THE PRICE OF POWER

By Herb Brown

The Price of Power is latest play written by Columbus Playwright and former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Herb Brown. This fast-paced, smart drama, which focuses on the relationships between former President John Kennedy, his brother, Robert F. Kennedy, and J. Edgar Hoover, and revelations about their elaborate schemes as they each grapple for power, was originally presented as a reading on the CATCO stage earlier this year. CATCO is excited to share this digital production for those who missed the original reading.

WATCH NOW

THE PRICE OF POWER

By Herb Brown

The Price of Power is latest play written by Columbus Playwright and former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Herb Brown. This fast-paced, smart drama, which focuses on the relationships between former President John Kennedy, his brother, Robert F. Kennedy, and J. Edgar Hoover, and revelations about their elaborate schemes as they each grapple for power, was originally presented as a reading on the CATCO stage earlier this year. CATCO is excited to share this digital production for those who missed the original reading.

WATCH NOW

The digital reading featured the same cast in the original reading: Kevin Carty (John F. Kennedy), Todd Covert (Clyde Tolson), Isaac Nippert (Robert F. Kennedy), and Ralph Scott (J. Edgar Hoover).  Steven C. Anderson, CATCO’s producing director, was the director.

ABOUT HERB BROWN:

Herb Brown has written seven plays, three of them world premieres produced by CATCO: You’re My Boy in 2005; The Final Table in 2015; and Henry Ford’s Model E in 2017. The Power of God was featured in CATCO’s Shorts Festival 2002. He is also working on an eighth play, The Duchess. His novels include Shadow of Doubt and Presumption of Guilt. Presumption rose to No. 10 on the Doubleday national bestseller list and Shadow was a selection of the Literary Guild.

CHARACTER ACTOR
John F. Kennedy, President of the United States Kevin Carty
Robert F. Kennedy, Attorney General Isaac Nippert
J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI Ralph Scott
Clyde Tolson, Assistant Director of the FBI Todd Covert

Todd Covert (Clyde Tolson, assistant director of the FBI), who holds a BFA from The Ohio State University and an MFA from The University of Southern California. At CATCO, he has performed in Life Sucks., Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Final Table, and Henry Ford’s Model E. Short North Stage credits include Saturday Night Fever, Kiss of the Spider Woman, A Normal Heart, Angels in America, Dream Girls and Assassins; Weathervane Theatre credits include The Odd Couple, Meet Me in St.Louis, The Full Monty and Gypsy.

Kevin Carty (John F. Kennedy, president), who performed in CATCO’s recent production of Holmes and Watson. Previous CATCO credits include The Final Table, I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change, The Fantastics, as well as Seussical the Musical and You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown at The Phoenix Theatre for Children now called CATCO is Kids. He has directed shows at CATCO is Kids, Reality Theater, Columbus Children’s Theatre, Opera Columbus, and several area high schools, and, for the last 10 years, has portrayed the role of the clown wearing Big Red Shoes.

Isaac Nippert (Robert F. Kennedy, Attorney General) performed in CATCO’s production of My Name is Asher Lev during the 2014-15 season. His Los Angeles theater credits include A Christmas Carol and Nothing Sacred at South Coast Repertory, Don Juan at A Noise Within and The Magic Bullet Theory at Sacred Fools Theatre Company.

Ralph Scott (J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI), who is a graduate of The Second City in Chicago and has performed in Holmes and Watson, Breaking the Code, The Realistic Joneses, Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, The Three Trials Of Oscar Wilde, The Final Table, Next Fall, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, My Name Is Asher Lev, Evie’s Waltz, The Foursome and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at CATCO. In addition to numerous regional and national commercial works, Scott is active in independent movies locally and throughout the Midwest.

Directing the play reading is Steven Anderson, CATCO’s producing director. Anderson’s directing credits include plays as diverse as the central Ohio premiere and first non-touring production in Ohio of Fun Home, as well as Application Pending, My Way, A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, Holmes and Watson, Life Sucks, Every Brilliant Thing, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, Peter and the Starcatcher, Avenue Q, and the highly acclaimed production of Doug Wright’s I Am My Own Wife. He has also directed Candide and Hair at The Ohio State University Theatre Department; Love! Valour! Compassion! and The Taste of Sunrise at CATCO; Big River and Pippin at Actors Theatre; A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at New Harmony Theatre; and Greater Tuna, Little Shop of Horrors, and Assassins at the former Players Theatre Columbus where he served as Associate Producing Director.

