Silence = Death. The famous slogan of the AIDS activist group ACT UP could serve as an epigraph for Timberlake Wertenbaker’s The Love of the Nightingale, given a terrifyingly beautiful performance by the Constellation Theatre Company. Based on a tragedy by Sophocles, of which only fragments have survived, and a treatment by Ovid in his Metamorphoses, Wertenbaker’s 1988 play considers the role of voluntary and coerced silence in enabling cruelty and oppression and, ultimately, in leading to further atrocity.

The play begins and ends in violence. Soldiers fight to the death in the opening scene, the fight choreography by Matthew Wilson bringing to mind the combat scenes of “The Illiad.” Tereus (Matthew Schleigh), King of Thrace, receives as the reward of his victory the hand of Procne (Dorea Schmidt), daughter of the King of Athens. Schmidt’s deer-in-the-headlights shock as she dutifully submits to a political marriage is the first of many silences that mark the play.

After five years and a baby in what seem to her the lonely cultural wasteland of Thrace, Procne longs for the company of her younger sister Philomele (Meagan Dominy), and Tereus goes to Athens to fetch her. They view a performance of the Phaedra story, with the actors skillfully wearing beautiful and intricate theatrical masks. They touch, Philomele innocently and Tereus with what he recognizes as desire. On the voyage back to Thrace, Tereus delays the ship’s arrival; when Philomele rejects his advances, he kills the captain (Ashley Ivey), who Philomele has begun to love, and carries off the girl and rapes her. He is the King and has the power do all he wants.

The ship’s crewmembers are aware of all this: Tereus’s lust for Philomele, the murder of their captain, the abduction and rape. But they say nothing and pretend to see nothing. Their job is to follow orders, nothing more. When Tereus stonewalls their tentative questions, they meekly comply. Meanwhile, Philomele’s servant, Niobe (Rena Cherry Brown), an older woman who laments her loss of allure, speaks with cynical despair of the powerlessness of women. Philomele must accept the rape and, perhaps, try to gain what advantage she can from the situation. She must keep silent in the face of Tereus’ power; certainly she must not protest.

But Philomele will not remain silent. She ridicules the King to his face about his weakness and promises to proclaim to the world what a fool he is. At first, Tereus repeats what must be a familiar refrain to victims of sexual violence everywhere: why speak up, when no one will believe you against my words? When she continues to speak, he takes action to silence her voice once and for all, cutting out her tongue in one of the most horrifying scenes one is likely to see on stage. It is commonplace to talk of actors being committed to a role or a scene: the commitment of Schleigh and Dominy to the brutality of this scene is well beyond what most actors are ever asked to do.

What is to become of the speechless girl? She languishes in Thrace (Tereus has told Procne that her sister died on the voyage) for years. Wishing to contact Procne and convince her of her husband’s crimes, she seizes on the mechanism of a puppet play (the puppets, designed and choreographed by Don Becker and Eric Brooks, respectively, are a marvel), reenacting her rape and mutilation. In the midst of a drunken festival, Procne sees and, after some initial reluctance, believes. The two women take a Medea-like revenge on Tereus. Again, members of the ensemble observe a killing but resolve to say nothing and deny seeing anything.

The quality of the acting is extraordinary throughout. Schleigh’s King is a shallow, unthinking creature who typifies the arrogance of power, unable to face those he has wronged. Schmidt’s Procne tries, but never quite succeeds, to assimilate to the foreign world of Thrace, and when her illusions about her husband and her life with him are shattered, responds with an extreme of violence. Brown’s Niobe proclaims her hard-earned wisdom as a woman who knows what the world is like, but becomes instead a collaborator in the silence that imprisons Philomele and herself, almost satisfied to see Philomele punished the transgression Niobe had warned her against. Dominy’s Philomele has the longest and hardest journey, from innocent girl to adventurer to lover to rape victim (seldom has the nature of rape as a crime of power been portrayed more clearly) to dissident to sufferer of a horror to cruel avenger. Every step on her path is utterly convincing. In smaller roles, Ivey as the warm captain and Henry Niepoetter as Tereus’ unpleasant apprentice warrior of a son make their mark as well.

The ensemble, whether as soldiers, sailors, women of the court, or revelers at a festival, play their parts with flair, moving smartly to Kelly King’s choreography, above all in the bacchanal scene, as merriment mixes with the dread created by Philomele’s puppet show. To an extent, they play the traditional role of the Greek chorus, but they more importantly portray members of a society who, by choosing not to notice and speak, become accomplices in the crimes of the powerful.

The gold-colored foil-covered walls of scenic designer A.J. Guban’s set, which largely surrounds the oblong playing area, create a glittery world of splendor, the world that those in power wish society to see and be dazzled by. Augmented by Joseph Wall’s lighting design, which features many reds, the floor — shiny black planks with red spaces in between — evokes the dark and bloody underpinnings of a society based on the arbitrary exercise of power.

Kendra Rai’s costumes for the ensemble convey the multiple roles that its members play: those for the revelers in the festival scene, white costumes seemingly doused in wine, were especially colorful. Without attempting to be fixed in a given historical period, the costumes for the principals as well as those for the ensemble create the impression of characters living in the distant past of classical myth while confronting very contemporary issues.

Constellation, which makes something of a specialty of plays based on classical and world myths (their Metamorphoses a few years ago was noticeably superior to Arena Stage’s larger subsequent production, for example), has developed a fruitful relationship with musician Tom Teasley. Teasley provides the soundscape for Nightingale, with percussion and wind instrumentation helping to create the impression of the mythical world while responding to the emotions of each scene.

Without losing its roots in classical myth, the play has even greater resonance today than when it opened in 1988. What, after all, do the powerful seek? To do their will, with the role of the rest of society being quiet compliance. When torture, assassination, and sweeping collection of private information become state policy, treat those who publicize official conduct as criminals. When there is widespread criticism of a government on the internet and social media, censor or shut down electronic communications (the Turkish government’s recent attempt to pull to plug on Twitter comes to mind). In a more private sphere, silence is golden to those in positions of family or institutional power who sexually abuse children. Speaking up is dangerous, but what other choice is there but complicity? Not easy choices, but issues made vivid in this stunning production.

Director’s Note

I welcome you on this voyage to a foreign land in an unspecified time that feels at once ancient and modern. I have loved this play from the first time I read it over a decade ago. With opportunities for singing and dancing, romance and violence, sacrifice and transcendence, there are moments all over the emotional spectrum. A classical story created first by Sophocles, and then transformed by Ovid in Metamorphoses, is re-imagined by the brilliant Olivier Award-winning playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker.
 
This myth is a vehicle for us to express and process the darkest desires of the human heart. It is a complex world in which both love and violence are beautiful and terrifying. Tereus, the King of Thrace, is a war hero who has liberated Athens by conquering the invading army. His physical prowess and steely courage are celebrated, but when violent tendencies emerge later we find ourselves condemning the warrior we once adored. Wertenbaker gives us glimmering moments of love, both familial and romantic. The strength of the sisters’ bond drives the play. The romance between Philomele and the Captain allows them to feel “the gods within us.” Yet, the god of love can also be cruel, even merciless, fueling a fiery passion that can be all-consuming.
 
The women in this play are vivid and varied; they are all survivors finding their way in a world dominated by men. Philomele’s quest to know the world, to gain experiences, to embrace her inner longings, and to bravely ask questions is both inspirational and dangerous. We watch Procne evolve from a frightened young woman to a brave and decisive queen. Niobe, a lowly servant, offers years of wisdom and advice that is both shrewd and disturbing. Classical tales so often revolve around men; it is riveting to gain the perspective of a female playwright and all the women she has brought to life.
 
The Love of the Nightingale celebrates the power of the performing arts to transform lives and to communicate through image, movement and music as well as words. The King of Athens tells us, “I find plays help me think. You catch a phrase, recognize a character.” Wertenbaker gives us a ceremonial court drama as well as a freewheeling puppet show. The collective energy of a large ensemble is harnessed with the chorus. Magical transformations allow for redemption and forgiveness in a way that is uniquely theatrical. This play allows us to tap into the imagination of the ancients, yet it also calls on us to see the reflection of the action in our own world today.
 
I hope you will enjoy the story before you and that you will return to Constellation next year as a subscriber. Our 2014-2015 Season offers an exciting selection of plays from Italy, Ireland, and India. Come with us as we embark on our vibrant exhilarating journey!

