Phoenix Festival Playbill 2025 (1) - Flipbook - Page 20
LARRY PARKS'
DAY IN COURT
by Ron Marquette
Originally directed by Ron Marquette
Cast
PATRICK HART.............................................…..............…….Larry Parks
HAMILTON CLANCY............................................…..…….James Hester
Place: House Un-American Activities Committee meeting,
Washington, D.C., United States of America
Time: March 21, 1941
When Elise Stone shared Craig Smith’s dream of presenting “Are You Now or Have
You Ever Been a Communist?” by Eric Bentley at this years’ festival, but their
recognition it was just ‘too big”, I concurred with their feeling about what was right
for our times and offered a searing alternative I hadn’t thought of in a very long
time. Seemed a very 昀椀tting way for The Drilling Company to continue our mission
of supporting playwrights with a social conscience, although in this instance, it is a
conscience we pay homage too because Mr. Marquette’s was an early inspiration and
advisor when the company 昀椀rst began.
Originally conceived, written and directed by, Ron Marquette (1994-2013). Mr.
Marquette was an Ulster County theatre legend and he left his mark on the New York
theatre community by founding Shadowland Theatre in Ellenville where the play premiered in 1993 under his direction led by Sig Michaels and myself. The long list of
notable productions helmed by Marquette over a decade of leadership and the quality
artists he brought to Ellenville is long and impressive. His legacy in Ulster County
and the Shadowland Theatre, now celebrating almost forty years, is even longer.
Marquette had long been fascinated with the HUAC hearings and felt 90’s politics
were harbingers of a return to those witch-hunts. He felt the story of Parks was
under-recognized from the era, as Parks was the 昀椀rst witness from Hollywood to
appear before the committee. At the time Parks appeared no one knew where the now
infamous hearings would lead. Parks had just won the academy award for “Jolson
Sings” and appeared in its sequel of “Jolson Sings Again”. He was at the peak of his
career but didn’t know it.
