Trestle's Engines Lack Steam

By James E. Trainor III
Photos by Elisabeth Ross

Brad Quinn as Chas and Logan Natvig as Dalton.

Iowa City - Dalton Chance has been flirting with Pace Cregan. Or maybe he's just been flirting with death. Pace isn't the kind of girl you bring home to mother. She spits, she swears, she talks of disturbing topics. And she's had Dalton down by the train tracks rehearsing for a date with destiny that will change him forever.

The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek is Naomi Wallace's Depression-era tale of two teens and their struggle to assert some sort of identity in a hopeless world. At the same time, it explores the effects of economic downturn on the older characters. Dreamwell's production, directed by Chuck Dufano, opened at the Universalist Unitarian Society this weekend.

As the plot, which is somewhat nonlinear, develops, we learn that Dalton (Logan Natvig) is accused of killing Pace (Adeara-Jean Maurice). We learn that Chas (Brad Quinn), Dalton's jailer, had a son who had been captivated -- and killed -- by Pace's obsessions with the train that crosses the trestle at Pope Lick Creek. Pace was training Dalton to run the train. She was also teaching him about love, and how being human means coming to terms with the urgent need to see and be seen by others. As Pace's bizarre story unfolds, Dalton opens up about her philosophy that shattered his world, and how he can never be put back together the same way again.

It's a play of shadows and mirrors, and the story of Dalton's parents, Gin (Meg Dobbs) and Dray (Steven Polchert) mirrors his own. They were once teenagers in love in the same dead-end town, with the same desperation to overcome inertia and become something completely different. But Dray has been laid off and Gin will be any day now, and they're turning out to be nothing but empty. Gin wants to save their relationship, but Dray is completely broken. The subplot showcases Wallace's unabashedly socialist politics and, at the same time, gives us an idea of where Dalton and Pace might have gone.

The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek Opens February 8

Iowa City - "Dreamwell Theatre proudly presents The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek by Naomi Wallace and directed by Chuck Dufano. The poetic, Depression-era play by a prize-winning writer is a coming-of-age story with a wicked twist. Shows Friday and Saturday, February 8, 9, 15, & 16, 7:30 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Society, 10 S. Gilbert Street in Iowa City. Tickets: adults $13, students/seniors $10.

Dalton Chance is 15 years old and an open book. Pace Creagan, aged 17, is fearless and feared, and to Dalton, she’s irresistible. The relationships between Dalton and his parents, Gin and Dray, are explored as well as the curious behavior of Chas, the jailor, with his own secret. All roles examine the depths of how each character found themselves in their current situation and how they deal with it in this world where no bright future is apparent.

Throughout the play Naomi Wallace delves into a story where people struggle to change the lives that bear down upon them. Director Chuck Dufano said that 'bringing out the imagery and reality of this play has been challenging and rewarding. Audiences will absorb the beauty of Wallace's words against the harsh backdrop of these characters' lives.'

The Chicago Theatre Beat describes Wallace’s work as '...Romeo and Juliet without the romance, just rebellion and it’s not enough.' Logan Natvig, who plays Dalton Chance, said 'The biggest challenge I've had with this role is playing the wide range of emotions in a short period of time. I need to go directly to a heavily emotional scene right after a lighter, playful scene.'

This show is an emotional complement to the Dreamwell season, in conjunction with the theme, Ova-tion: A Season of Women’s Words. Adeara Jean Maurice, who portrays Pace, feels 'Naomi Wallace is a playwright that does something really unique. Her plays make you think. You can't leave a Naomi Wallace play without talking about it with a friend a couple weeks later. It's important we do plays like that.' "

(Source: Dreamwell press release)

Auditions for Dreamwell's Trestle at Pope Lick Creek

Auditions for Dreamwell Theatre's production of The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek by Naomi Wallace, directed by Chuck Dufano, will be at the ICPL Wednesday, Dec. 12 , 7:00pm and Saturday, Dec. 15 at 2:00pm. Show dates are February 8-9, 15-16. Scripts will be on reserve at the Iowa City and Coralville Public Libraries.

Synopsis: Dalton Chance is 15 years old and an open book. Pace Creagan, aged 17, is fearless and feared, and to Dalton, she’s irresistible. A poetic, Depression-era play by a prize-winning writer; a coming-of-age story with a wicked twist that reaches into the depths of a nation and asks what lies beneath.

Pace Creagan - 17 year old girl
Dalton Chance - 15 year old boy
(Due to mature content, actors 18 or older will be considered for Pace and Dalton.)

Gin Chance - early forties, Dalton's mother
Dray Chance - late forties - Dalton's father
Chris Weaver - early fifties, male

Send inquiries to the director Chuck Dufano at chuck@dreamwell.com.