"IRON JOHN: an american ghost story", is a dark, funny, tragic, 'southern-gothic' riff on the folktale "Iron Hans". Best known in Germany, it is the story of the "wild man of the woods' and the Little Prince who befriends him. In America, it is best known as the basis for Robert Bly's bestselling book, "IRON JOHN: a book about men" which launched the "men's movement' of the early 90s. Our version is set in a fictional Alabama town in 2015 which is "haunted" by a racist crime of a century prior, that seems to repeat in every generation... until, perhaps, now. We watch three different "love triangles" - parents and kids in 2015, their ancestors in 1915- struggle through differing versions of the same situation, with differing levels of willingness to know themselves and face the past.
IRON JOHN has had a whirlwind few years of development (NYU Tisch/NSB workshop, NAMT Festival Showcase, Theatreworks Silicon Valley New Works Festival, the O'Neill Incubator Residency ) and honors (Richard Rodgers Award Finalist, O'Neill NMTC Semifinalist, Hon Mention Relentless Award) but has yet to see its first full production.
We have a week's residency at the Irish Arts Center in February and plan to have our first full-length professional NYC reading for potential producing partners and friends of the show. This will take place on 2/13, directed by Chloe Treat. With an initial grant from the IAC and support from other donors, we are on our way to making this happen and seeking additional contributors to help us realize this goal.
Learn More: http://www.ironjohnmusical.com