PEORIA MAGAZINE November 2022

Cast rehearsal for the play, ‘Inherit the Wind’

W atching a rehearsal of “Inherit the Wind,” the play performed recently at the Peoria Riverfront Museum, was another reminder of the ability of live theater to get audiences — and cast members — to think. Made intoamovie in 1960withSpencer Tracy and Fredric March, “Inherit the Wind” is based on the contentious courtroom battle between Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan in 1925. The 1955 Broadway hit featured Paul Muni, Ed Begley and Tony Randall. Those who gathered onstage at the museum, however,weren’t veteranactors or even community theater regulars. “I love working with people who are new to the experience,” said Edie Barnard, the director who paced about during the run-through of the play, suggesting stage movements while urging players to get more involved in their roles. “I found this cast very responsive. No one dropped out,” she said. The idea for the show dates back to a discussion between Barnard and

P L A Y I N G I N P E O R I A

PEORIA'S LEGAL EAGLES ‘INHERIT THE WIND’

BY STEVE TARTER PHOTOS BY RON JOHNSON

94 NOVEMBER 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE