THE RUNNER STUMBLES

The award-winning Retro Productions presents a revival of the haunting drama THE RUNNER STUMBLES, which enjoyed a two-year run on Broadway.

Part courtroom drama, part whodunit, THE RUNNER STUMBLES is based on a true story of a Nun’s mysterious murder in a remote parish in northern Michigan in the Nineteen teens and the charge that her superior, Father Rivard, is her murderer. The alternating action between interrogations, testimony and scenes from the past reveal that Father Rivard, who had been banished to the small, up-country parish, fell in love with Sister Rita; and when circumstances forced her to move into the rectory with him, his anguish became unbearable. Their relationship, inevitably, spelled tragedy, but not until the explosive and surprising climax of the play is the full extent of their sacrifice made clear.

Featuring: Jim Boerlin*, Becky Byers, Nat Cassidy*, Heather E. Cunningham,
Casandera M.J. Lollar, Joe Mathers, Christopher Patrick Mullen*,
Alisha Spielmann and Ric Sechrest*.

Set Design by Jack and Rebecca Cunningham
Principal Costume Design by Kathryn Rohe
Lighting Design by Jacqueline Reid
Sound Design and Stage Management by Jeanne Travis*
Property Design by Heather E. Cunningham
Special Effects by Joe Mathers

It is the mission of Retro Productions to present works of retro theatre. Retro is defined as "involving, relating to, or reminiscent of things past (American Heritage Dictionary)." At Retro Productions we will strive to tell good theatrical stories which have an historical perspective -with an emphasis on the 20th century- in order to broaden our own understanding of the world we live in. We believe through stories of human lives and struggles, both dramatic and comedic, we can understand social history and culture and how it affects us today.

Retro received recognition from their first two productions of Catholic School Girls and Mrs. California (as River Heights Productions) then gathered momentum in their third season with the Retro production of Still Life. Also directed by Ric Sechrest, Still Life received accolades from playwright Emily Mann: "Your production got it...Every aspect of the experience was first rate. Retro is clearly a company dedicated to creating impeccable work that truly matters," and Heather E. Cunningham's performance was honored alongside Romeo and Juliet’s Lauren Ambrose and August: Osage County’s Deanna Dunagan as one of Backstage's ‘2007 Performances to Remember’.

Retro Productions put themselves on the map in their fourth season producing Sally Nemeth's Mill Fire and What I Did Last Summer, called "...first-rate: brisk, sweet and occasionally quite moving," by playwright A.R. Gurney. This, their first season in residence at The Spoon Theater, garnered six 2008 New York Innovative Theatre Award nominations: two for performance and four for design, a New York Magazine ‘Off-off Broadway pick’ and the growing reputation of ‘the finished effect of a Retro Production’ (The Fab Marquee, Mill Fire). Kicking off with The Tender Trap and concluding with When You Comin’ Back Red Ryder? Retro's fifth season is proving that with a design team that has the ability to achieve 'theatrical time travel,' (The Fab Marquee) and "a powerful display of New York's dramatic talent," (offoffonline) Retro Productions is “...becoming a reliable source for first-class work.” (United Stages).