Editing The Ruling Class

[[image:RulingClass1.jpg|thumb|400px|Jack [[Evan Sawdey]] in his favorite resting place]]
''The Ruling Class'' was a [[Studio Theater]] production that went up in [[Fall 2006]].  It was written by Peter Barnes and directed by [[Brian Conley]].

==Plot==
The 13th Earl of Gurney ([[Matt Allis]]) is an eccentric old man who, one night, accidentally commits suicide.  His butler, Tucker ([[Pam Schuller]]) is the one that finds him.  When it comes to handling his affairs, the greedy family (with the pig-headed Uncle Charles ([[Mike Giese]]), the incestuous Lady Claire ([[Erica Jaffe]]), and the dimwitted Dinsdale ([[Adam McDowell]]) is shocked when they learn that the entire estate is endowed to Jack ([[Evan Sawdey]]), the son who feels that he is -- in fact -- Jesus Christ.  His eccentric behavior, which includes random prayer ceremonies, the erection of a life-size cross in the Gurney house, singing musical numbers with Mrs. Piggot-Jones ([[Abby Harms]]) and the pursual of Charles' mistress, Grace ([[Cindy Reiter]]), lead the family into seeking advice from both their Bishop ([[Eli King]]) and psychiatrist, Dr. Heder ([[Mike Callahan]]).  Heder brings in McKyle ([[Matt Allis]]), the Scottish lunatic who belives he is the Old-Testiment Messiah, "the AC/DC god".  A duel between McKlye and Jack ensues, all while the Gurneys plan of having Jack and Grace give birth to a child (thereby affecting inheritence) comes into full effect.  When Jack recovers, he soon takes on a new persona ... of Jack the Ripper ...

==Cast==

*Jack, the 14th Earl of Gurney -- [[Evan Sawdey]]
*Daniel Tucker -- [[Pam Schuller]]
*Charles -- [[Mike Giese]]
*Lady Claire -- [[Erica Jaffe]]
*Dinsdale -- [[Adam McDowell]]
*Grace -- [[Cindy Reiter]]
*Dr. Heder -- [[Mike Callahan]]
*Bishop Lampton -- [[Eli King]]
*Mrs. Piggot-Jones/Peake/Inspector Brockett/Assistant -- [[Abby Harms]]
*The 13th Earl of Gurney/McKyle/Truscott -- [[Matt Allis]]

==Crew==

*Director -- [[Brian Conley]]
*Stage Manager -- [[Sean Fors]]
*Lighting Designer -- [[Brian Conley]]
*Set Designer -- [[Keri LaFevre]]
*Sound Designer -- [[Evan Sawdey]]
*Run Crew -- [[Karin Rudd]], [[Cami Woodruff]]
*Poster Designer -- [[Megan Suttner]]
*Publicity -- [[Sean Fors]]

==Production==

The show was the last production of the [[Fall 2006]] Studio Season, following ''[[Leonardo's Last Supper]]''.  The show had 9 weeks of rehearsal, with a monstorous tech week.  In shortwall form, a life-size cross was erected in the back of the risers -- a stunning centerpiece for the production.  It ran four performances, though had limited seating (96 seats) due to its constant use of isles.  Unfortunately, some people had to be turned away.

[[image:RulingClass2.jpg|thumb|350px|McKyle [[Matt Allis]] electocutes Jack during the intense Act One climax.]]

==Acclaim==
The show was greeted with massive praise and packed houses.  In [http://www.blahedo.org/blog/archives/000919.html the review on his blog], [[Don Blaheta]] said the play was "the sort of show that makes me brag about the Studio Theatre to people who ask me how I like Galesburg".  [[Brian Lowe]] claimed it was "in the top 3 shows I've ever seen here".  Riding on this wave, Conley's next project, ''[[Passages at Random]]'', earned him collegiate Honors.

==Trivia==
*Jack's mind-destroying fantasy sequence involved a monkey in a tuxedo beating him up.  The monkey was played by [[Mike Smith]], who requested the role months before auditions even occured.
*The show marked the third actor/director collaboration between [[Evan Sawdey]] and [[Brian Conley]] (whose previous credits included ''[[The Good Doctor]]'' and ''[[The Zoo Story]]'').
*A testament to the perpetual busy nature of Knox theatre department actors, this show was the second project for a majority of the crew.  [[Matt Allis]] and [[Erica Jaffe]] were both in the Mainstage production of ''[[Our Town]]'' (which went up two weeks prior), [[Evan Sawdey]] directed both [[Adam McDowell]] and [[Cindy Reiter]] in his production of ''[[Pastries for a Cumberbund]]'', and [[Mike Giese]] directed both [[Mike Callahan]] and [[Pam Schuller]] in ''[[The Sex Lives of Superheroes]]''.
*This marked the theatrical Knox debuts for both [[Eli King]] and [[Abby Harms]].
*During pre-production, it was determined that the three Lords in the final scene would be voice-overs in the sound design.  Director [[Brian Conley]] had a wishlist of voices he wanted for the roles, which included Knox President [[Roger Taylor]], Dean [[Larry Breitborde]], and [[Craig Southern]].  Not only did all three agree, but Roger even showed up to the second night of performance.
*This is also a really excellent [http://imdb.com/title/tt0069198/| Peter O'Toole movie].

[[Category:Studio shows]]