The Ruling Class

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.

McKyle Matt Allis electocutes Jack during the intense Act One climax.

Acclaim

The show was greeted with massive praise and packed houses. In 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 Peter O'Toole movie.