Photo Gallery

Photos by Stan Barouh

Cast

• People of Athens
  • Philomele: Megan Dominy
  • Procne: Dorea Schmidt
  • King Pandion: Edward Christian
  • Queen: Vanessa Brandchulis
  • Niobe: Rena Cherry Brown
  • Athenian Soldier: Bru Ajueyitsi
• The Enemy
  • Barbarian Soldier: Daniel Corey
• People of Thrace
  • King Tereus: Matthew Schleigh
  • Itys: Henry Niepoetter
  • Captain: Ashley Ivey
  • Sailors/Soldiers: Bru Ajueyitsi, Edward Christian, Daniel Corey
  • Hero: Jennifer J. Hopkins
  • Iris: Emma Jackson
  • June: Vanessa Bradchulis
  • Helen: Neelam Patel
  • Servant: Edward Christian
• Actors in the Hippolytus Play
  • Aphrodite: Jennifer J. Hopkins
  • King Theseus: Daniel Corey
  • Phaedra: Neelam Patel
  • Hippolytus: Bru Ajueyitsi
  • Nurse: Emma Jackson
  • Chorus: Daniel Corey, Jennifer J. Hopkins, Ashley Ivey, Emma Jackson

Production Staff

• Director: Allison Arkell Stockman
• Scenic Designer: A.J. Guban
• Musician and Composer: Tom Teasley
• Costume Designer: Kendra Rai
• Assistant Costume Designer: Courtney Wood
• Lighting Designer: Joseph R. Walls
• Fight Director: Matthew R. Wilson
• Dance & Movement Choreographer: Kelly King
• Associate Sound Designer: Adam W. Johnson
• Props Designer: Angela Plante
• Puppet Designer: Don Becker
• Puppet Choreographer: Eric Brooks
• Stage Manager: Cheryl Ann Gnerlich
• Assistant Stage Managers: Brett Steven Abelman, Daniel Mori
• Production Assistant: James Brown
• Assistant Director: Gwen Grastorf
• Second Costume Assistant: Sara Jane Palmer
• Stitcher: Sandy Smoker
• Mask Builder and Intern: Sara Tomaszewski
• Costume Crafts: Chris Hall
• Dramaturg: Maddie Gaw
• Technical Director: Jason Krznarich
• Assistant Technical Director: William Klemt
• Charge Artist: Pallas Bane
• Carpenters: Walter Berry, Leanne Bock
• Master Electrician: Alex Keen
• Electricians: Paul Callaghan, Jeny Hall, Molly Scrivens, Gordon Nimno Smith, J. Cody Whitfield
• Sound Engineer: Jim Robeson
• Sound Board Operator: Alec Henneberger
• Associate Lighting Designer: Lesley Boeckman
• Audience Services Manager: Lindsey Ruehl
• House Managers: Erin Gifford, Ginny Page

Disclaimer: Constellation Theatre Company provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

Oh my, but this is a funny one. Adapted by Bill Irwin and Mark O’Donnell from Moliere’s Les fourberies de Scapin, which itself has roots in the commedia dell’ arte tradition, Constellation Theatre company’s production of Scapin misses no opportunity to combine visual, physical, verbal, and musical humor to produce one of those roll in the aisles sort of evenings. Well, not literally, perhaps, as a sign on the entry door cautions patrons against leaving their seats, lest they interfere with the play’s “incredibly active action.”

After passing that sign, the audience sees A.J. Guban’s largely pastel-colored set, involving the residences of two readily-gulled tyrannical fathers, Geronte (Ashley Ivey) and Argante (Carlos Saldana). The houses are a cross between Mediterranean and playhouse styles, backed up by narrow, variegated vertical panels depicting an Italian-style town coming down to the sea. On a stage right platform perches a white grand piano, which Travis Charles Ploeger uses for his musical accompaniment of the proceedings. At center of the playing floor is a fountain, which spurts suggestively on cue (and even gets its own curtain call), from which radiates a web of LED light strips that change color from time to time. Banners unfurl from the ceiling, for example to announce an “incredible coincidence” in the plot.

Ploeger, who plays a character called “George,” interacts with other cast members and tosses them props on occasion. He has created a musical score that responds to and interacts with the script and characters in various appropriately ironic and silly ways, for example including a snatch of “O Canada” when a reference is made to a character coming from Toronto. He complements scenes with a potpourri of popular, jazz, and classical tunes, or, more often, sendups of the tunes.

The central character, Scapin (Michael Glenn) is the classic trickster servant, smarter than his master, and master of the clever lie. He deceives to help the young Leander (Manu Kumasi) and Octave (Matthew McGee) find the money they need to unite with their lovers Zerbinnette (Nora Achrati) and Hyacinth (Megan Dominy), respectively — they of the chronically mispronounced names — but also just for the sheer deviltry and joy of putting one over on his supposed betters. As played by Glenn, Scapin is the most rational of the entire menagerie, save for his somewhat obsessive desire for revenge against Geronte for a supposed slight, which he carries out in part by literally bagging his prey, who he, his much put-upon fellow servant Sylvestre (Bradley Foster Smith), and an audience member drafted from the first row get to whack with a padded cudgel. Scapin is wont to make knowing, wink-nudge contemporary references as part of his shtick, and at a couple points appears as a “subscriber” in drag, complete with red dress and bright pink wig.

Smith’s highlight moment occurs when he enters as a shoulder-padded, gangster movie-like tough guy, greatly changing his voice and demeanor, to intimidate other characters, complete with a fake beard of the sort that cropped up in alarming numbers at Fenway Park last fall. (In fact, the only missed opportunity for a joke I noted in the performance was that Smith wore a plain baseball cap in this scene, when a Red Sox cap would have been perfection.) As Octave, McGee is excitable and hyper-adolescent, while Kumasi’s Leander is all ardent, trying hard to be suave, dash. Dominy’s Hyacinth is given to loud, copious weeping, which quickly changes to sunshine and smiles when she gets her way, while Achrati’s Serbinette spoofs the sexy Gypsy type of all too many operas and operettas (Ploeger garnishes some of her scenes with tunes from Carmen). As servant woman Nerine, Vanessa Bradchulis wears her exaggerated sexiness well, as well as wearily traipsing about with her mistress’s luggage in most of her entrances.

In a clownish show of this kind — and Bill Irwin is perhaps the most renowned clown of the past several decades — costumes and makeup necessarily play major roles. Kendra Rai’s costume designs are consistently wild and colorful, carefully individualized for each character. Scapin’s brown suit, for example is a thing of shreds and patches, while Argante’s costume (and some of Saldana’s characterization) might well have wandered in from Constellation’s recent production of Zorro. Leander wore a natty blue-dominated, 20s-influenced ensemble. Zerbinette, not surprisingly, had an operetta Gypsy costume, while Hyacinth was dressed as an over-the-top ingénue, with poofy white chiffon. Nerine’s costume comically overemphasizes her cleavage and (as one of the character’s puts it) her trunk in a way that underlines the reaction of other characters to her. A complete accounting of the colors and shapes on display would make a very long list; suffice to say, the impression is a match for variety and mood of the entire show. The makeup, uncredited in the program, draws the production’s concept for all the characters together, involving for everyone black line designs around the eyes and red rouge patches of various sizes and shapes on the actors’ cheeks. The design goes just far enough in the direction of clown makeup without going to the point of an all-out circus look.

In a show that is simply this much of a hoot to watch, it is easy to overlook the detailed theatrical planning and preparation that underlies it. Director Kathryn Chase Bryer and choreographers Matthew R. Wilson and Kelly King deserve strong praise for the intricate movement, specificity, and precise timing that characterize the production from start to finish. Nothing this free-flowing and spontaneous-looking happens without a lot of good work in rehearsals, and, as enjoyable as it was to watch the finished product, it might have been even more fun to be a fly on the wall during the rehearsal process.

The height of the incredibly active action is the show-ending chase scene, in which characters pursue one another through every available entrance, complete with sword fights and costume changes. Concluding the play with the entire cast lining up for a photo and saying “Cheese” is only fitting after the delightful cheesiness not only of the chase but of the entire performance.

Director’s Note

The clown. What a wonderful avenue by which to revisit this classic story in a way that is fresh, new and accessible to us today. I love the idea that Moliere wrote this play in order to celebrate the theatre and all of its conventions by poking fun. Actor, clown, director Bill Irwin has taken this idea one step further by asking us to find our inner clown as we watch his adaptation. The characters in this play are singularly selfish and they want what they want, when they want it. Oftentimes, when I see this trait in the humanity around me, it makes me crazy! And yet, when I come to the theatre and see these same people running around on stage in the characters that are in Scapin, I am able to laugh. And thank goodness we can laugh at those around us and at ourselves because otherwise, I think we’d cry. I hope these crazy zanies make you laugh and that in doing so, you too recognize a bit of yourselves. Please laugh hard, laugh often: it’s good for you. Cheers.

