THE SPITFIRE GRILL BACKSTAGE GUIDE 3 Note from Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside ..............................................................................Page 4 About The Spitfire Grill .........................................................................................................................Page 5 About the Writers ................................................................................................................................Page 5 Interview with Music Director Malcolm Ruhl ......................................................................................Page 6 Sketches from Costume Designer Lily Grace Walls ..............................................................................Page 7 About Women’s Mass Incarceration ...............................................................................................Pages 8-9 Unemployment Among Formerly Incarcerated People ..............................................................Pages 10-11 “The Hard Truths of Trying to ’Save’ The Rural Economy” .........................................................Pages 12-13 About Vietnam Deserters ............................................................................................................Pages 14-15 About American Blues Theater ...................................................................................................Pages 16-17 BACKSTAGE Contributors Elyse Dolan Associate Producer American Blues Theater with Gwendolyn Whiteside, Malcolm Ruhl, and Lily Grace Walls © 2019 American Blues Theater. All rights reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS