Dallas Theater Center to Present IN THE BEGINNING Jan. 21 - Feb. 15

Dallas Theater Center, in association with SMU Meadows School of the Arts, presents In the Beginning, an adaptation of the first 10 chapters of the Book of Genesis, featuring the newly announced DTC Acting Company, and directed by artistic director Kevin Moriarty. In the Beginning runs Jan. 21-Feb. 15 at the Kalita Humphreys Theater.

Presenting familiar stories from Genesis - the creation of the world, Adam and Eve in Eden, jealousy and murder among brothers, the world's destruction by water - In the Beginning offers a fresh retelling of age-old tales interspersed with engaging dialogue taken directly from conversations with local community members and respected religious scholars about the text.

"In the Beginning does not present a single, definitive interpretation of the stories we find in Genesis," Moriarty says. "Rather, it is a reflection of the conversations we've had with people of faith throughout our community about the text and the personal truths and insights they've found through their own explorations into these stories."

The 14-member cast and Moriarty worked alongside a religious advisory council comprised of local theologians, scholars and people of faith from various faith traditions to explore multiple interpretations and understandings of Genesis' text to present a literary interpretation for the stage.

"Living inside these ancient Biblical stories are ideas, insights and questions about the human experience that we face everyday in the 21st century. Each of the council members has been essential in our exploration of the text, as the actors and I have sought to bring to light the relevance of Genesis' stories for the modern day theatergoer of any belief," says Moriarty. "The production doesn't seek to provide answers to the penetrating questions raised in Genesis, but rather invites the audience to join the actors in a conversation about these timeless stories."

Advisory council member Rabbi Oren J. Hayon of Temple Emanu-El says, "The Book of Genesis is, as its name indicates, a story about great beginnings. The opening stories of the Bible, these foundational texts of world religions, offer tantalizing lessons about the Beginning of Everything. One Jewish tradition suggests that God created human beings simply because God loves stories just as much as we do. And without people around to tell them, all of these marvelous tales would simply vanish away from God's otherwise perfect and awe-inspiring creation."
Featuring the recently formed DTC Acting Company, the cast includes Hassan El-Amin, Chamblee Ferguson, Matthew Gray, Sean Hennigan, Liz Mikel, Cedric Neal, Lee Trull, Sally Nystuen Vahle and Christina Vela.

Also, as part of DTC's ongoing collaboration with Meadows School of the Arts, In the Beginning features SMU students Micah Figueroa, Andres Ortiz, Abbey Siegworth, Olubajo Sonubi and Marcus Stimac.

"The DTC Acting Company is not the only testament to the rich offering of talent in Dallas," Moriarty says. "SMU and its students are a tremendous asset to DTC's work. Utilizing SMU students for our productions, onstage and backstage, gives them valuable learning experiences working alongside seasoned theater professionals, and provides us with new insights and inspiration from the next generation of theater artists."

The design team for In the Beginning includes John Arnone (scenic designer), Jennifer Caprio (costume designer) Steve Woods (lighting designer); with original music and sound design by The Broken Chord Collective.

All performances of In the Beginning will be held at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, located at 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd., at Blackburn St., where it runs Jan. 21-Feb. 15. Preview performances Jan. 21-25. Opening night is Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Performance times are Tuesday through Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.; and select Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m. Single ticket prices range from $16 to $60 and are available by calling the box office at 214.522.8499 or by visiting www.dallastheatercenter.org.

BIOS

Hassan El-Amin (Ensemble) has performed at the ALLIANCE THEATRE, Guthrie Theatre, Pantages Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory, San Diego Repertory, Arena Stage, Portland Center Stage, Denver Theatre Center, Huntington Theatre, The Goodman, Sacramento Theatre and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in the roles of Lincoln, TopDog/UnderDog, The Lion King (Mufasa/Scar), Seven Guitars (Floyd Barton), Jitney (Booster), Fences (Troy Maxson), Radio Golf (Harmond Wilks), A Raisin in the Sun (Walter Lee), Blues for an Alabama Sky (Lealand), The Tempest (Prospero), Julius Caesar (Marc Antony), and the title role in Othello. Education: MFA, University of Delaware.