Photo Gallery

Michael Glenn as Scapin with Matthew McGee as Octave and Bradley Foster Smith, as Sylvestre	Bradley Foster Smith as Sylvestre with Michael Glenn as Scapin
Matthew McGee as Octave, Michael Glenn as Scapin and Bradley Foster Smith as Sylvestre	Michael Glenn as Scapin
Foreground: Nora Achrati as Zerbinette and Megan Dominy as Hyacinth. Background: Michael Glenn as Scapin with Bradley Foster Smith as Sylvestre

Photos by Stan Barouh

Cast

• Sylvestre, servant to Octave: Bradley Foster Smith
• Octave, son of Argante: Matthew McGee
• Scapin, servant to Leander: Michael Glenn
• Hyacinth, beloved of Octave: Megan Dominy
• Argante, father of Octave: Carlos Saldana
• Geronte, father of Leander: Ashley Ivey
• Leander, Son of Geronte: Manu Kumasi
• Zerbinette, beloved of Leander: Nora Achrati
• Nerine, a servant woman: Vanessa Bradchulis
• George, at the keyboard: Travis Charles Ploeger

Production Staff

• Director: Kathryn Chase Bryer
• Set & Lighting Designer: A.J. Gruban
• Costume Designer: Kendra Rai
• Properties Designer: Samina Vieth
• Musician & Composer: Travis Charles Ploeger
• Fight & Movement Choreographer: Matthew R. Wilson
• Dance & Movement Choreographer: Kelly King
• Production Stage Manager: Cheryl Ann Gnerlich
• Assistant Director: Nick Vargas
• Technical Director: Jason Krznarich
• Shop Carpenter: William Klemt
• Charge Artist: Marisa (Za) Jones
• Installation Carpenters: Chris Banks, Dan Carter, William Klemt, Nate Kurtz, Russell Sunday
• Assistant Stage Manager: Lauren Klamm, Kara Sparling
• Master Electrician: Alex Keen
• Electricians: Paul Callaghan, Derek Jones, Sarah Mackowski, Brandon Roe, Eliza Walker, J. Cody Whitfield
• Assistant Costume Designer: Courtney Wood
• Sticher: Sandy Smoker
• Publicist: Emily Morrison
• Development Associate: Sarah Anne Sillers
• Audience Services Manager: Lindsey Ruehl
• House Manager: Erin Gifford, Ginny Page

Disclaimer: Constellation Theatre Company provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

Tales of desire, seduction, and deception, in a world of refined sensuality and remorseless ambiguity. Constellation Theatre Company tells the tales, and sumptuously creates that world, in an emotionally and visually stunning production of Naomi Iizuka’s 36 Views. The title, a reference to Japanese artist Hokusai’s famous series of prints showing perspectives of Mount Fuji, hints at both the beauty and mystery of objects and the people who perceive them, which Iizuka explores in the play’s 36 scenes.

Reviews of some past productions of the play have criticized the writing of its characters, arguing that they are more schematic presentations of the playwright’s ideas than fully fleshed-out people. Not so with these actors. As Darius Wheeler, dealer in Asian antiquities, Jim Jorgensen is all charm, intelligence, and guile, as he seeks profit from pieces of art that he also deeply admires. He desires young academic Setsuko Hearn (whose last name evokes Lafcadio Hearn, a 19th century journalist whose most famous writings were of Japan, and who assimilated into Japanese society as much as it is ever possible for a foreigner to do). Wheeler’s desire is erotic; it is also akin to his desire for Asian art objects, simultaneously to partake in their beauty and to possess them. Hearn (Sue Jin Song), notwithstanding her first name, is not Japanese: she is a Chinese orphan adopted and raised in Fairfield, Iowa, by an American couple, her adoptive mother being Japanese-American. Like her 19th century namesake, Hearn’s affiliation with Japan is acquired, in her case by becoming an expert in 11th century writings by Japanese women. Her sharp intellect and skepticism about life and people are as palpable as her excitement about and passion for command of her subject, which is her deepest desire.

John Bell (Ashley Ivey), a highly educated, insecure, underpaid assistant to Wheeler, has written, mostly as a lark, a manuscript in the style of an 11th century Japanese “pillow book,” a collection of the musings, experiences, personal revelations and poetry of a woman of that era. The next seduction — playing to Bell’s unexpressed but strong desire for recognition and to put one over on his boss, who undervalues him — is by Claire Tsong (Tuyet Thi Pham), a restorer under contract to Wheeler. Hearing that Bell improvised a preposterous tale of the nonexistent underlying document’s provenance that Wheeler fully believed — Bell’s monologue in which he spins the tale is the funniest moment in the show — she persuades Bell to go all in on a scheme to concoct a forged, artificially aged, “original” of the piece, which they can then sell to Wheeler for a tidy sum. Ivey and Pham effectively portray Bell’s nervousness and guilt and Tsong’s delight in manipulation, respectively.

It is a commonplace that reporters attempt to seduce sources. So it is between freelance journalist Elizabeth Newman-Orr (Megan Dominy) and Wheeler. In her desire for a breakthrough story, Newman-Orr tries to induce Wheeler, whose desire for making a financial killing is known to exceed any ethical scruples, to participate in an illegal scheme to import a valuable Asian painting. As played by Dominy, Newman-Orr makes no pretense of sincerity; she presents herself to Wheeler as a kind of artistic femme fatale. The final character of the play, Owen Mathiassen (David Paglin) — Hearn’s avuncular mentor — scarcely needs seducing, so open is his desire to cap his academic career with a major find. Proclaiming his good judgment of people and art, it is easy for Mathiassen to overlook obvious red flags.

The play contains extensive discussion of what is real, what is fake, what is or isn’t authentic, how and whether one can tell the difference, and what it all matters or doesn’t. In her numerous interviews about the play, Iizuka proclaims authenticity as the key theme of 36 Views. (As the script points out, Hokusai ultimately produced 46 prints of Fuji, so even the name commonly given to the series is misleading.) It isn’t just a matter of determining whether a particular work was actually created by its purported author, as distinct from a copy or deliberate forgery, which remains a subject of lively discussion and debate in the art world. It’s that, as Little Buttercup says in a very different kind of show, “things are seldom what they seem.” In human relationships as well as in art, determining what is real, and what real means, is inevitably a very uncertain, perilous business, and improvised responses to events and unexpected turns abound. Is Wheeler, well-known for sharp practice in the art business and for embellishing stories of his past, truthful in expressing his feelings for Hearn? Is Newman-Orr hunter, prey, or both? Iizuka fortunately attempts no pat answers.

A word about eroticism in the play. None of the characters is simply out for sex. Often, they seek estheticized contact with the beauty of another. There is a list of beautiful things spoken, with variations, by different characters during the play: “The curve of a lover’s neck, delicate, white. The touch of a lover’s finger tips. The weight of a lover’s hair, the scent: clove and sandalwood. The rustle of silk undone. Warm breath against one’s skin.” Other times, erotic desire is fused with a desire for success or revenge, as in the connection between two of the other characters. Like everything in the play, desire is never only one simple thing.

Constellation’s physical production of 36 Views is drop-dead gorgeous, featuring ever-changing, lushly colorful, projections of Hokusai and other Japanese art on sliding shoji screens. The Japanese-style house/gallery in which Wheeler lives is here in America, a reproduction (authentic?) of his idea of an Asian space. Scenic/lighting designer A. J. Guban and projections designer Aaron Fisher create not just a visual but also an emotional environment, even varying the color of a projection in one instance to illustrate a point Wheeler is making about the difference between a genuine and fake Hokusai print. (Wheeler is given to authoritative proclamations about whether a work is “real” or “fake,” but then sometimes he lies. How reliable is the testimony of experts, when they sometimes seek to deceive and other times, like Hearn and Mathiassen, almost willingly allow themselves to be deceived?)

Palmer Hefferan’s sound design is based on Japanese instruments — wood blocks, bamboo flutes, and the like — as called for in Iizuka’s stage directions. Kendra Rai’s costumes are as varied as the characters: cool, urban affluence for Wheeler; contemporary Asian-influenced, chic for Hearn; rumpled academic for Mathiassen, etc. The most spectacular costume effect, also mentioned in the stage directions, is near the opening of the show, when a woman in a traditional kimono removes one layer of her garment after another, ultimately revealing Hearn in a modern dress. A better metaphor for the layering of meanings and that characterize the entire play is hard to imagine.

So subtle, intricate, and well designed and performed are every detail and nuance of 36 Views that this is one of those rare productions that would reward more than a single viewing. Fascinating, from start to finish. Really.

Photo Gallery

Sue Jin Song, Jim Jorgensen, Ashley Ivey, Tuyet Thi Pham, David Paglin, Megan Dominy	Sue Jin Song as Setsuko Hearn
Jim Jorgensen and Sue Jin Song	Tuyet Thi Pham and Ashley Ivey
Jim Jorgensen and Sue Jin Song	Tuyet Thi Pham
Sue Jin Song and Jim Jorgensen

Photos by Stan Barouh

Cast

• Darius Wheeler: Jim Jorgensen
• Setsuko Hearn: Sue Jin Song
• John Bell: Ashley Ivey
• Claire Tsong: Tuyet Thi Pham
• Elizabeth Newman-Orr: Megan Dominy
• Owen Matthiassen: David S. Paglin

Production Staff

• Director: Allison Arkell Stockman
• Assistant Director: Rob Mueller
• Scenic/Lighting Designer: A.J. Guban
• Costume Designer: Kendra Rai
• Sound Designer: Palmer Hefferan
• Projections Designer: Aaron Fisher
• Production/Stage Manager: Cheryl Ann Gnerlich
• Properties Designer: Kasey Hendricks
• Fight Choreographer: Tuyet Thi Pham
• Technical Director: Jason Krznarich
• Carpenters: Amanda Demczuk, Jeff Wendell
• Charge Artist: Marisa (Za) Jones
• Installation Carpenters: Chris Banks, Jim Batchelder, Ashley Chen, Steve Custer,
• Cody Deyarmin, Robert Garner, Brad Irish, Nate Kurtz, Betsy Muller
• Production Assistant: Adam W. Johnson
• Assistant Stage Manager: Jessica Soriano
• Master Electrician: Alex Keen
• Assistant Lighting Designer: Paul Callahan
• Electricians: Aja Anderson, James Brown, Amanda Demczuk, Andrew Derbyshire,
• Peter Goldschmidt, Sarah Mackowski, Aaron Pollon, Kelsey Swanson
• Sound & Projection Board Operator: Maddie Gaw
• Assistant Costume Designer: Courtney Wood
• Draper: Bill Nelson
• Audience Services Manager: Lindsey Ruehl
• House Managers: Erin Gifford, Ginny Page

Disclaimer: Constellation Theatre Company provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

It is the oldest surviving written story in the world, with origins long predating Homer and the Bible. Created by Babylonian poet Sir-leqi-unninni around the 12th century BCE from sources some of which dated back a thousand or more years earlier, the Gilgamesh poem describes the arrogance, heroism, grief, and growing wisdom of a king of the Sumerian city of Uruk. Constellation Theater’s Gilgamesh (poetry by Yusef Komunyakaa, concept and dramaturgy by Chad Garcia) condenses the epic-scale poem into a compact two hours, the strength of which is in excellent technical theater and movement.

Begin with Ethan Sinnott’s set, the audience left and center portions of which are dominated by gray walls representing cuneiform tablets like those on which the epic was written, behind which are black walls with more cuneiform-style script. On audience right are strata of gray rocks, framing a cave-like entrance. Before the play ever starts, the audience is immersed in an ancient, distant literary world, with the always-skillful Tom Teasley’s musical accompaniment adding an important aural dimension.

Throughout the production, Kendra Rai’s costumes lent color and characterization. A regal red design for Ninsun, Gilgamesh’s mother; a flowing gold cape and high heels with claws for Ishtar; diaphanous, detachable sashes for The Woman of the Red Sashes; tight-fitting black lycra for the Scorpion People; dark cloaks with Assyrian-looking masks for the Elders; more subdued colors and simpler designs for “common people” like a hunter and the Siduri, a barmaid — the variety and combinations of looks made the production a visually arresting one. Except for a royal red costume in the initial scenes, Gilgamesh and Enkidu, the two most important characters, have the most minimal garb, all the better to show off the actors’ musculature, perhaps. Mathew McGee’s puppet for the head of the Bull of Heaven, with its glowing green eyes, would be enough to frighten characters less intrepidly heroic than Gilgamesh and Enkidu.

The efforts of fight director Casey Kaleba and choreographer Emma Crane Jaster created some striking scenes. The fight/male bonding episode between Gilgamesh and Enkidu; stylized sexual encounters between The Woman of the Red Sashes and Enkidu in the first act and Gilgamseh and Siduri in the second; the battle among Enkidu, Gilgamesh, and Humbaba (abetted by ensemble members representing trees), closely followed by the killing of the Bull of Heaven; a storm as Gilgamesh attempts to cross the River of Death; Gilgamesh’s near-drowning as he seeks a flower that renews life — as this list suggests, there is one memorable movement piece after another. The entire cast, particularly Joel David Santner as Gilgamesh and Andreu Honeycutt as Enkidu, are fine physical actors. Honeycutt is especially impressive in his opening scene as a part-man, part-animal creature before The Woman of Red Sashes (Emma Crane Jaster) sexually initiates him into civilization.

It’s at the level of words that the production encounters some difficulty. Komunyakaa’s language is very plain and pedestrian, with a very modern cadence (sometimes indulging in contemporary phrases like “Do you know who I am?” and “second-guessing”). The tone is often at odds with the mythic nature of the material and the ancient world convincingly created by the set. There is little of majesty and awe in lines that are spoken by, and about, kings, gods, and heroes, and that address the deepest human concerns of life and death.

The problem is compounded by some of the production’s line delivery choices. There are exceptions — Gilgamesh’s last speech of the first act, in which he laments Enkidu’s death, is emotionally powerful — but Santner typically gives his character a curiously flat affect with little variation. Honeycutt, on the other hand, with fewer lines, more satisfyingly characterizes Enkidu (somewhat annoyingly pronounced as “inky-dew,” with the accent on the first syllable) with his voice. Members of the three-person chorus — a pre-Greek chorus, one might say, though they perform the same narrative and commenting function — deliver their lines in a very declamatory way, augmented by highly stylized gestures and, for some reason, bits of American Sign Language. “Show, don’t tell” is one of the oldest clichés of the theater business, and Constellation’s Gilgamesh includes a great deal of telling.

The relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu — a precursor to famous male pairings like Achilles and Patroclus, or David and Jonathan — necessarily includes a strong homoerotic element that, while suggested to a limited extent in the scene following their fight, seems underemphasized. As fellow warriors, the characters share a “Band of Brothers”-type bond to be sure, and their friendship is genuine, but the overwhelming grief that Gilgamesh expresses after Enkidu’s death needs a deeper, more passionate foundation. As Stephen Mitchell comments in the introduction to his 2004 version of the poem, “Both men come to feel their friendship as a kind of marriage, and each one could say, as David says of Jonathan, ‘Thy love to me [is] wonderful, passing the love of women.'”(p. 24) In Mitchell’s text, Ninsun interprets a dream to tell her son that he will “take him [i.e., Enkidu] in your arms, embrace and caress him the way a man caresses his wife,” and, following their fight, they kiss.”(pp. 83, 90) Komunyakaa and Garcia would have done well to pay greater attention to this aspect of the story’s central relationship.

It is inevitable, of course, that adapting and condensing a lengthy text into a relatively short theater piece will result in some material, and some nuances, being omitted; adaptors also have the opportunity to reshape material for their dramatic purposes. Interestingly, it is some of the female characters whose roles are most noticeably changed from the poem to the stage. Ninsun (Charlotte Akin), her divine nature notwithstanding, is portrayed as a very human caring, but sometimes nagging, mother. Ishtar (Nora Achrati) — the goddess of love, sex, and war, and probably the most powerful deity in Sumerian culture — becomes a petulant femme fatale. Siduri (Katy Carkuff), in the poem a compassionate tavern keeper, becomes a sexy barmaid who takes the initiative to become Gilgamesh’s lover as he continues his quest. At the end of the play, in another development not found in the poem, The Woman of Red Sashes — based on a priestess of Ishtar named Shamhat in the poem — returns to become Gilgamesh’s lover, who he names Siduri in honor of the woman he left behind him. In giving Gilgamesh two lovers that the underlying material does not, Komunyakaa and Garcia risk shifting the story’s emphasis away from Gilgamesh’s realization that there is no escape from death and that his task is to return to his kingdom the benefit of what he has learned on his journey.

Jim Jorgenson deserves mention both as a frightening Humbaba and a kindly but realistic Utnapishtam, who survived the great flood — the template for Noah’s — and is the only man granted immortality by the gods. Achrati, Carkuff, Jaster, Manu Kumasi, and Ashley Ivey do versatile work as the chorus, the Elders, and other ensemble roles.

As Joseph Campbell convincingly argued in his classic The Hero With a Thousand Faces, heroic journeys like that of Gilgamesh are a staple of mythology across a wide variety of cultures and religions that continue to resonate in contemporary life. Constellation’s production provides a colorful and active presentation of the outline of this hero’s journey that is well worth watching.

Director’s Note

This epic is the oldest written legend, dating back 4,000 years. Ancient Mesopotamia feels far away, a land populated by foreign gods and a time of symbols and prophecy. Yet, living with this story, I am amazed to discover that the ideas and emotions at its core are so central to the universal human experience that it feels immediate and essential today.
 
Our play begins with an Eden-like scene of animals frolicking in nature, escaping the traps of man. Yet in the City of Uruk there is fear, unrest and suffering. King Gilgamesh, part man and part god, relishes in violence and has an insatiable appetite for virgin brides and tributes of wine and meat. The gods create Enkidu, part man and part animal, to be his perfect rival, to humble him and to restore peace to the land. Through his love for Enkidu, Gilgamesh discovers compassion and kindness.
 
When the brothers are torn apart, Gilgamesh experiences life through a vast range of adventures with fantastic creatures in mystical environments. Ultimately, he must accept that time travels in only one direction and he cannot control the universe. He relinquishes earthly ambitions and faces the world with humility, generosity and an open heart.
 
The epic of Gilgamesh has all the hallmarks of great entertainment: combat, danger, lovemaking, and mystery. It is easy to imagine our ancient ancestors reading chapters of this story out loud to a captivated audience. Yet, it is also a morality tale about what characteristics make a good leader. This worldview does not invest in an afterlife and the gods are portrayed as unpredictable, kind in one moment and vindictive the next. The story celebrates man’s animal-like ability to love and cherish other creatures.
 
Collaborating with 40 other artists to create the production you see before you has been a rewarding, challenging and joyful process. Please spread the word about Gilgamesh to your family and friends and help us expand our audience.
 
I hope you will return to Constellation as a Subscriber in Season 7!

Cast

The People Of Uruk

• Gilgamesh: Joel David Santner
• Ninsun: Charlotte Akin
• Hunter: Jim Jorgensen
• Hunter’s Son: Manu Kumasi
• Geshtinanna: Katy Carkuff
• The Woman of Red Sashes: Emma Crane Jaster
• The Traveler: Ashley Ivey
• The Elders: Nora Achrati, Katy Carkuff, Manu Kumasi

Beyond Uruk

• Enkidu: Andreu Honeycutt
• Humbaba: Jim Jorgensen
• Ishtar: Nora Achrati
• Bull of Heaven: Ashley Ivey, Manu Kumasi
• Scorpion Man: Ashley Ivey
• Scorpion Woman: Emma Crane Jaster
• Siduri: Katy Carkuff
• Urshanabi: Ashely Ivey
• Utnapishtam: Jim Jorgensen
• Utnapishtam’s Wife: Charlotte Akin

Production Staff

• Director: Allison Arkell Stockman
• Composer/Live Musician: Tom Teasley
• Scenic Designer: Ethan Sinnott
• Costume Designer: Kendra Rai
• Lighting Designer: Klyph Stanford
• Puppet Designer: Matthew McGee
• Fight Director: Casey Kaleba
• Dramaturg: Jefferson Farber
• Properties Designer: Rebecca Dieffenbach
• Choreographer: Emma Crane Jaster
• Assistant Director: Gwen Grastorf
• Production/Stage Manager: Cheryl Ann Gnerlich
• Technical Director: Jason Krznarich

Disclaimer: Constellation Theatre Company provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

Pulp fiction and comic books are a well-mined source for movies; Constellation Theater’s current adaptation of the Zorro stories, by Janet Allard and director Eleanor Holdridge, shows that live theater can take an enjoyable whack at the genre as well. Whacks there are aplenty in this tale of swashbuckling swordsmanship and daring escapes. You can make a good argument that the real star of the show is fight choreographer Casey Kaleba, who devises some highly intricate sequences, notably a three-way combat with foils toward the end of the show.

As the program notes make clear, Allard and Holdridge imagine the tale as a coming-of-age story for Don Diego/Zorro (Danny Gavigan) and view it as a darker take on the story than the original pulp magazine, movie, and television versions. That may be, but this version isn’t all that dark. There remains a substantial comic element, in places like Diego’s over-the-top fop charade that he uses to throw Zorro’s pursuers off the scent, the exaggeration-prone Sergeant Gonzalez (Carlos Sandana), and the flighty Dona Catalina Pulido (Vanessa Bradchulis), whose main concern is to marry off her daughter Lolita (Stephanie LaVardera).

The main source of darkness in the play is Captain Ramon (Andres Talero), the foster son of the tyrannical governor (Oscar Ceville). Talero’s Ramon is a sort of sword-wielding rough draft of Richard Nixon: a poor California boy, full of status anxieties and resentments, prone to anger and lying, who lists his enemies and willingly goes outside the law to punish them. Talero’s characterization makes these facets of Ramon, as well as his genuine passion for Lolita, believable, enabling the audience to empathize with him. It’s not uncommon for a villain to be the most interesting character in a show, and Talero makes a strong case for Ramon in this regard.

Gavigan distinguishes clearly between his character’s fop and hero masks. When we first see Diego, he is a fairly straightforward young man returning from university in Spain, with good instincts he does not yet know how to express. His fop persona emerges only after, and in response to, his first foray as Zorro.

The structure of the play repeatedly sends Diego back and forth between his two incarnations, often with just enough time offstage to manage a costume change before reemerging as his alter ego. The pattern of Zorro crossing swords with bad guys, making a hairsbreadth escape, entering as Diego wondering what has happened, and then awaiting his next Zorro escapade, while somewhat repetitious, acts as an easily accessible metaphor for the struggles of a young man trying to figure out who he is. By play’s end, with Lolita’s aid, he is able to integrate the sides of his personality into a whole.

LaVardera’s Lolita is a puzzle, who never seems fully integrated. Is she the 17-year old crusader for justice, the romantic girl longing for a hero to set fire to her heart, the beauty able to inflame men’s passions at first sight, the attempted peacemaker between testosterone-charged males, or the suddenly adept swordswoman (Batgirl to Zorro’s Batman?) able to hold her own in mortal combat with experienced fencers? At one time or other, she is made to seem all those things, but what isn’t clear is how all these characteristics fit together into a single person, let alone the presumably sheltered teenage daughter of a 19th-century Californiano aristocrat.

There is much in the play of the fraught relationships between fathers and children: Diego with Don Alejandro (Jim Jorgensen); Ramon with the Governor; Lolita with Don Carlos Pulido (Carlos Juan Gonzalez). Jorgensen is particularly convincing as the proud, arrogant patriarch demanding, on pain of rejection, that Diego fit his picture of the proper son.

The technical side of the production is outstanding. A,J. Guban’s setting arranges seating areas on either side of the central playing area, which is flanked by a set piece suggesting a mission on one end and another suggesting a gracious hacienda on the other. The materials and design of the playing area, which extends up stairs into the audience, create a convincing sense of place. Kendra Rai’s costume design, from the colorful dresses and lace of the ladies, to Diego’s dashing Zorro outfit (complete with leather vest), to the more restrained suits of the aristocrats and the uniforms of the soldiers, solidly supports the story and characters. The only fault of the set and costumes is that they are too clean. It is hard to imagine 19th century southern California without a bit of dust being tracked in. Nancy Schertler’s lights are designed and aimed to provide a variety of slices of the playing area, enabling a smooth, cinematic flow between scenes.

Other reviewers have opined that the script is unsure of its direction (e.g., between its comic and dramatic aspects). While the script, to my ear, seems to strike a decent balance between these elements, its language creates an uneven tone. Often, the writers appear to be going for more formal speech suggesting the 19th century setting of the play, but that tone is frequently interrupted by very contemporary-sounding word usage. The way that Lolita, Diego and others express their concerns about the social and political situation sounds like it would be more at home on WPFW’s “Democracy Now” than in 1820s California. The characters speak mostly in Spanish-accented English, with occasional random bits of Spanish thrown in. The overall effect is disconcerting.

On balance, the production is a worthwhile, well-performed, attempt at providing deeper content to a well-known popular culture story. It may also be a lesson in the effect of the strength of source material on the success of a play. It’s one thing to draw theatrical inspiration from the deep well of Ovid or the Gilgamesh epic; relying on the shallower pond of pulp fiction is quite another.

Notes from Co-Playwright and Director

Beating through the story of Zorro is, I believe, the rough pulpy heartbeat of the American spirit. I love to think of Johnston McCulley–hardboiled copywriter, first generation Irishman, man of mystery himself–gazing at the crumbling facades of the missions and presidios of southern California and imagining a world of high romance and adventure, where good vanquishes evil, and wrongs are righted with three signature swipes of a sword. He writes of a simpler time, and of a hero who spurns his own wealth and privilege to help the poor and live up to the best in himself.

I can’t remember not knowing Zorro. My dad was born in 1910 and was ten years old when the Fairbanks movie came out. His phrases, stories and tall tales were filled with the purple poetic language of the pulps. I watched the movies and TV series over and over, trying to understand the more innocent childhood of my father’s youth. And, it was Diego’s relationship with his father that drew me in most, the need to prove himself and be worthy of his dad’s sense of honor even while he repudiated his father’s acceptance of a corrupt society. As I was trying to figure out who I’d be in the world so, it seemed, was Zorro.

And so, years later, Janet Allard and I envision this Zorro as a coming of age story for today. At the center are three young adults–Diego, Lolita and Capitan Ramon–who strive to discover what they believe, define themselves as individuals distinct from their fathers and take a stance. As McCulley drafted him, the hero sprang into view as an avenger already born. Today, in this version, we imagine the origins of the hero: exploring the forging of Zorro, the creation of an alter ego and the cost of both masks to the man within. It is a darker, more complex world than the one that McCulley imagined, darker than the one in which he lived. To make a stance is to make a choice and to make a choice is to create repercussions. And yet the wrongs of the world must be righted. The pulpy heartbeat still pounds. It is time for Zorro to ride again.

Photo Gallery

Danny Gavigan as Zorro, Andres Talero as Capitan Ramon	Danny Gavigan as Zorro
Danny Gavigan as Zorro, Stephanie LaVardera as Lolita Pulido	Danny Gavigan as Zorro, Stephanie LaVardera as Lolita Pulido
Danny Gavigan as Zorro	Andres Talero as Capitan Ramon, Stephanie LaVardera as Lolita Pulido

Photos by Andrew Propp

The Cast

• Don Diego Vega/Zorro: Danny Gavigan
• Lolita: Stephanie LaVardera
• Don Carlos: Carlos Juan Gonzalez
• Dona Catalina: Vanessa Bradchulis
• The Governor: Oscar Ceville
• Captain Ramon: Andrés Talero
• Don Alejandro Vega: Jim Jorgensen
• Fray Felipe: Michael Kramer
• Sergeant Gonzales: Carlos Saldaña

Behind the Scenes

• Eleanor Holdridge: Director / Playwright
• Janet Allard: Playwright
• A.J. Guban: Scenic Designer
• Nancy Schertler: Lighting Designer
• Kendra Rai: Costume Designer
• Mariano Vales: Composer
• Behzad Habibzai: Sound Designer
• Kevin Laughon: Props Designer
• Casey Kaleba: Fight Choreographer
• Melissa Flaim: Dialect Coach
• Taylor Hitaffer: Dramaturg
• Cheryl Ann Gnerlich: Stage Manager
• Ken Wills: Assistant Lighting Designer
• Courtney Leigh Wood: Assistant Costume Designer & Assistant Stage Manager
• Daniel Mori: Assistant Stage Manager
• Jason Krznarich: Technical Director
• Jeny Hall: Master Electrician / Board Op.
• Daina Cramer: Scenic Artist
• Angelo Merenda: Production Assistant
• Allison Arkell Stockman: Founding Artistic Director
• A.J. Guban: Managing Director
• Cheryl Ann Gnerlich: Production Manager
• Lindsey Ruehl: Audience Services Manager

Disclaimer: Constellation Theatre Company provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

One of the things I like most about live theatre is its ability to teach and engender conversation as well as entertain. My favorite feeling in the world is being completely emotionally drained after an enthralling dramatic performance. Given my personal preference for heart-wrenching drama, I do tend to forget that sometimes theatre is meant to be nothing but fun. The British are masters of that glorious form of theatre known as farce — full of flapping doors, mistaken identities, and people caught in compromising positions all for the express purpose of delighting an audience. Playwright Alan Ayckbourn’s Taking Steps is one such piece — a fabulous farce that is entertaining from beginning to end, and Constellation Theatre’s production of this hilarious romp is thoroughly imaginative, brilliantly staged, and funny as all get-out!

Set in a large old house in the English countryside, Taking Steps tells the story of Elizabeth (Tia Shearer), a dancer unhappy in her marriage to Roland (Matthew R. Wilson), a wealthy bucket tycoon (that’s right — buckets) who is planning to buy the property from current owner Leslie (Doug Wilder). Thrown into the mix are Elizabeth’s brother Mark (Dylan Myers), who is trying to save his marriage to the flighty Kitty (Megan Graves), and real estate solicitor Tristram (Matthew McGee), whose social anxiety makes him afraid of his own shadow. Hilarity abounds as wives try to leave dreary husbands and landlords try to wrangle contract signatures out of drunken tenants — all while not knowing that the others are also in the house.

The actors all hold their own and the cast performs wonderfully together as an ensemble. Matthew McGee as the nervous Tristram is particularly enjoyable — he had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand from his very first entrance. Not to advocate alcoholism at all, but Matthew R. Wilson’s pompous Roland got funnier and funnier the more the character drank — it was clearly a well-studied and well-executed performance. Tia Shearer as the long-suffering Elizabeth was at times a little too over-the-top for my tastes, but she brought a unique vitality and humor to the character that made me a definite fan of hers by show’s end.

What is most striking about this show is its staging. Ayckbourn began his career writing plays to be presented in the round and director Allison Arkell Stockman has honored this quite reverently. I’m always fascinated by non-traditional playing spaces, so this production’s set had me giddy from the moment I entered the tiny theatre. Although the play’s scenes take place on three different floors of the house, the rooms are laid out on the same plane surrounded by the audience. On both of the long sides of the elliptical stage, there are runways representing staircases complete with banisters skewed to a steep angle. I must admit that when I first saw these, I thought it would be a ridiculous disaster. Happily, I was proved wrong. The ways in which each actor leaned into the odd angle of these “staircases” not only effectively communicated the character’s motivation — they also ingeniously sold the illusion of a three-story house. These non-traditional spaces often ask a lot of audience’s imaginations, but Ms. Stockman’s graceful and precise staging conveyed the sense of a real space clearly evident to even the least imaginative audience member. I cannot give enough praise to Ms. Stockman and scenic designer A.J. Guban for the sheer brilliance of this design.

With a running time of approximately two hours and forty minutes, Taking Steps is a delightful evening of light theatre guaranteed to satisfy. I would not recommend this show for little ones for two reasons. Although the material is never more vulgar than “questionable” (think light PG-13), much of the refreshing wit so often absent from farces will go over kids’ heads and, like I said, it’s long. That said — young teens and up will love this hysterically funny show as well as Constellation Theatre’s unique and fantastic staging.

Director’s Notes

Taking Steps is a joyful way to jump into our next season. Celebrated playwright Alan Ayckbourn gives us a ridiculous comedy about six quirky Brits and their madcap adventures in a three-story Victorian home. As you step into the theatre, you enter a haunted, former brothel; since no two seats have the same view of the stage, you gain your own unique perspective on the world of the play.

Although most farces historically revolve around people slamming doors and jumping out of windows, this particular farce has neither. Onstage you will see three floors of a house connected by two flights of stairs, yet everything is performed on the same plane. With this distinctive architecture, Ayckbourn invites you to see all the action taking place at once while leaving his own characters in the dark.

Ayckbourn’s witty way with words is on display from the start, as is his gift for creating comic misunderstandings. He takes joy in setting up ridiculous circumstances that lead to prime opportunities for physical comedy. As the characters cross paths, sometimes nearly colliding, a mix of precise and spontaneous events drives the hilarious plot.

Yet despite their extraordinary circumstances, Ayckbourn’s characters are real people who are invested in their dreams and defeated by their fears. They all struggle with communication; we see in them the human tendencies to hold back from speaking hard truths, and to not truly listen, even to our loved ones. The play urges us to be open and honest in our own lives, to have the courage to identify our true dreams and to pursue them.

Taking Steps is a comedy with great heart. The multiple levels, presented together in the round, remind us that at any given time, we are only aware of our small part in the larger world. There is always more going on that meets the eye.

Enjoy the show!

Allison Arkell Stockman, Founding Artistic Director

Photo Gallery

Tia Shearer	Matthew McGee
Matthew R. Wilson, Matthew McGee, Dylan Myers	Matthew R. Wilson and Tia Shearer
Tia Shearer

Photos by Andrew Propp

The Cast

• Elizabeth: Tia Shearer
• Mark: Dylan Myers
• Tristram: Matthew McGee
• Roland: Matthew R. Wilson
• Leslie: Doug Wilder
• Kitty: Megan Graves

The Creative Team

• Director: Allison Arkell Stockman
• Assistant Director: Ashley Ivey
• Scenic Designer: A.J. Guban
• Lighting Designer: Cory Ryan Frank
• Technical Director: Jason Krznarich
• Sound Designer: Brendon Vierra
• Properties Designer: Kevin Laughon
• Costume Designer: Kendra Rai
• Fight Choreographer: Matthew R. Wilson
• Production/Stage Manager: Cheryl Ann Gnerlich

Disclaimer: Constellation Theatre Company provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

• 23 different companies received nominations.
• Shakespeare Theatre Company and the Kennedy Center each had six different productions nominated.
• Arena Stage received 23 total nominations, STC 22, Folger 19, and Kennedy Center 18
• The most nominated show was Candide, by the Shakespeare Theatre Company, with 12 nominations.

View the nominations by category or by company.

