July 25 - August 23
There's some mighty strange goin's-on in the tiny town of Tuna, Texas - and local radio station OKKK brings it all to you, live and on the air. Hayden Heibert, Robert Bogue and Sean Mitchell, our three "Complete Works" guys, return this summer to bring twenty different characters to loony life!
Performances are on Friday and Saturday at 8:15pm with one Sunday Matinee on August 17 at 2:15pm
Click here to purchase tickets online or call our box office at 425.881.6777
A Note from the Artistic Director
Welcome to the first show in SecondStory Repertory’s Anniversary
Season 10! I am thrilled to be taking the reins as Artistic Director
this season. Stan Gill has left behind a legacy that will not be
forgotten, and in the spirit of that legacy, Greater Tuna utilizes the
talents of three of our best-loved company members. Sean, Robert,
and Hayden have been seen on this stage many times separately,
but are probably best known for their work together in the Complete
Works series of plays. (If you missed those, you missed some
rollicking good times!) Stan and I chose this play to launch the
season because these actors have a wonderful history of working
together, and this kind of material, hilarity with a social bent, suits
them to the proverbial “t.”
Life is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel.
–Jean de La Bruyere
Greater Tuna is the perfect blend of old and new, fluff and substance,
fit for this time of year and for this social climate. Tuna,
in the tradition of good old-fashioned satire, invites us to laugh
at some of our thorniest issues by taking them to the extreme. In
depicting rather than deploring them, the play demands a response
from the audience. I can only hope that your response is to think,
as well as to laugh.
Susanna Wilson
Artistic Director
Director’s Notes
The bizarre phenomenon that is Greater Tuna started out as a
comedy skit developed by Joe Sears, Jaston Williams and Ed
Howard for a private party in Austin, TX in 1980. By 1985, it
was the most produced play in America; ten years later, it had
spawned two sequels, A Tuna Christmas and Red, White and
Tuna.
Though some may be tempted to dismiss the show (and its sequels)
as comedy-sketch fare most suited to the amateur crowd,
the Tuna saga is has won its spurs in the corrals of the high ‘n’
mighty:
• In 1982, Greater Tuna took New York City by storm and ran
for over a year Off-Broadway with the original cast of co-authors
Sears and Williams.
• Norman Lear directed a TV version of Greater Tuna for HBO
in 1984.
• Greater Tuna was nominated twice for a Helen Hayes award
for Joe Sears’ performance in 1985 and 1987
• The creators of the show gave a command performance of
Greater Tuna to President and Mrs. Bush (Sr.) in 1990, and
were nonetheless invited back to do it again in 1991.
• In 1995, Joe Sears was nominated for a Tony for best actor in
A Tuna Christmas.
The reason why Tuna rises above disposable entertainment is
because Tuna is deeper than it first appears. I suspect that everyone
sees a bit of their own home town, family and maybe even a
bit of themselves in at least one or two of the mildly sociopathic
denizens of the self-proclaimed “third smallest town in Texas.”
Although Tuna and its sequels were originally written for two actors
playing 20+ roles, the shows can be (and have been) played
with different actors playing every role. Part of the fun, however,
is seeing a small cast scrambling to cover the entire citizenry of
Tuna. Thus, our tiny, talented trio tackles the task with the advantage
of a “spare” actor counterbalanced by the handicap that
whoever isn’t actually acting onstage at any one time is generally
expected to provide the sound effects for the other two. Have fun,
guys!
Frank Lawler
Director
Audience Reveiw
Lawler really knows how to use Second Story Rep's unusual space. He also has a keen eye for physical detail, from blocking the hefty Charlene clumsily around the furniture to the fuzzy dice in Stanley's muscle car. He also keeps the whole shebang reined in--it would be too easy to take it too far. But as nutso as Tuna can be, these folks do feel, and feel strongly about things, and Lawler helps us remember that.
Machelle Allman
Audience Member
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