The digital reading featured the same cast in the original reading: Kevin Carty (John F. Kennedy), Todd Covert (Clyde Tolson), Isaac Nippert (Robert F. Kennedy), and Ralph Scott (J. Edgar Hoover).  Steven C. Anderson, CATCO’s producing director, was the director.

ABOUT HERB BROWN:

Herb Brown has written seven plays, three of them world premieres produced by CATCO: You’re My Boy in 2005; The Final Table in 2015; and Henry Ford’s Model E in 2017. The Power of God was featured in CATCO’s Shorts Festival 2002. He is also working on an eighth play, The Duchess. His novels include Shadow of Doubt and Presumption of Guilt. Presumption rose to No. 10 on the Doubleday national bestseller list and Shadow was a selection of the Literary Guild.

CHARACTER ACTOR
John F. Kennedy, President of the United States Kevin Carty
Robert F. Kennedy, Attorney General Isaac Nippert
J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI Ralph Scott
Clyde Tolson, Assistant Director of the FBI Todd Covert

Todd Covert (Clyde Tolson, assistant director of the FBI), who holds a BFA from The Ohio State University and an MFA from The University of Southern California. At CATCO, he has performed in Life Sucks., Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Final Table, and Henry Ford’s Model E. Short North Stage credits include Saturday Night Fever, Kiss of the Spider Woman, A Normal Heart, Angels in America, Dream Girls and Assassins; Weathervane Theatre credits include The Odd Couple, Meet Me in St.Louis, The Full Monty and Gypsy.

Kevin Carty (John F. Kennedy, president), who performed in CATCO’s recent production of Holmes and Watson. Previous CATCO credits include The Final Table, I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change, The Fantastics, as well as Seussical the Musical and You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown at The Phoenix Theatre for Children now called CATCO is Kids. He has directed shows at CATCO is Kids, Reality Theater, Columbus Children’s Theatre, Opera Columbus, and several area high schools, and, for the last 10 years, has portrayed the role of the clown wearing Big Red Shoes.

Isaac Nippert (Robert F. Kennedy, Attorney General) performed in CATCO’s production of My Name is Asher Lev during the 2014-15 season. His Los Angeles theater credits include A Christmas Carol and Nothing Sacred at South Coast Repertory, Don Juan at A Noise Within and The Magic Bullet Theory at Sacred Fools Theatre Company.

Ralph Scott (J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI), who is a graduate of The Second City in Chicago and has performed in Holmes and Watson, Breaking the Code, The Realistic Joneses, Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, The Three Trials Of Oscar Wilde, The Final Table, Next Fall, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, My Name Is Asher Lev, Evie’s Waltz, The Foursome and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at CATCO. In addition to numerous regional and national commercial works, Scott is active in independent movies locally and throughout the Midwest.

Directing the play reading is Steven Anderson, CATCO’s producing director. Anderson’s directing credits include plays as diverse as the central Ohio premiere and first non-touring production in Ohio of Fun Home, as well as Application Pending, My Way, A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, Holmes and Watson, Life Sucks, Every Brilliant Thing, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, Peter and the Starcatcher, Avenue Q, and the highly acclaimed production of Doug Wright’s I Am My Own Wife. He has also directed Candide and Hair at The Ohio State University Theatre Department; Love! Valour! Compassion! and The Taste of Sunrise at CATCO; Big River and Pippin at Actors Theatre; A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at New Harmony Theatre; and Greater Tuna, Little Shop of Horrors, and Assassins at the former Players Theatre Columbus where he served as Associate Producing Director.

CATCO is grateful to the following individuals and companies who have made this reading possible:
Ann & Don Casto, Donna & Larry James, Mary & Tom Katzenmeyer, Brenda & Steven McCoy, Melinda and Edward Sadar, Marta & Scott Whitlock, Huntington National Bank, and PNC.