Cast and Creative Team Set for GALILEO'S DAUGHTER at WAM Theatre

The cast and creative team have been revealed for WAM Theatre's Fall Main Stage production of Galileo's Daughter by Jessica Dickey (The Amish Project, The Rembrandt, Row After Row), directed by Reena Dutt (Chester Theater Company's Guards at the Taj). The production will run at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA from October 18 - November 3, 2024, and will then transfer to Central Square Theater in Cambridge, MA from November 14 - December 8, 2024. Tickets are on sale now.

Rattled by a personal crisis, a playwright flees to Florence to study the letter between Galileo and his eldest daughter Maria Celeste. Caught up in the threats against her father, Maria must abandon her work and join a convent. The writer's discovery of Maria's strength and tenacity inspires her own pursuit of purpose. Alternating between past and present, this play is a personal examination of faith, forgiveness, and the cost of seeking and speaking truth. The Chicago Reader called it “a smart and poignant” story.

WAM Theatre and Central Square Theater are excited to share that this regional premiere of Galileo's Daughter will feature the talents of an international group of emerging theatrical designers. Director Reena Dutt explains, "The show travels with a writer working through her own crisis by investigating the history of a brilliant woman long since buried with time. Unearthing their lives in this fast-moving, funny, and heart-warming play is going to be a delight. It's the perfect group of people with whom to bring this story to life."

Originally from China, Scenic Designer Qingan Zhang is a multidisciplinary artist who has designed for new productions at IRT Theater, HERE Arts Center, Rattlestick Theater, and New Ohio Theatre. Her scenic designs were last seen at Central Square Theater in their productions of Beyond Words and The Chinese Lady. Zhang explains that in her designs she: “seeks to empower the intangible mental fantasy rooted in the narratives through materiality of the built environment through layers of materials, objects, multimedia and objective metaphors.” For Galileo's Daughter, Drishti Chauhan, a recent MFA graduate, originally from India will serve as the Apprentice Scenic Designer, assisting Zhang throughout the creative process.

The costumes and props are being designed by Malorie Grillo, a Costa Rican designer who has launched her professional career in the United States at WAM having previously worked on the cabaret Me & the Sky and the summer benefit fragments of Outside. "Galileo's Daughter is a special piece for me,” explains Grillo. “It takes us on the journey of two women who have fought against their destinies and what is predetermined for them. As an immigrant woman, I feel connected to these stories and see myself in them, always challenging what was predetermined for me." 

Mexican-American Lighting Designer Andrea Sofia Sala was attracted to this production of Galileo's Daughter as an opportunity “to think unconventionally while uplifting the voices of those who are/have been unseen, and work with people determined to do the same.”  Based in Boston, she is currently the Lighting Supervisor for Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Production Manager for Fresh Ink Theatre. 

The sound for Galileo's Daughter will be designed by Masatora Goya whose work was recently seen at WAM Theatre's fragments of Outside. Masatora is a designer and composer, born in Malaysia and raised in Japan, who enjoys, “finding a shape and flow in intangible emotions.”

That the majority of the design team is made up of emerging women or non-binary identified artists is intentional. WAM's BIPOC Apprenticeship program, sponsored by the Brabson Family Foundation, is a multi-year commitment. Artistic Director Genée Coreno explains: “The hope is to build meaningful  relationships with early career designers and apprentices over time to cultivate a sense of creative belonging and nurture paths to future collaborations.”

The creative team is rounded out with: Stage Manager Hope Rose Kelly, (whose previous work with WAM includes Cadillac Crew, Holy Laughter, The Last Wife and Ann), assisted by Nathaniel Bokaer (2024 WAM Fresh Takes Play Readings and Big Big Sky at Chester Theatre Company), and Production Dramaturg Talya Kingston (WAM's Associate Artistic Director who has dramaturged past WAM productions of What The Constitution Means to Me, Roe, and Lady Randy).

WAM Theatre is offering equitable seating for this production and encourage patrons to select the ticket price that best fits their needs. Tickets range from $25-$100. WAM invites audience members to choose from one of the suggested price levels, while keeping in mind that the higher ticket price you are able to select, the more we will be able to donate to our recipients (who will be named later this month).  WAM Theatre also offers group tickets (for groups of ten or more), and $5 for EBT card holders. 

Tickets for Galileo's Daughter are on sale now. For tickets and more information about WAM Theatre's 2024 Season, programs, events, and artists, please visit wamtheatre.com

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