Poet Ape’s first play will stage in the South Alley in Noblesville
By STU CLAMPITT
news@readthereporter.com
Poet Ape Productions Founding Producer James Holbrook is bringing Thornton’s Wilder’s Our Town to the South Alley of downtown Noblesville from Sept. 29 through Oct. 8.
It’s OK if you want to read that again. It is not a typo.
Poet Ape’s first play will stage in the alley south of the Historic Courthouse in downtown Noblesville.
Photo provided
The Reporter spoke to Holbrook about his company, his local ties, and his choice of venue.
The name Poet Ape Productions is taken from a 17th century poem by Ben Johnson, a contemporary of Shakespeare. Holbrook told The Reporter he has already read that poem as a good-natured jab at The Bard by one of his friends.
“It’s that humility and that comradery that I wanted to bring to the company,” Holbrook said.
Holbrook, who grew up in Noblesville, has now lived in Chicago for nearly 20 years.
“In 2015 I was walking around downtown,” Holbrook said. “This was around the time the alleyways were activated and became true public spaces. One of our sponsors told me it was usually just where people went to go smoke cigarettes. To see this brand-new public thoroughfare – I was shocked by it. I was walking down the north alley near Kirk’s and I took a picture. The modern world was buzzing in the front of the building. I turned a corner in this new public space between these two century-old buildings and saw this doorway that hasn’t been changed. It was like the ghosts of workers past were going into Kirk’s to work and saying ‘hey, don’t forget about us.’ That was the inspiration for the show.”
Holbrook said he likes the south alley location because it stands between the Historic Courthouse and the new Levinson. Those symbols of the past and future of Noblesville appeals to him as an artist. There are also tragedy and comedy masks at both entrances to the alley because it is the path to the Wild Opera House built in 1895.
“There is a humility in Noblesville that I really only noticed after I’ve come back,” Holbrook said. “The Kirk’s workers spirits that inspired me were just simple people who wanted to go to work and go home, love who they loved, make a few bucks, take care of and raise their children if they had any, live a good life, and that was it. I’m sure they were far more complicated than I am painting them.”
James Holbrook, originally of Noblesville and the founding producer of Poet Ape Productions, took this photo of the side door of Kirk Hardware in 2015. “It was like the ghosts of workers past were going into Kirk’s to work and saying ‘hey, don’t forget about us.’ That was the inspiration for the show.” (Photo provided)
The spirit of workers who inspired Holbrook were of a certain era. Our Town was clearly written in the 1930s. Holbrook says he is telling the story as Thornton Wilder wrote it, but he’s telling it for today.
“America and Noblesville today is a multi-generational, multi-ethnic rainbow of skin colors who just want to do what those same workers who inspired me in that back of Kirk’s wanted,” Holbrook told The Reporter. “They want to just go to work, love who they love, live their best life, and raise their children. That’s what we are celebrating.”
Our Town will stage Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 29 through Oct. 8, at 7:30 p.m.
On Oct. 7, the production moves to Seminary Park due to an overlap with downtown’s First Friday festivities.
Tickets are $25 for general admission. Get your tickets online at tinyurl.com/OurTownNoblesville.
Photo provided