Nominations Listed by Category

Outstanding Choreography, Resident Production

• Diane Coburn Bruning, Improbable Frequency, Solas Nua
• Ben Cunis, King Arthur, Synetic Theater
• Parker Esse, Oklahoma!, Arena Stage
• Maurice Hines, Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, Arena Stage
• Irina Tsikurishvili, King Arthur, Synetic Theater
• Irina Tsikurishvili, Othello, Synetic Theater

Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Production

• Mara Blumenfeld, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
• Murell Horton, The Liar, Shakespeare Theatre Company
• William Ivey Long, Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
• Reggie Ray, Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, Arena Stage
• Anastasia Ryurikov Simes, Othello, Synetic Theater

Outstanding Director, Resident Musical

• Toby Orenstein, Hairspray, Toby’s Dinner Theatre
• Eric Schaeffer, Chess, Signature Theatre
• Molly Smith, Oklahoma!, Arena Stage
• Molly Smith, The Light in the Piazza, Arena Stage
• Mary Zimmerman, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company

Outstanding Director, Resident Play

• Kasi Campbell, Travels With My Aunt, Rep Stage
• Joseph Haj, Hamlet, Folger Theatre
• Robert Richmond, Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
• Howard Shalwitz, Clybourne Park, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
• Paata Tsikurishvili, Othello, Synetic Theater
• Paata Tsikurishvili, The Master and Margarita, Synetic Theater

Outstanding Lead Actor, Non-Resident Production

• Steel Burkhardt, Hair, The Kennedy Center
• Brent Michael DiRoma, Avenue Q, The Broadway Musical, Shakespeare Theatre Company
• Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood, The Kennedy Center
• Gavin Lee, Mary Poppins, The Kennedy Center
• David Pittsinger, South Pacific, The Kennedy Center

Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Musical

• Maurice Hines, Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, Arena Stage
• Marc Kudisch, Sycamore Trees, Signature Theatre
• Geoff Packard, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
• Nicholas Rodriguez, Oklahoma!, Arena Stage
• Bobby Smith, Annie, Olney Theatre Center
• Cody Williams, Oklahoma!, Arena Stage

Outstanding Lead Actress, Non-Resident Production

• Carmen Cusack, South Pacific, The Kennedy Center
• Jaqueline Grabois, Avenue Q, The Broadway Musical, Shakespeare Theatre Company
• Caroline Sheen, Mary Poppins, The Kennedy Center
• Kacie Sheik, Hair, The Kennedy Center
• Caren Lyn Tackett, Hair, The Kennedy Center

Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical

• E. Faye Butler, Oklahoma!, Arena Stage
• Eleasha Gamble, Oklahoma!, Arena Stage
• Carrie A. Johnson, Annie, Olney Theatre Center
• Lauren Molina, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
• Jill Paice, Chess, Signature Theatre
• Hollis Resnik, The Light in the Piazza, Arena Stage

Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play

• Lise Bruneau, Mikveh, Theater J
• Naomi Jacobson, Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
• Sarah Marshall, Mikveh, Theater J
• Jennifer Mendenhall, Clybourne Park, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
• Erika Rose, In Darfur, Theater J
• Holly Twyford, Orestes, A Tragic Romp, Folger Theatre

Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Production

• Colin K. Bills, Antony and Cleopatra, Synetic Theater
• Colin K. Bills, The Master and Margarita, Synetic Theater
• Dan Covey, On the Verge or The Geography of Yearning, Rep Stage
• T.J. Gerckens, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
• Klyph Stanford, Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
• Justin Townsend, Hamlet, Folger Theatre

Outstanding Musical Direction, Resident Production

• George Fulginiti-Shakar, Oklahoma!, Arena Stage
• Jon Kalbfleisch, Sunset Boulevard, Signature Theatre
• Daniel Kluger, Orestes, A Tragic Romp, Folger Theatre
• Fred Lassen, Sycamore Trees, Signature Theatre
• Konstantine Lortkipandze, Othello, Synetic Theater
• Doug Peck, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
• Paul Sportelli, The Light in the Piazza, Arena Stage
• James Sugg, Orestes, A Tragic Romp, Folger Theatre

Outstanding Set Design, Resident Production

• Tony Cisek, Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
• Simon Higlett, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Shakespeare Theatre Company
• James Kronzer, Clybourne Park, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
• Eugene Lee, Oklahoma!, Arena Stage
• Derek McLane, The Lisbon Traviata, The Kennedy Center
• Daniel Ostling, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company

Outstanding Sound Design, Resident Production

• Anthony Cochrane, Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
• Jack Herrick, Hamlet, Folger Theatre
• Irakli Kavsadze, Othello, Synetic Theater
• Konstantine Lortkipandze, Othello, Synetic Theater
• Matthew M. Nielson, Hamlet, Folger Theatre
• Matt Otto, Johnny Meister and the Stitch, Solas Nua
• Michael Rasbury, Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
• Tom Teasley, The Ramayana, Constellation Theatre Company

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Musical

• Ed Dixon, Sunset Boulevard, Signature Theatre
• James Konicek, Annie, Olney Theatre Center
• Jeremy Kushnier, Chess, Signature Theatre
• John Manzari, Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, Arena Stage
• Leo Manzari, Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, Arena Stage
• Jesse J. Perez, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
• Larry Yando, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play

• Louis Butelli, Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
• Adam Green, The Liar, Shakespeare Theatre Company
• Michael Tolaydo, New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch De Spinoza, Theater J
• Ted van Griethuysen, All’s Well That Ends Well, Shakespeare Theatre Company
• Paxton Whitehead, All’s Well That Ends Well, Shakespeare Theatre Company

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Musical

• MaryLee Adams, Hairspray, Toby’s Dinner Theatre
• Lauren ‘Coco’ Cohn, Glimpses of the Moon, MetroStage
• Jesaira Glover, Hairspray, Toby’s Dinner Theatre
• Marva Hicks, Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, Arena Stage
• Hollis Resnik, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
• Jenna Sokolowski, Annie, Olney Theatre Center

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Play

• Colleen Delany, Pirates! A Boy at Sea, Imagination Stage
• Naomi Jacobson, Richard II, Shakespeare Theatre Company
• MacKenzie Meehan, Circle Mirror Transformation, The Studio Theatre
• Phylicia Rashad, every tongue confess, Arena Stage
• Dawn Ursula, Clybourne Park, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Outstanding Supporting Performer, Non-Resident Production

• Ellen Harvey, Mary Poppins, The Kennedy Center
• Jodi Kimura, South Pacific, The Kennedy Center
• Marc Kudisch, Golden Age, The Kennedy Center
• Josh Lamon, Hair, The Kennedy Center
• Hoon Lee, Golden Age, The Kennedy Center

The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical

• every tongue confess, Marcus Gardley, Arena Stage
• Snow White, Rose Red (and Fred), music by Zina Goldrich, The Kennedy Center Family Theater
• Sycamore Trees, book, music & lyrics by Ricky Ian Gordon, Signature Theatre
• Snow White, Rose Red (and Fred), book & lyrics by Marcy Heisler, The Kennedy Center Family Theater
• The Liar, David Ives, Shakespeare Theatre Company
• Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, musical arrangements by Deborah Wicks La Puma, The Kennedy Center Family Theater
• Sycamore Trees, book by Nina Mankin, Signature Theatre
• Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, music by Michael Silversher, The Kennedy Center Family Theater
• Pirates! A Boy at Sea, Charles Way, Imagination Stage
• Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, script & lyrics by Mo Willems, The Kennedy Center Family Theater

The Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play

• Philip Fletcher, Othello, Synetic Theater
• John Glover, The Lisbon Traviata, The Kennedy Center
• Graham Michael Hamilton, Hamlet, Folger Theatre
• Mitchell Hébert, Clybourne Park, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
• Bill Largess, The Foreigner, The Bay Theatre Company, Inc.
• Alex Mills, Othello, Synetic Theater
• Cody Nickell, Clybourne Park, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
• Ian Merrill Peakes, Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
• Johnny Ramey, Superior Donuts, The Studio Theatre
• Alexander Strain, New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch De Spinoza, Theater J

Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Musical

• Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
• Hairspray, Toby’s Dinner Theatre
• If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Adventure Theatre
• Oklahoma!, Arena Stage
• Snow White, Rose Red (and Fred), The Kennedy Center Family Theater
• Sycamore Trees, Signature Theatre

Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play

• American Buffalo, The Studio Theatre
• Clybourne Park, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
• Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
• Orestes, A Tragic Romp, Folger Theatre
• Othello, Synetic Theater
• Travels With My Aunt, Rep Stage

Outstanding Non-Resident Production

• Avenue Q, The Broadway Musical, Shakespeare Theatre Company
• The Last Cargo Cult, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
• Mary Poppins, The Kennedy Center
• South Pacific, The Kennedy Center
• Thurgood, The Kennedy Center

Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young Audiences

• If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Adventure Theatre
• Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, The Kennedy Center Family Theater
• The Nutcracker, The Puppet Co.
• Pirates! A Boy at Sea, Imagination Stage
• Snow White, Rose Red (and Fred), The Kennedy Center Family Theater
• The Red Balloon, Adventure Theatre

Outstanding Resident Musical

• Annie, Olney Theatre Center
• Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
• Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, Arena Stage
• Hairspray, Toby’s Dinner Theatre
• The Light in the Piazza, Arena Stage
• Little Shop of Horrors, Ford’s Theatre
• Oklahoma!, Arena Stage
• Sweeney Todd, Signature Theatre

Outstanding Resident Play

• Clybourne Park, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
• Hamlet, Folger Theatre
• Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
• The Master and Margarita, Synetic Theater
• New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch De Spinoza, Theater J
• Orestes, A Tragic Romp, Folger Theatre
• Othello, Synetic Theater
• Superior Donuts, The Studio Theatre

The John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company

• No Rules Theatre Company
• Factory 449: a theatre collective

Nominations listed By Company Name

Adventure Theatre

• If You Give a Pig a Pancake
  • Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Musical
  • Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young Audiences
• The Red Balloon
  • Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young Audiences

Arena Stage

• Oklahoma!
  • Outstanding Choreography, Resident Production, Parker Esse
  • Outstanding Director, Resident Musical, Molly Smith
  • Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Musical, Nicholas Rodriguez
  • Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Musical, Cody Williams
  • Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical, E. Faye Butler
  • Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical, Eleasha Gamble
  • Outstanding Musical Direction, Resident Production, George Fulginiti-Shakar
  • Outstanding Set Design, Resident Production, Eugene Lee
  • Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Musical
  • Outstanding Resident Musical
• Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies
  • Outstanding Choreography, Resident Production, Maurice Hines
  • Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Production, Reggie Ray
  • Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Musical, Maurice Hines
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Musical, John Manzari
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Musical, Leo Manzari
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Musical, Marva Hicks
  • Outstanding Resident Musical
• The Light in the Piazza
  • Outstanding Director, Resident Musical, Molly Smith
  • Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical, Hollis Resnik
  • Outstanding Musical Direction, Resident Production, Paul Sportelli
  • Outstanding Resident Musical
• every tongue confess
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Play, Phylicia Rashad
  • The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical, Marcus Gardley

The Bay Theatre Company, Inc.

