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The Boys Next Door
by Tom Griffin
Directed by Bradley Donaldson
Assistant Director/Sound Design: Andi Billig
Lighting Design: Jennifer Trunnell
Set Design: Christian Unser
Costume Design: Kim Kivens
Prop Design: Joy Donaldson
Cast:
Aaron Coker, Paul Danko, Christopher DeVaan, Joy Donaldson, Ann Frances Gregg, Bruce Heskett, Clared Jodzio McDermott, Tim Kuehl, Rick Raasch, Christian Skelley

"You're not normal!" "You're retarded!" We have all heard the phrases, we have all experienced the shame and humiliation that comes from not fitting in. Imagine going through your entire life with that feeling.

This play deals with four developmentally disabled men and the experiences they have with their caretaker, neighbors, friends and associates. Tom Griffin takes men who are seen as not normal and raises the question "are you sure?" Through this wonderful comedy, we get to explore what is normal or regular, and who gets to decide.

We see the Boys at their worst, we see the Boys at their best, and we see the Boys as they see themselves. Further, we get to explore how "normal" people interact with the Boys and are, perhaps, changed forever by this contact. We walk away from this play truly believing they are the Boys next door.

THE STORY:

Jack Palmer is burned out. His job as supervisor in a group home for mentally challenged men is the most rewarding he's ever had. It is also the most draining. You'll understand both sides of his dilemma as you come to love the men for whom Jack is responsible.

Norman has gained seventeen pounds in three months, the result of his new job at a doughnut shop. Barry lives a daily fantasy of being a golf pro. Arnold hides his deep insecurities behind a barrage of compulsive chatter, and Lucien P. Smith dreams he is able to read the weighty tomes of agricultural history he lugs around.

In a world where small problems seem enormous and little victories are everything, The Boys Next Door reminds us - sometimes gently, sometimes comically - of the fragile trust that binds all of us together.
Curtain Riser:
The Heartwarming
I Could Kick Your Ass
by Daniel K. McDermott
January 10-25, 2003
at
in Apple Valley
Opening Weekend
2nd Weekend
Closing Weekend
Friday, Jan. 10 @ 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 11 @ 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 17 @ 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 18 @ 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 24 @ 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 25 @ 7:30 p.m.

All Admissions: $7.00

~ Suggested for Mature Audiences due to Language and Situations ~

Copyright © 1998-2009 • The Chameleon Theatre Circle • Burnsville, Minnesota