Yellow Face
by David Henry Hwang

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Directed by Jon Jon Johnson

January 10 – February 1, 2020

The lines between fact and fiction blur with hilarious and moving results in David Henry Hwang’s unreliable memoir.  Asian-American playwright DHH, fresh off his Tony Award win, leads a protest against “yellowface” casting in the original Broadway production of Miss Saigon.  At the same time, DHH mistakenly casts a Caucasian actor in the lead Asian role of his own Broadway-bound play Face Value.  Meanwhile, DHH’s father finds himself ensnared in a political scandal rooted in anti-Chinese paranoia.  As these stories intertwine, DHH is forced to confront the complex and changing role that “face” plays in American life today.

Producer – Jeff Mikoni

CAST
DHH – Diego Maramba
The Announcer/Name Withheld on Advice of Counsel – Erica Smith
Marcus G. Dahlman (AKA Marcus Gee) – Ramtin Vaziri
HYH – Edgar Ferrufino
BD Wong and others – Joe Tran
Leah Anne Cho and others – Krystle Cruz
Stuart Ostrow and others – Omar LaTiri
Jane Krakowski and others – Madelyn Farris

PRODUCTION TEAM
Stage Manager – Denise Gilmore
Artistic Liasion – Deb Sivigny
Scenic Designer – Elizabeth Jenkins McFadden
Master Carpenter – Steve Leshin
Lighting Designer – Venus Gulbranson
Sound Designer – Hope Villanueva
Sound Engineer – Jeff Goldgeier
Properties Designer – Kristyn Lue
Costume Designer – Stephenie Yee

Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol
by Ken Ludwig and Jack Ludwig

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Directed by Jim Robertson

December 13 – 22, 2019

A clever, joyous retelling of Ebenezer Scrooge’s ordeal with ghosts as an elaborate prank carried off by Tiny Tim (who is now almost a teenager) and his buddy Charlotte, who also happens to be the daughter of Scrooge’s nephew Fred. The audience is in on the fun, while a host of characters from the village lend their talents to help remind Scrooge what kindness means. This familiar story is nicely condensed and filled with enough Christmas magic to delight audiences of all ages.

CAST
Scrooge – Andy Greenleaf
Gravedigger – Nick Sampson
Bookseller/Christmas Past – Riley Cruickshank
Puppet Seller – Nessa Amherst
Marley/Pie Seller/ Fred – Peter Orvetti
Tiny Tim – Asher Howell
Mrs. Fezziwig/Stevens – Whitney Perez
Hollyfoot/Christmas Present – Edwina Neely
Bob Cratchit/Mr. Fezziwig – Peter Rouleau
Young Scrooge – Kieran Allan Hadley
Boy – Ian Murray
Charlotte – Anna Uehlein
Caroler/Londoner – Catherine Sauri
Girl on the street – Emilyn Greenleaf
Caroler/Londoner – John Greenleaf
Caroler/Londoner – Michael Greenleaf
Mrs Cratchit – Wendy Drescher
Belle – Dina Howell
Caroler/Londoner – India M. Eddy
Caroler/Londoner – Molly Ross
Caroler/Londoner – Claire Gunther
Caroler/Londoner – Tyler Kelly
Caroler/Londoner – Olivia Waymer
Caroler/Londoner – Samuel Varegas
Caroler/Londoner – Ulysses Howell
Emilie – Mia Levings

Sweat
by Lynn Nottage

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Directed by Matt J. Bannister

November 1 – 23, 2019
Matinees: November 10 and 17 at 2pm

A play in a bar like none other. The characters in this Pulitzer Prize (2017) winning play are from a blue-collar community in the city of Reading, PA and we get to experience what life is like for them as they defend their history, their families, their friendships, and their way of life when their future as factory workers comes crashing down along with the housing boom. Set in the year 2000 with flash-forward moments to the year 2008 that begin and end the play, we tackle questions the drive to the heart of what living in America looks like and still maybe find a way to see hope for us all.

Producer – Alika Codispoti

CAST
Tracey – Maura Suilebhan
Cynthia – Kecia Campbell
Stan – Ron Ward
Jessie – Amanda Jones
Brucie – Neal Burks
Oscar – Andrés Felipe Roa
Evan – Anthony Coley
Jason – Peter Moses
Chris – Michael King

PRODUCTION TEAM
Assistant Director – Kristyn Lue
Stage Manager – Brynn Krasney
Set Designer – Lee Hebb
Lighting Designer – Steve Knapp
Sound Designer – Jeff Goldgeier
Costume Designer – Erin Bone Steele
Properties Designer – Jennifer Maschal-Lorms
Fight Choreographer – Sierra Young

The Book Club Play
by Karen Zacarías

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Directed by Karen Fleming

September 20 – October 12, 2019
Matinees: September 29 and October 6 at 2pm

A comedy about books — yes, you read that right! — and a group of friends who love them. Anna is a Type A personality leader of a Book Club to which she has compelled her adoring husband and a diverse assemblage of friends to join. Unbeknownst to them all, she has agreed to participate in a documentary by a “famous Danish filmmaker” who wishes to film them. The intimate discussions that arise as the friends connect to different types of books take on a new kind of importance as they share their own opinions, secrets, and feelings in front of the ever-present camera lens and result in touching moments and hilarious arguments, especially when an unexpected new member joins the group and these friends start to read between the lines. This play is smart AND fun, and everyone will feel like they are invited to join the club.

Producer – Jennifer Dorsey

CAST
Ana – Lena Winter
Rob – Spencer Knoll
Will – Nicholas Bashour
Jen – Camille Pozderac
Lily – Jasmine Jones
Alex – Andy Greenleaf
Pundit – Caroline Adams

PRODUCTION TEAM
Assistant Director – Janet Replogle
Stage Manager – Denise Gilmore
Artistic Liasion – Jacy D’Aiutolo
Set Designer – Bill Dunbar
Master Carpenter – Bill Dunbar
Lighting Designer – Bill Strein
Projections – Steve Deming
Graphics – Leigh Rawls
Sound Designer – Patrick Hughes
Properties Designer – Carlton and Jane Maryott
Costume Designer – Eric Scerbo

2019 One-Act Festival

Three weekends of original one-act plays that will make you laugh, cry, and think.

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WEEKEND 1 – August 15-18
Friday and Saturday at 8pm
Sunday at 2pm

Sam Feals by Julia Harris
Directed by Cidney Forkpah
Sam is a teenage girl diving headfirst into a new school year. With the help of her senses of Passion, Wonder, Anxiety, and Peace—personified by other actors—she learns to navigate homework, crushes, and the challenges of growing up.

Sam – Kerala Bannister
Cam – Adelaide King
Passion – Tracye Brewer
Wonder – Ren Stoneowitz
Anxiety – Matt Bannister
Peace – Erin Monaghan
Melancholy – Meg Nemeth

Express by Diane Nichols
Directed by Juli Tarabek Blacker
Young Ed runs away from home to join the Pony Express, despite the pleas of her close friend Frannie. Ed’s plans are threatened when another rider realizes that Ed is a girl, but then a crisis comes along that only she can help resolve.

Hank – Michael J. Fisher
Ed – Rachel Sparks
Franny – Dina Howell
Noah – Ramtin Vaziri

The Birthday Gift by Elizabeth Douglas
Directed by Shannon Wilson
Stephanie meets her parents for dinner to celebrate her 21st birthday, completely unprepared for the surprise that they have planned: they’re starting a new life that doesn’t include room for Stephanie and her siblings.

Helen – Jessica Speck
Doug – Alain Norman
Stephanie – Olivia Speck

Last Night at the Arcade by Kay Ellen Bullard
Directed by Nicole Vaughn Rodriguez
A desperate kid hatches a plan to save a shuttered arcade, only to be dismissed by the elderly owner. After the owner’s son arrives, the three come to understand the challenges facing their generations and the difficult relationships between fathers and sons.