• The Foreigner
  • The Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play, Bill Largess

Constellation Theatre Company

• The Ramayana
  • Outstanding Sound Design, Resident Production, Tom Teasley

Factory 449: a theatre collective

• The John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company

Folger Theatre

• Henry VIII
  • Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Production, William Ivey Long
  • Outstanding Director, Resident Play, Robert Richmond
  • Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play, Naomi Jacobson
  • Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Production, Klyph Stanford
  • Outstanding Set Design, Resident Production, Tony Cisek
  • Outstanding Sound Design, Resident Production, Anthony Cochrane
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play, Louis Butelli
  • The Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play, Ian Merrill Peakes
  • Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play
  • Outstanding Resident Play
• Hamlet
  • Outstanding Director, Resident Play, Joseph Haj
  • Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Production, Justin Townsend
  • Outstanding Sound Design, Resident Production, Matthew M. Nielson
  • The Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play, Graham Michael Hamilton
  • Outstanding Resident Play
• Orestes, A Tragic Romp
  • Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play, Holly Twyford
  • Outstanding Musical Direction, Resident Production, James Sugg
  • Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play
  • Outstanding Resident Play

Ford’s Theatre

• Little Shop of Horrors
  • Outstanding Resident Musical

Imagination Stage

• Pirates! A Boy at Sea
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Play, Colleen Delany
  • The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical, Charles Way
  • Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young Audiences

The Kennedy Center

• Hair
  • Outstanding Lead Actor, Non-Resident Production, Steel Burkhardt
  • Outstanding Lead Actress, Non-Resident Production, Kacie Sheik
  • Outstanding Lead Actress, Non-Resident Production, Caren Lyn Tackett
  • Outstanding Supporting Performer, Non-Resident Production, Josh Lamon
• Thurgood
  • Outstanding Lead Actor, Non-Resident Production, Laurence Fishburne
  • Outstanding Non-Resident Production
• Mary Poppins
  • Outstanding Lead Actor, Non-Resident Production, Gavin Lee
  • Outstanding Lead Actress, Non-Resident Production, Caroline Sheen
  • Outstanding Supporting Performer, Non-Resident Production, Ellen Harvey
  • Outstanding Non-Resident Production
• South Pacific
  • Outstanding Lead Actor, Non-Resident Production, David Pittsinger
  • Outstanding Lead Actress, Non-Resident Production, Carmen Cusack
  • Outstanding Supporting Performer, Non-Resident Production, Jodi Kimura
  • Outstanding Non-Resident Production
• The Lisbon Traviata
  • Outstanding Set Design, Resident Production, Derek McLane
  • The Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play, John Glover
• Golden Age
  • Outstanding Supporting Performer, Non-Resident Production, Marc Kudisch
  • Outstanding Supporting Performer, Non-Resident Production, Hoon Lee

The Kennedy Center Family Theater

• Snow White, Rose Red (and Fred)
  • The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical, music by Zina Goldrich
  • The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical, book & lyrics by Marcy Heisler
  • Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Musical
  • Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young Audiences
• Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical
  • The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical, music by Michael Silversher
  • The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical, script & lyrics by Mo Willems
  • The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical, musical arrangements by Deborah Wicks La Puma
  • Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young Audiences

MetroStage

• Glimpses of the Moon
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Musical, Lauren ‘Coco’ Cohn

No Rules Theatre Company

• The John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company

Olney Theatre Center

• Annie
  • Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Musical, Bobby Smith
  • Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical, Carrie A. Johnson
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Musical, James Konicek
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Musical, Jenna Sokolowski
  • Outstanding Resident Musical

The Puppet Co.

• The Nutcracker
  • Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young Audiences

Rep Stage

• Travels With My Aunt
  • Outstanding Director, Resident Play, Kasi Campbell
  • Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play
• On the Verge or The Geography of Yearning
  • Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Production, Dan Covey

Shakespeare Theatre Company

• Candide
  • Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Production, Mara Blumenfeld
  • Outstanding Director, Resident Musical, Mary Zimmerman
  • Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Musical, Geoff Packard
  • Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical, Lauren Molina
  • Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Production, T.J. Gerckens
  • Outstanding Musical Direction, Resident Production, Doug Peck
  • Outstanding Set Design, Resident Production, Daniel Ostling
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Musical, Jesse J. Perez
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Musical, Larry Yando
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Musical, Hollis Resnik
  • Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Musical
  • Outstanding Resident Musical
• The Liar
  • Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Production, Murell Horton
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play, Adam Green
  • The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical, David Ives
• Avenue Q, The Broadway Musical
  • Outstanding Lead Actor, Non-Resident Production, Brent Michael DiRoma
  • Outstanding Lead Actress, Non-Resident Production, Jaqueline Grabois
  • Outstanding Non-Resident Production
• Mrs. Warren’s Profession
  • Outstanding Set Design, Resident Production, Simon Higlett
• All’s Well That Ends Well
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play, Ted van Griethuysen
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play, Paxton Whitehead
• Richard II
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Play, Naomi Jacobson

Signature Theatre

• Chess
  • Outstanding Director, Resident Musical, Eric Schaeffer
  • Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical, Jill Paice
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Musical, Jeremy Kushnier
• Sycamore Trees
  • Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Musical, Marc Kudisch
  • Outstanding Musical Direction, Resident Production, Fred Lassen
  • The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical, book, music & lyrics by Ricky Ian Gordon
  • The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical, book by Nina Mankin
  • Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Musical
• Sunset Boulevard
  • Outstanding Musical Direction, Resident Production, Jon Kalbfleisch
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Musical, Ed Dixon
• Sweeney Todd
  • Outstanding Resident Musical

Solas Nua

• Improbable Frequency
  • Outstanding Choreography, Resident Production, Diane Coburn Bruning
• Johnny Meister and the Stitch
  • Outstanding Sound Design, Resident Production, Matt Otto

The Studio Theatre

• Circle Mirror Transformation
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Play, MacKenzie Meehan
• Superior Donuts
  • The Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play, Johnny Ramey
  • Outstanding Resident Play
• American Buffalo
  • Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play

Synetic Theater

• King Arthur
  • Outstanding Choreography, Resident Production, Irina Tsikurishvili
• Othello
  • Outstanding Choreography, Resident Production, Irina Tsikurishvili
  • Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Production, Anastasia Ryurikov Simes
  • Outstanding Director, Resident Play, Paata Tsikurishvili
  • Outstanding Musical Direction, Resident Production, Konstantine Lortkipandze
  • Outstanding Sound Design, Resident Production, Irakli Kavsadze
  • Outstanding Sound Design, Resident Production, Konstantine Lortkipandze
  • The Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play, Philip Fletcher
  • The Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play, Alex Mills
  • Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play
  • Outstanding Resident Play
• The Master and Margarita
  • Outstanding Director, Resident Play, Paata Tsikurishvili
  • Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Production, Colin K. Bills
  • Outstanding Resident Play
• Antony and Cleopatra
  • Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Production, Colin K. Bills

Theater J

• Mikveh
  • Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play, Lise Bruneau
  • Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play, Sarah Marshall
• In Darfur
  • Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play, Erika Rose
• New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch De Spinoza
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play, Michael Tolaydo
  • The Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play, Alexander Strain
  • Outstanding Resident Play

Toby’s Dinner Theatre

• Hairspray
  • Outstanding Director, Resident Musical, Toby Orenstein
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Musical, MaryLee Adams
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Musical, Jesaira Glover
  • Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Musical
  • Outstanding Resident Musical

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

• Clybourne Park
  • Outstanding Director, Resident Play, Howard Shalwitz
  • Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play, Jennifer Mendenhall
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Play, Dawn Ursula
  • The Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play, Mitchell Hébert
  • The Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play, Cody Nickell
  • Outstanding Set Design, Resident Production, James Kronzer
  • Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play
  • Outstanding Resident Play
• The Last Cargo Cult
  • Outstanding Non-Resident Production