First, I would like to share the history of, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. In 1962, Ken Kesey wrote the novel, setting the story at a psychiatric hospital in Oregon. The novel is considered one of the “100 Best English-Language Novels from 1923-2005.
I found it interesting that Ken Kesey actually did his research while on the graveyard shift of a mental hospital. He found the lives of the patients’ fascinating yet disturbing due to the harms of institutions and the lack of individual freedoms, both of which are major themes throughout his novel.
The play was adapted in 1963 and produced at the Cort Theater starring Kirk Douglas. More recently, a Tony award revival of the play was produced by The Steppenwolf Theater Company in 2001, starring the Forrest Gump Actor, Gary Sinise. It is important to note that the play was written during the Civil Rights Movement, a time where there were deep changes in psychology and psychiatry in America.
Many audiences will also remember, the five-time Academy Award-winning movie, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, starring, Jack Nicholson. It is hailed as one of the best movies of all time.
In our production of, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, we took a slightly different approach, casting McMurphy as a woman and Nurse Ratched a man, while still trying to keep central themes from the novel intact. This change in the gender dynamic allows for a unique and unseen tension between the characters, while at the same time emphasizing McMurphy’s compassion for others with a more feminine touch.
Finally, the show calls for laughter, tears, and a bird's eye view into a mental institution. Our student actors are creating “real people”, so do not think that we are making fun of or imitating patients with serious mental health issues. Our purpose is to simply share the story of a rogue woman who, against all odds, tries to make a change in the patients’ challenging lives.
I hope you enjoy the show and learn something in the process.
Thank you for supporting Theater at AMPA!
- Ali Miller
