Peppermint Creek brings story of post-Jan. 6 fallout to the stage

As artistic director Chad Swan-Badgero told City Pulse in September, Peppermint Creek Theatre Co.’s mission is to “address vital issues in society, raise awareness and encourage dialogue with the shows we produce.” Few shows fit that bill as well as “Fatherland,” beginning Jan. 23.

The play tells the true story of an 18-year-old who turned his father into the FBI for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. The book was written using court evidence, public statements and the official court transcript of The United States v. Guy Wesley Reffitt.

“This show fits very squarely into our mission. It’s one in a sort of history we’ve had of verbatim theater — shows that are taken directly from the world, whether it be direct testimonies or, in this case, court filings and interviews,” Swan-Badgero said. “We’re really drawn to this type of work, as far as taking real people’s words and dramatizing them.”

The show tackles three major themes, he said.

“I think at its core, it’s about what we mean by loyalty and what loyalty means to us, both as individuals and as a country. We’ve really leaned in to that question, because while we can easily say what it means to be loyal to ourselves, what does it mean to be loyal to our family members? What does it mean to be loyal to our communities or to our country, and what happens if those things conflict?

“The other two questions that we’ve sort of grappled with as a company are how polarization can fracture families and society and what can happen when democracy and truth and civic trust start to unravel,” he continued. “What happens to our relationships, what happens to our country? What happens to societal norms?”

Swan-Badgero stepped up to direct the production in part because of his own questions about Jan. 6.

“I started this company because I needed a way to grapple with the questions I couldn’t find the answers for, the things in the world that made me angry or confused or rageful,” he said. “That’s why I chose this particular play, because I have a lot of questions and confusion about the actions that took place during the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol and how anyone could do something like that. I think choosing this play was a way for me to try to better understand that, and I hope that’s how audiences will come to the show as well — certainly not condoning the actions, but trying to understand how someone gets to that place.”

The cast — Mark Gmazel as Father, Keara Hayes as Son, Rose Jangmi Cooper as the US attorney and Jonas Greenberg as the defense attorney — has been up to the challenge of tackling the heavy content.

“Rose Cooper and Jonas Greenberg, they’re really thoughtful, and they’re very analytical as people and as actors, so that serves them really well in their roles as attorneys,” he said. “Something that we’ve been really rolling around in rehearsal has been how, in a courtroom, attorneys are supposed to be the opposite of dramatic, and yet we’re in a dramatic situation with the play. So, how do they remain engaging and interesting? The two of them have been really expert as far as that goes.”

For their characters, Gmazel and Hayes had plenty of source material to work with.

“There is so much footage about Jackson Reffitt, the son, and his testimony in court, as well as all the interviews he did. The father who stormed the Capitol, you can see that action on TV. The daunting part has been the difference between doing a sort of caricature or impersonation of those people and then what each of them brings uniquely to the roles themselves,” he said. “I think Keara has really embodied the son and the ‘rock and a hard place’ that he lives in. Keara is really good at showing that both physically and emotionally on stage.

“And Mark, you know, it’s hard, I think, to play a character — and to love your character like you’re supposed to as an actor — who has done something that he was convicted for. That’s not really up for debate. But to play him with compassion and to try to show the arc of how he gets there, Mark has been so brave and willing to show all the messy parts of that really human experience and how this character really got dragged down into a hard, sometimes sad situation.”

Whether for the subject matter, the top-notch acting or the notably in-depth audio, which was created in partnership with the “Fatherland’s” original sound designer (who happens to be a Lansing native), Swan-Badgero hopes audience members from “all over the political spectrum” will see the show.

“I think it’s an even-handed show as far as giving us a glimpse into these two characters that are on very different sides of the political spectrum. I think it’s really humane and treats both the characters, the son and the father, with a lot of dignity,” he said. “I hope that audiences will really be eager to dive into our mission statement, as far as creating dialogue, as opposed to being polarized, which is easy to do right now in our politics.”

 

January and early February theater productions:

“Back to the Future: The Musical”

Jan. 13-18

7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday

2 p.m. Saturday

1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday

Wharton Center Cobb Great Hall

750 E. Shaw Lane, East Lansing

www.whartoncenter.com

 

“12 Incompetent Jurors”

Jan. 15-18 and 22-25

7 p.m. Thursday

8 p.m. Friday-Saturday

 2 p.m. Sunday

Riverwalk Theatre

228 Museum Drive, Lansing

www.riverwalktheatre.com

 

“Fatherland”

Peppermint Creek Theatre Co.

Jan. 23-25 and 29-Feb. 1

7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday

3 p.m. Sunday; Jan. 31

Stage One at Sycamore Creek Eastwood

2200 Lake Lansing Road, Lansing

www.peppermintcreek.org

 

“Hadestown”

Jan. 30-Feb. 1

7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday

2 p.m. Saturday

1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday

Wharton Center Cobb Great Hall

750 E. Shaw Lane, East Lansing

www.whartoncenter.com

 

“Beetlejuice Jr.”

All-of-Us Express Children’s Theatre

Jan. 30-Feb. 1 and Feb. 6-8

7 p.m. Friday

3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday

Hannah Community Center

819 Abbot Road, East Lansing

www.allofusexpress.org