Mosca, the fly. Lawyer Craven was known as Voltore, the vulture; Crouch was Corbaccio, the raven, and Abner Truckle was Corvino, the crow. Could it be the very attributes that kept these animals alive become an exaggerated failing in the human animal?

We should realize that, first and foremost, SLY FOX is a burlesque on greed, an exaggeration of the absurd longing to possess wealth beyond reason or need. The world itself is seen in the image and likeness of riches. Once he has embarked on this lifestyle, Sly's world is re-created to serve only his needs, playing people for the fools he knows them to be. However, while a modern audience may laugh off Gelbart's treatment of greed, his treatment of women may cause more of a problem. Since men wielded much of the power and control in society (and thus, over women), it is disturbing to see that women come to be used in much the same way as money - that is, as a commodity, to be used for personal gain. A woman's body becomes the token of exchange between the men, and they are blind to any wrongdoing. We may ask ourselves how any woman would let herself be treated in this way. Perhaps it was the accepted convention of the times, or the inability of women to have their voices heard. Hopefully our modern society has become more enlightened in this regard.

However, in Larry Gelbart's capable hands, he mines this rich treasure trove of comedy as the twists and turns of human foibles unfold themselves before us, and we are left with perhaps Sly's most important lesson to Able: "Never think too little of people - there's always a little less to be though". The measure of truth in that statement is ultimately all up to us.

Top of page

Play Photos

Top of page

Hibbing Community College is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system and the Arrowhead University Consortium. Hibbing Community College is accredited by The NCA Higher Learning Commission. Hibbing Community College is an equal opportunity employer and educator.

Mike Ricci's Production of Sly Fox

Cast

Crew

Director Notes

Play Photos

Mike Ricci's Production
of Sly Fox