ALL ABOARD!
“THE ORPHAN TRAIN” STOPS AT TOWNGATE THEATRE

WHEELING, W.Va (August 3, 2009)- - Oglebay Institute’s Parcel Players close their summer season with Aurand Harris’ family play “The Orphan Train,” which will be staged at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday August 12- 15 at Towngate Theatre.

Harris’ play brings to light the roots of the modern foster care system and a period in American history known as The Orphan Train Movement. It examines the efforts of Charles Loring Brace, the founder of the Children's Aid Society, to rescue abandoned, abused and orphaned children from the streets and slums of New York. Brace's solution was to send them by rail from the urban Northeast to farm families in the West and Midwest. It is estimated that between 1854 and 1929, more than 200,000 children were relocated.

“The Orphan Train” tells their stories. Set in 1914, the play follows the adventures of nine orphans aboard a single train who, one by one, share their stories, fears and dreams. The lonesome whistle wails as the train chugs between encounters of anxiety, laughter, wistfulness, rejection and acceptance.

“This is a story of orphaned, abandoned and unwanted children seeking hope of a home – any home, anywhere,” Oglebay Institute youth theatre director Tim Thompson said. “They are children at a crossroads- a point at which their lives will change forever.”

Thompson was introduced to the play by friend and colleague Dave Henderson, who recently directed the Parcel Players’ production of “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.”

“I was immediately drawn to the script because it so poignantly speaks to the human condition,” Thompson said. “I knew it would be a great selection for the Parcel Players season.”

He said the play not only tells a dramatic and amusing story for the audience to enjoy but also teaches a lot about this little-known period in American history and allows the young actors to shine in their roles.

This family play runs about 90 minutes in length and will be staged without an intermission. Harris is one of the most produced playwrights for young audiences, and “The Orphan Train” has become one of his most revered plays.

Directed by Thompson “The Orphan Train” cast members include: Kiernan Cottle, Andrea Gump, Jordan Conner, Devon Cottle, Kathleen Buch, Josh DeBeni, Cora Edge, Kevin Stryker, Tabatha Barnaba, Juan Dunlap, Brittany Harriman, Zachary Michael, Woody Pond, Timi Robinson and Addie Robinson. Stage manager is Crystal Bradley.

Oglebay Institute’s Parcel Players began more than 40 years ago and offers young people interested in theater a chance to perform, direct, work with costumes, lighting and more.
The group stages three productions each summer. FOX Ohio Valley is the proud media sponsor of the 2009 season.

All Parcel Players shows take place at Towngate Theatre. Tickets are available at the door or by calling the Stifel Center at 304.242.7700. All performances are at 8 p.m., and seats for Parcel Players productions are just $7 each.

These programs are presented with financial assistance from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.