By Erin Randolph erin@dmcityview.com

Canadian playwright Michael Healey's "Drawer Boy" is a comedy-drama that has its origins in a project that plucked an actors collective out of its urban Toronto setting and thrust it into a rural farming community to work and live with the farmers and collect stories for a play.

The result was called "The Farm Show," and it inspired Healey to write his first full-length play, which was met with success; Time Magazine picked "Drawer Boy" as one of the 10 best plays of 2001, and it's currently one of the most-produced plays in the country.

The Drama Workshop will join the long list of theater companies producing "Drawer Boy" as it opens at the Civic Center's Stoner Studio Theater for a two-weekend run starting Friday. In it, a young, urban actor, Miles, is welcomed into the home of two middle-aged farmers, Morgan and Angus, in search of ideas for a new play.

Local actor Gary Roberts plays Morgan, a basically good man whose life changed in the midst of his experiences in World War II. Roberts hadn't read the script before he auditioned, but he's impressed with it in that it has some genuinely humorous as well as very poignant parts to it.

"Every time we rehearse I think I see something different in it," Roberts says. "It really has become a favorite play of mine."

An injury that Angus sustained in the war left him with no long-term memory, only short-term. As a result, Morgan is his primary caretaker, which has bred some anger and resentment towards Angus.

"For 30 years Morgan has been living with guilt and kind of combining that with caring and being devoted to his friend Angus," Roberts says. "It makes for a very interesting internal conflict in him. There are a lot of things going on inside of Morgan."

The addition of Miles into their long-withstanding routine serves as a catalyst, as his presence is at first amusing to Morgan, but as he asks more questions of the farmers and brings back more memories, Morgan grows irritated and more aggravated towards him for stirring up old emotions. Having heard numerous times the story that Morgan retells to Angus every night, Miles fashions a play out the story of two men who went to London as WWII volunteers and who fell in love with two English girls who came to America to marry them.

"I think the best part of the play is its very real, human relationships. I think they're characters that people will genuinely like," Roberts says. "I know I like all of the character of the play, even though my character may not always like Miles and has resentment toward Angus, they're very likeable characters."

Stage notes

Auditions for StageWest's "Johnny Guitar: The Musical" will be on Sunday at 3 p.m. and Monday at 7 p.m. at the Fitch Building, on the corner of 15th and Walnut streets. "Johnny Guitar" will run April 28 through May 14 at the Civic Center's Stoner Studio Theater. Roles are available for two women and seven men. Those interested in auditioning should prepare a short song of their choice. An accompanist/ CD player will be provided. Dress comfortably for movement. Call 309-0251 or visit www.stagewestiowa.com for more information... Auditions for Pat Cook's "The Marquis Crossing Ladies Society's First Attempt at Murder" will be on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Elks Lodge No. 2722, 1932 S.W. Third St. in Ankeny. The show will be performed March 31 and April 1. Call Polly Taylor at 964-1605 for more information. CV

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