Old Man – Ted Culler
RJ – Matt Williams
Kid – Camden Salguero

The Closet by Steffi Ruben
Directed by Tessara Morgan
Sisters Caroline and Ruth stare at a closet full of shoes, the final step before they can begin a long-overdue night out. A disagreement about footwear opens the door to long-simmering sibling rivalry, as they struggle to understand and accept each other’s life choices.

Caroline – Naomi Ratz
Erin – Janiene Bohannon

WEEKEND 2 – August 22-25
Friday and Saturday at 8pm
Sunday at 2pm

Best Friends Forever by Diana Lee Woody
Directed by Emily F. Gouillart
Genevieve and Molly use a Ouija board to reach out to their friend Amanda, who passed away in a random accident a year ago. But when they succeed in making contact with her spirit, they don’t expect Amanda to ask them to join her!

Genevieve – Morgan Booth
Molly – Jenny Oberholtzer
Amanda – Sunna Bee

Prisoner of Love by Keith Whalen
Directed by Shalom Omo-Osagie
Hal wakes up from a nap to find that his wife, Sophie, has handcuffed him to their couch.  With him unable to escape, Sophie forces Hal to answer a series of self-help questions designed to get to the heart of their dysfunctional marriage.

Hal – Adam Rosenthal
Sophie – Rebecca Shoer

The Rockefeller Special by Ryan Stevens
Directed by Jeff Mikoni
A history professor and an ensemble of players interrupt the evening to present an irreverent, no-holds-barred story about a dead rich white man. It’s the definitive recounting of the life of John D. Rockefeller, “an American F—ing A–hole.”

Historian – Melanie A. Lawrence
John D. Rockefeller – Andrew Quilpa
1st Player – Hamza Elnaggar
2nd Player – Whitney Richardson
3rd Player – Olivia Smith-Elnaggar

Miss Peddy & Grace by William Ivor Fowkes
Directed by Pauline Griller-Mitchell
Miss Peddy is a caretaker to the elderly with a history of manipulating her charges for her own financial gain. But is she prepared to handle Grace, a cunning old woman with a penchant for schemes of her own?

Caroline Peddy – Meghan Williams Elkins
Grace Butler – Harlene Leahy

The Mysterious Life, And Even More Mysterious Death, Of That Guy Who Lived Below Max And Beth by Mark Staufenberg
Directed by Brad Tehaan
As police comb over the apartment beneath them, Max and Beth try to figure out what happened to their now-deceased neighbor. After Beth sneaks in via the fire escape for a closer look, she and Max become the prime suspects in an absurd crime story.

Beth – McKenna Kelly
Max – Omar LaTiri
Cop – Rob Gorman

WEEKEND 3 – August 29-September 1
Friday and Saturday at 8pm
Sunday at 2pm

Yalu River by Nan Gatewood Satter
Directed by Katie Gallagher
Zach and Lys are world travelers, trapped in an airport terminal as they wait for their flights. The two pass the time by flirting through stories of great adventures and failed relationships, forging a possible connection in the process.

Zack – Matt Roland
Lys – Amber Champ
Gate Agent – Nessa Amherst

Gone Fishin’ by Steve Langley
Directed by Gregory Ford
In the wake of Rodney Dixon’s untimely death, his father and his roommate, Clay, meet at a secluded fishing hole to talk. When Clay reveals that he and Rodney actually were a romantic couple, Mr. Dixon struggles to accept truths about the son he never really understood.

Mr. Dixon – Melvin D. Smith
Clay – Axandre Oge
Rodney – Sebastian Leighton

Help Wanted by Agyeiwaa Asante
Directed by Jenn Dorsey
After Deana’s chronic pain makes it impossible for her and her husband, Prince, to have sex, the two hire Sadira, a college professor who doubles as a sex worker, for help.  The together, the three navigate delicate issues of love, intimacy, and support.

Deana Rule-Aduyemi – Jackie Youm
Prince Rule-Aduyemi – Brock Brown
Sadira – Neelam Patel
Doctor – Kate Lenane

The Elimination Round by Carl L. Williams
Directed by Omar LaTiri
A wealthy man hires a contract killer to murder his wife so he can marry his new love, but it turns out that the hitman is open to better offers. The four of them end up in a battle of wits, bribes, and negotiations to determine who wins and who dies.

