Words On Plays. The Time Of Your Life By William Saroyan. Insight Into The Play, The Playwright, And The Production. Elizabeth Brodersen, Jessica Werner (eds.)

A M E R I C A N C O N S E R V AT O R Y T H E AT E R Carey Perloff, Artistic Director Heather Kitchen, Managing Director PRESENTS the steppenwolf theatre company production of The Time of Your Life by william saroyan directed by tina landau geary theater march 25–april 25, 2004 presented by a.c.t. in association with seattle repertory theatre produced in association with fox theatricals and michael leavitt WORDS ON PLAYS prepared by elizabeth brodersen publications editor jessica werner associate publications editor paul walsh resident dramaturg carolyn joy lenske literary and publications intern © 2004 AMERICAN CONSERVATORY THEATER, A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. table of contents 1. Characters, Cast, and Synopsis of The Time of Your Life 8. Preface to The Time of Your Life by William Saroyan 11. A Valentine to San Francisco by Misha Berson 14. Be Here Now by Tina Landau 16. An Interview with Director Tina Landau by Heidi Coleman 19. William Saroyan (1908–81): The Time of His Life 23. Saroyan, 72, Loses Battle with Cancer Obituary by Peter H. King 27. William Saroyan’s San Francisco Timeline 29. Rulebook for Saroyanesques by Brooks Atkinson 30. Writer to Writer: Selections from Saroyan’s Letters 34. A Grand Liar with Loving Intentions by Andy Sarouhan 37. A Quarter for His Thoughts: Saroyan Memorabilia by Julie Lew 39. A Time of Your Life Timeline 42. The Great Mural Art of the 1930s: An Inspiration for Tina Landau’s Production of The Time of Your Life 43. A New Kind of Art for a New Kind of Audience by Paul Walsh 47. Bloody Thursday: The Longshoremen’s and General Strike of 1934 by Royce Brier 50. Questions to Consider 51. For Further Information . . . characters, cast, and synopsis of THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE The Time of Your Life opened at the Booth Theater in New York on October 25, 1939. characters and cast Joe, a young loafer with money and a good heart Tom, his admirer, disciple, errand boy, stooge, and friend Kitty Duval, a young woman with memories Nick, the owner of Nick’s Pacific Street Saloon, Restaurant, and Entertainment Palace The Armenian, an Eastern philosopher and harmonica player Kit Carson, an old Indian fighter McCarthy, an intelligent and well-read longshoreman Krupp, his boyhood friend, a waterfront cop who hates his job but doesn’t know what else to do instead Harry, a natural-born hoofer who wants to make people laugh, but can’t Wesley, a boy who plays a mean and melancholy boogie-woogie piano Dudley, a young man in love Elsie, a nurse, the girl he loves Lorene, an unattractive woman Mary L., an unhappy woman of quality and great beauty Willie, a marble game (pinball) fanatic Blick, a heel Ma, Nick’s mother; A Society Lady A Society Gentleman The Drunk The Newsboy Jeff Perry Patrick New Mariann Mayberry Yasen Peyankov Robert Ernst Howard Witt Andy Murray Guy Van Swearingen Guy Adkins Don Shell Darragh Kennan Kyra Himmelbaum Cathleen Riddley Joan Harris-Gelb Ramiz Monsef Lawrence MacGowan Margaret Schenck Tom Blair Rod Gnapp Darren Barrerre/Gabriel Kenney 1 Ensemble descriptions of characters in Kira Blaskovich, Jenn Wagner T. Edward