DEKALB, Ill, July 30, 2024 – There are only a small number of farces as well-known and as popular as The Foreigner, and this August, Stage Coach Players (SCP) requests the DeKalb area community to join them for this uproariously funny play. Written by Larry Shue, The Foreigner is a standard on the community theatre circuit. It takes the stage on August 15 and runs for two weekends. The Foreigner is sponsored by The Grand Victorian of Sycamore and by Jerry and Annette Johns.
Taking place at a fishing lodge in Tilghman County, Georgia, The Foreigner is directed by Gail Cannata who is making her SCP directorial debut. The plot of the farce revolves around ‘foreigner’, Charlie Baker (Galen Malick, Funny Money), who travels to Georgia with his friend Froggy LeSueur (Steve Wright, And Then There Were None). Charlie is a bit down and wants to be left alone. Froggy, who needs to leave the lodge and Charlie to tend to some business, devises a scheme meant to keep anyone from bothering his friend.
The scheme is to have everyone who is staying at the lodge believe that Charlie is from a foreign country and is unable to understand what is being said. Although Charlie initially thinks the idea to be daft, he quickly takes part. Soon, gossip and secrets are being shared with Charlie in the room and he begins to learn a lot about the other guests at the lodge.
The central idea for The Foreigner came as Shue studied with a theatre company in Japan. He discovered since he was unaware of Japanese social customs, that Japanese people would tolerate even his most bizarre behavior, dismissing his inappropriate actions as the conduct of an outsider.
The remainder of the cast includes Katie Johnson (Beauty & the Beast) as Catherine, Stewie Simons (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) as Ellard, Steve Sturm (Lend Me A Tenor) as Owen along with Cameron Behm as David and Carolyn Larsen as Betty, both making their SCP debut. Townsfolk include Deb Brubaker, Chad Garland, Thomas Rieser and Shawn Rosenbach.
The Foreigner has won two Obie Awards and two Outer Critics Circle Awards as Best New American Play and Best Off-Broadway Production. For one of its productions, the farce was praised by the Chicago Theater Beat, calling it, “a charming comedy about the magic of kindness.” Matthew Broderick played the role of Charlie in an Off-Broadway remount of the comedy in 2004.
Cannata was drawn to The Foreigner for its humor. “I do enjoy making an audience laugh and a good farce is just the trick,” she said. “It’s fun to watch the story unfold and see the underdogs overcome their obstacles.”
“The Foreigner makes you feel like you’ve known most of these characters for a long time,” Johnson remarked. “The witty humor along with a few jabs at each other bring a sense of familiarity as though you’re in on the jokes happening.”
Performances for The Foreigner are August 15 – 17, 2024 and August 23 – 24, 2024 with a curtain time of 7:30 p.m. along with Sunday matinees on August 18 and August 25, 2024, with a curtain time of 2:00. Tickets are $17 each or $15 for seniors and children aged 13 and under. Tickets are currently on sale through the box office phone at 815-758-1940. To purchase tickets, visit our online website at www.stagecoachplayers.com. You can also call the SCP box office at 815-758-1940. The box office will open Sunday, August 11, 2024.