Fenwick – Jim Breen
Morgan – Amer El-Bayoumi
Geneva – Kate Lenane
Priscille – Kristen Geatz

Intimate Apparel
by Lynn Nottage

Produced and directed by Seth Ghitelman

June 28 – July 20, 2019
Matinees: July 7 and 14 at 2pm

Winner of the 2004 New York Drama Critics Circle and the Outer Critics Circle Awards

New York City, 1905: Esther, a talented African-American seamstress, sews for rich white and poor black clients alike, and saves her earnings so she can someday open her own beauty parlor. She also longs for a loving husband and has a long-distance pen-pal romance with George, a black Barbadian laborer building canals in South America. But will George be all that Esther had hoped for when he shows up in person? “Intimate Apparel” explores the choices we make to move forward, despite the challenges life presents.

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Cast:
Esther – Christine M. Champion
Mrs. Dickson – Letha Remington
Mrs. Van Buren – Hana Clarice
Mr. Marks – David Dieudonne
Mayme – Patrice Campbell
George – DeJeanette Horne

Production Team:
Assistant Director – Yvonne Paretzky
Stage Manager – Kristen Davis
Artistic Liasion – Gwydion Suilebhan
Set Designer – Joy Wyne
Lighting Designer – Katherine Offutt
Sound Designer – Jeff Miller
Properties Designer – Anne Cary
Costume Designer – Stacy Thomann
Assistant Costume Designer and Wardrobe Mistress – Kelsey Murray
Hair and Makeup – Sue Pinkman
Intimacy Choreographer – Emily Sucher
Assistant Stage Managers – Mary Ghitelman and Sophia Menconi
Board Operator – Nadia Abouraya

The Importance of Being Earnest
By Oscar Wilde

Directed by Bill Hurlbut

May 17 – June 8, 2019
Matinees: May 26 and June 2 at 2pm

One of the cleverest comedies by one of the greatest writers in the English language, The Importance of Being Earnest has delighted audiences since its premiere in 1885. Wilde’s scintillating, hilarious work introduces us to Jack and Algernon, charming bachelors who are each living a double life, aided by a fictional alter ego called “Ernest.” But the two fall truly in love with a pair of proper young women, Gwendolen and Cecily – both of whom are partial to men named Ernest. Will Jack and Algy be able to bring an end to the charade and convince the formidable Lady Bracknell that they are suitable candidates for marriage? Wicked wit and dead-on social satire are wrapped in a confection of dual identities, matrimonial matters, and the provenance of a particular handbag.

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Producer – Lennie Magida

Cast:
Algernon Moncrieff – Nicholas Temple
John Worthing, J.P. – Noah Rich
Lady Bracknell – Susan Holliday
Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax – Emma Wesslund
Cecily Cardew – Camille Pozderac
Miss Laetitia Prism – Karen Fleming
Rev. Canon Chasuble, D.D. – Stephen P. Johnson
Lane and Merriman – Tom Schiller

Production Team:
Stage Manager – Denise Gilmore
Set Design – Maggie Modig
Set Construction – Steve Leshin
Lighting Design – Don Slater
Hair/Makeup – Maureen Roult
Sound Design – Jeff Miller
Properties Design and Set Decoration – Malca Giblin
Dialect Coach – Gary Sullivan
Artistic Liaison – Clare Palace

Appropriate
by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

Directed by Jeff Mikoni

April 5 – 28, 2019
Matinees: April 7, 14 and 28 at 2pm
(Please note that there will no performances the weekend of April 19-21)

Winner of the 2014–2015 Obie Award for Best New American Play

Every estranged member of the Lafayette clan has descended upon the crumbling Arkansas homestead to settle the accounts of the newly dead patriarch. As his three adult children sort through a lifetime of hoarded mementos and junk, they collide over clutter, debt, and a contentious family history. But after a disturbing discovery surfaces among their father’s possessions, the reunion takes a turn for the explosive, unleashing a series of crackling surprises and confrontations.

