2025
Nov 16 @ 2:00pm
Performances:
Oct. 30-1, 6-8, 13-15, 20-22
Shows start at 7:30 PM
Matinee:
Sunday, November 16th @ 2:00pm
The Story:
It is May of 1946 and Timmy Cleary has come home from the war to his estranged parents, John and Nettie, in the Bronx apartment where he grew up. As their reunion promises a return to life as it never was, John, giving up a lucrative business opportunity, attends a ball game with his son and grudgingly, at Timmy’s request, returns with roses for Nettie in an insincere attempt at reconciliation. Reminiscing, the three attempt to recapture the past and all it symbolizes, but the ideal is shattered amidst recriminations. The next morning Timmy announces he is leaving once again, and husband and wife must face the reality of life with only their memories.
Bryan Kirsch
as John Cleary
About John Cleary:
An Irish-Catholic, middle-class man who once brimmed with ambition but now lives with disappointment. He has built a steady business but feels his dreams have withered, leaving him bitter and prone to frustration. His relationship with his wife is strained, his bond with his son awkward, and he often turns to drinking as a release. Beneath his anger lies a yearning for respect and recognition that he rarely receives.
About Bryan Kirsch:
Bryan Kirsch is a Theatre West veteran; he made his first appearance on the Jack Coyne stage in The Murder Room (October 2009), and has since acted, directed, and supported in a number of Theatre West productions. Most recently he directed And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little earlier this year. He claims this addiction to be incurable.
Naomi Fast
as Nettie Cleary
About Nettie Cleary:
Nettie comes from a slightly more refined background and once believed marriage would offer her something better than it has. Instead, she has endured John’s emotional distance, failures, and infidelities. She both nurtures and smothers her son, using affection, guilt, and criticism as weapons in the battle with her husband. Resentful and wounded, she longs for tenderness and connection, but the way she expresses her pain often drives her family further away.
About Naomi Fast:
Naomi made her Theatre West debut in 2024’s play Angel Street (Gas Light). She’s delighted to return for the second time to play the role of Nettie. Naomi formally studied poetry and theatre at Portland State University, and later taught Theater Appreciation as an adjunct professor. From a young age, Naomi has enjoyed entertaining family and friends through acting games and skits, sometimes directed by her mom. Now Naomi and her musician husband live here in town, where it’s truly a gift to have Theatre West in the community.
Scott Christianson
as Timmy Cleary
About Timmy Cleary:
Timmy has just returned from the war , transformed by his time in the Army. Once sickly and overprotected, he now carries himself with more independence and clarity. He sees his parents’ marriage for what it is—a fragile truce built on regret and recrimination. He tries to bridge the gulf between them, but quickly realizes that his presence only reopens old wounds. In the end, Timmy chooses to leave again, understanding that he must carve out a life of his own rather than be trapped in the cycle of bitterness that defines his parents.
About Scott Christianson:
Scott discovered his love for acting and for Theater West 8 years ago when on a whim, he tried out for a part in The Odd Couple. Fate intervened and he was cast in a small part that ignited the flame! From that point on, he has joyfully become a part of Theatre West and is happy that he has found a way to give back to the local community. Scott is excited to play the part of Timmy, the young veteran coming home from the Great War. As a veteran himself, he has enjoyed getting into the development of this character and hopes to honor all veterans in portraying him.
Scott lives in Neotsu with his wife, his daughter and her fiance, his mother-in-law, and his newest love, his three-year-old granddaughter, Amaya. Both of Amaya’s parents are truly artistic using music and art as their ways of expression. Scott hopes that his acting will enhance Amaya’s love for all forms of artistic expression.
Bonnie Ross
Director
About Bonnie Ross:
Bonnie has been directing and acting at Theatre West since 2006, when she was first seen as Doctor Eve in Sordid Lives. Since then she has acted in 9 plays and directed 12 for Theatre West, as well as directing and acting in several productions for Porthole Players and Red Octopus Theatre in Newport. She was last on stage here as Maude in Harold and Maude and last directed Angel Street (Gaslight) last season.
Andrew Schmitz
Assistant Director
About Andrew Schmitz:
Andrew enjoys being involved in the theatre in any capacity. He most recently acted in The Dining Room, playing 10 different characters. After that he had the pleasure of painting a forgery of a Jackson Pollock painting that was used in Bakersfield Mist. He loves stories and all the ways of telling them.
Patrick Kiernan
Stage Manager
About Patrick Kiernan:
Patrick is pleased to be making his 5th appearance on the Jack Coyne Stage here at Theatre
West. Previous productions include Camping With Henry and Tom, The Agatha Christie
Mysteries, Panache and Bakersfield Mist. He has also worked on five other productions in
various capacities including Stage Manager, Lighting Designer, Assistant Director and Director.
Patrick worked 35 years in the film and television industry before retirement, moving to Lincoln
City in 2020.
Patrick spent 35 years working both in/and off production in the film and television industry in Los Angeles before retirement. He relocated to Lincoln City in 2020.
Russel Sweet
Stage Manager
About Russel Sweet:
Russel Sweet and his wife Elaine, are enjoying their post-reitement life in Depoe Bay, Oregon. Russel’s theatrical journey spans acting, producing, and directing in a variety of college and community productions. He produced and acted in M*A*S*H, and directed The Miracle Worker and The Matchmaker. His acting credits include Our Town, Fiddler on the Roof, Oliver!, Once Upon a Mattress, I Do! I Do!, and The Twelfth Night, among others. Behind the scenes, Russel has served as props master for You Can’t Take It With You, Fiddler on the Roof, and Twelfth Night, and he has also experience in design.
A passionate supporter of the arts, Russel volunteers regularly at the Newport Performing Arts Center and Theatre West in Lincoln City. The Subject Was Roses marks his first foray into stage management, and he hopes to return to directing in the future.