Children's Theatre Company (CTC) and School of Minneapolis Alumni Archive: Leonid Andreyev's HE Who Gets Slapped (1975)

Leonid Andreyev's HE Who Gets Slapped. 1975.
L to R: Myron Johnson, Bain Boehlke, Carl Beck.

PLEASE BE ADVISED that co-founder and artistic director John Clark Donahue, as well as a number of staff and/or school faculty members of the theatre (actor/instructor Jason McLean, for one) have been convicted and/or charged with criminal and/or civil crimes of sexual abuse of minors. In winter of 2019, in civil court, the Children's Theatre Company was also found guilty of negligence in these matters which occurred during the time period of the 1970s and 1980s (and probably earlier). Consequently, please be aware that the images and links within this blog include the contributions and participation of certain minors who were victims/survivors/witnesses of sexual and emotional abuse and residual trauma, as well as certain adult perpetrators, enablers, and/or former victims.

In its first season in the "new theatre" The Children's Theatre Company and School presented for adult and teenage audiences (running in repertory with "Pinocchio") the Russian drama "HE Who Gets Slapped," by Leonid Andreyev. Set backstage at a circus, the production was enormous; in addition to a large cast, it also employed a number of live animals, including a team of horses, geese, monkey, emu, and a jaguar.
The play was directed by John Clark Donahue. Music composed and orchestrated by Steven M. Rydberg. Scenic design by Donahue, costume design by Gene Davis Buck, lighting design by Jon Baker. The play featured every member of the acting company and numerous guests, led by Bain Boehlke as HE and Kathleen Sullivan as Consuelo.