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Producer – Diego Maramba

Cast:
Antoinette “Toni” Lafayette – Maura Claire Harford
Beauregarde “Bo” Lafayette – Sam Lunay
Francois “Franz/Frank” Lafayette – David Dieudonne
Rachael Kramer-Lafayette – Kate Shea
River Rayner – Rebecca Cohen
Rhys Thurston – Conor Donahue
Cassidy “Cassie” Kramer-Lafayette – Kerala Bannister
Ainsley Kramer-Lafayette – Michael Greenleaf

Production Team:
Assistant Director – Bryce Monroe
Stage Manager – Kristen Geatz
Artistic Liaison – Michael Kharfen
Set Designer – Andy Greenleaf
Master Carpenter – Andy Greenleaf
Lighting Designer – Vanessa Lam
Sound Designer –  Jeff Goldgeier
Properties Designer – Alika Codispoti
Costumer Designer – Kristyn Lue
Hair/Makeup Designer – Lauren Agresti
Fight & Intimacy Director – Jonathan Rubin

In the Next Room, or the vibrator play
by Sarah Ruhl

Directed by Jen Katz

February 22 – March 16
Matinees: March 3 and 10 at 2pm

“The company’s production does full credit to this intellectually rich, profoundly entertaining show.” – Maryland Theatre Guide
“Don’t miss out on this thrilling stage engagement!” – TheatreBloom

A comedy about marriage, intimacy, and electricity, In the Next Room is set in the 1880s at the dawn of the electrical age. In a seemingly perfect, well-to-do Victorian home, proper gentleman and scientist Dr. Givings has innocently invented an extraordinary new device for treating “hysteria” in women (and occasionally men): the vibrator. Adjacent to the doctor’s laboratory, his young and energetic wife tries to tend to their newborn daughter—and wonders exactly what is going on in the next room. When a new “hysterical” patient and her husband bring a wet nurse and their own complicated relationship into the doctor’s home, Dr. and Mrs. Givings must examine the nature of their own marriage, and what it truly means to love someone.

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Producer – Pam Burks

Cast:
Dr. Givings – Matt Bannister
Catherine Givings – Emily Gilson
Sabrina Daldry – Juliet Lloyd
Dick Daldry – Jim Adams
Annie – Erica Smith
Elizabeth – Jacqueline Youm
Leo Irving – Joshuah Laird

Production Team:
Artistic Liaison – Erin Bone Steele
Stage Manager – Kristyn Lue
Assistant Stage Manager/Props – Jennifer Dorsey
Set Designer – Jeff Asjes
Master Carpenter – Nicholas Temple
Lighting Designer – Steve Deming
Sound Designer – Rich Frangiamore
Costume Designer – Mary Wakefield
Intimacy Coach – Christine Hurst
Dramaturg – Meg Williams

Equivocation
by Bill Cain

Directed by Madeleine Smith

January 11 – February 2, 2019
Matinees: January 20* and 27 at 2pm

*Please note there will be an interactive talkback with the cast and crew immediately following the Sunday January 20th matinee!

“The whole cast gives some of the finest performances you may see in community theatre.” – Maryland Theatre Guide
“Equivocation has many pleasures, from the witty script, to the appealing performances, to some unusual directorial touches by Director Madeleine Smith.” – DC Metro Theater Arts

England, 1605: A tight ensemble of star actors from the King’s Men company, including William Shakespeare, are commissioned to produce an impossible-to-write show about the foiled Gunpowder Plot, where conspirators attempted to blow up the King and Parliament. But as the acting company of the Globe investigate the plot, they discover that the King’s version of the story might, in fact, be a cover-up. Shakespeare and his actors are confronted with the ultimate moral and artistic dilemma. Speak truth to power—and perhaps lose their heads? Or take the money and lie? Is there a third option—equivocation?

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NOTE: This show contains loud noises and graphic violence. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to us via Facebook or by email at equivocation@ssstage.org.

Producer – Brendan Murray

Cast:
Shag – Keith Cassidy
Richard – Tom Howley
Sharpe – Nicholas Temple
Nate – Gary Sullivan
Armin – David Dubov
Judith – Lena Winter