SEASON 1 | 2016–2017

Cory SInclair (HESCHER), Trevor B. Cone as Joey and Kevin Daugherty as Denny in A Steady Rain. PHOTO BY GARY GRIFFIN

WRITTEN BY Keith Huff
DIRECTED BY Malinda L. Beckham

A Steady Rain

JULY 22 ‒ 30, 2016

MATCH | Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston

THIS EVENT HAS PASSED

RUNTIME: 90 minutes (including one 15-minute intermission)

Friends since kindergarten, Chicago cops Joey and Denny are almost family. Their relationship is put on the line after responding to a domestic disturbance call that takes a turn for the worse. The result is a harrowing journey into a moral grey area where trust and loyalty struggle for survival against a sobering backdrop of criminal lowlifes.

A Steady Rain features an original score composed by local artist, HESCHER, played live during the performance. READ THE PRESS RELEASE

The Story

The Reason

MALINDA L. BECKHAM, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

My first exposure to A Steady Rain was in 2013 when I saw the play in Galveston. The story was mesmerizing; I was stunned by the rawness of the script, and moved by the depth of the relationship between Joey and Denny. It left me sitting in my seat a few minutes after curtain call, processing what I had just witnessed. For me, the experience was about the two actors on stage contained within the four walls of the theater.

Our production process began in September 2015 when we presented the first scene of the play as a workshop for Theatre Southwest. Right away I knew that music was to play a major role; in fact, music was to be the third character. Collaboration with local artists is a foundational element of Dirt Dogs, and the score composed and performed by Hescher has brought the depth to this production that I was looking for.

Opening this show, my thoughts have gone outside the playing space and into the society for which we now perform. I recognize that this play is very relevant to our current environment. We are all looking for common ground, for without it, we find it impossible to find peace. As you will see in the play, Denny’s story isn’t completely true, nor is Joey’s. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.

I have taken personal responsibility as director to tell the story written by Keith Huff, and I offer each audience member their own experience and interpretation of the unfolding of events. My hope is that it also provides an open-door policy for discussion. Amazing things can happen when discussions take place with cool heads and warm hearts.

VIEW PROGRAM

“I was totally swallowed up”

Promotional photo by Grace Cone. Production photos by Gary Griffin.