Everyone involved in making a play is a storyteller and observer of life. Here's something from Brad Graham - an observation of inspiration.

"Karl Sine, the show Director, said something in rehearsal today that has so closely echoed some things that I’ve been thinking about throughout rehearsals and for the few weeks leading up to them, as I was reading the stories from the book and preparing my script and the rehearsal hall.

The people in Jake and the Kid are our people. They are our parents or grandparents, the people who invested in us and who lived harder lives than we have to so that we don’t have to. They might be people who are a bit hard to take sometimes, either because they were a bit more crass than we wanted them to be or more stern or a bit more demanding that we do our best. They weren’t, aren’t, perfect people, but they belonged to us, so we find grace for their faults. The fact that they aren’t perfect is what makes them genuine.

Somehow W.O. understood that. I suppose in spending so much time watching prairie people, listen to them, that he felt a bit of ownership, of family, towards them. It’s something that good writers seem to do; watch and listen. I think the other thing he did was be honest about them. He could see the beauty & magic in two old men who just couldn’t get along but who also couldn’t get along without each other’s friendship.

Its been so much fun watching our own little family figure out who’s who so far in the rehearsal process. The things I’m enjoying most are the unique ways this team of artists have been problem solving. The ingenuity and creativity that’s coming to bear every day in the shop, in the recording studio and in the rehearsal hall under the very encouraging direction of Karl Sine has been thrilling to watch and contribute to. I can’t wait for people to see it and enjoy it as much as we are enjoying putting it together!"