CHAMBLEE FERGUSON (Ensemble) DTC: Pride and Prejudice; The Taming of the Shrew; The Illusion; Hamlet; Our Town; Twelfth Night; Guys and Dolls; The Seagull; South Pacific; A Midsummer Night's Dream; As You Like It; Red Noses. Other theatres include Tidewater Regional Rep, Florida Stage, Penobscott Theatre, Classical Acting Company, WaterTower Theatre, Casa Mañana, Lyric Stage, Shakespeare Dallas, Circle Theatre, Actors Stock/NYC. Film/TV credits include: Prison Break; Karma Police; A Scanner Darkly; The Newton Boys; The Chase; Walker, Texas Ranger; Wishbone. He has received Leon Rabin, Dallas/Ft. Worth Theater Critic and Austin Circle of Theatres awards. Education: M.F.A. from SMU and is represented by the Kim Dawson Agency.

MICAH FIGUEROA (Ensemble) is currently a sophomore Theatre Studies major at Southern Methodist University. Micah has been previously seen as Bud Powell in SMU's production of The Smoking Section. In the Beginning is his very first show at DTC and he is excited to be part of such an amazing cast.

MATTHEW GRAY (Ensemble) DTC: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; The Taming of the Shrew; Glengarry Glen Ross. Former Co-Artistic Di­rector of Classical Acting Company in Plano. Favorite shows include Much Ado About Nothing, All My Sons, A Flea in Her Ear, The Cherry Orchard, Shakespeare's Keeper, and No Exit. Off-Broadway: The Miser; The Country Wife; The Seagull; Angel Street; The Merry Wives of Windsor; Richard III; Signals of Distress. Education: Second City Chicago and Drama Studio London. He is an adjunct faculty member at Richland College and teaches Improvisation and Sketch Writing.

SEAN HENNIGAN (Ensemble) DTC: Amadeus (Mozart); Prologue to All the King's Men (Jack Burden); Marriage of Bette and Boo (Matt); Romeo and Juliet (Mercutio); The Boys Next Door (Jack). He was a former company member under Adrian Hall. Film/TV: JAG; Charmed; Prison Break; Walker, Texas Ranger; Friday Night Lights; Hate Crime; Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada; The Life of David Gale; 3:10 to Yuma.

Liz Mikel (Ensemble) DTC: The Who's Tommy; Crowns; A Macbeth; The Antigone Project; Ain't Misbehavin'; Cotton Patch Gospel; Our Town; A Christmas Carol; Avenue X; A Streetcar Named Desire; A Midsummer Night's Dream. Regional: Cape Playhouse (Cape Cod), A Contemporary Theater (Seattle), Arkansas Repertory Theater, Live Oak (Austin). Local: Casa Mañana, Dallas Children's Theater, Jubilee Theater, Theatre Three, WaterTower Theatre. Tours: Ain't I A Woman (National 2005-present); Blind Lemon Blues (Geneva and Paris); Blues in the Night (National 2000). TV/Film: Friday Night Lights, Sordid Lives The Series, It's In The Water, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. Awards: Leon Rabin Award, DFW Theater Critics Forum Award, D Magazine, Dallas Observer, Dallas Voice, Column Award.

Cedric Neal (Ensemble) DTC: The Who's Tommy. Regional: Ain't Mis­behavin'; Crowns (Jubilee Theatre); A Dog's Life (Theatre Three); Porgy and Bess (Zach Theatre- Austin Critics Award); Rockin' Christmas Party; Brief History of White Music; Ain't Nothin' But The Blues (WaterTower Theatre); Tick...tick...Boom (Rabin & Column Award); Normal Heart; Aida; The Life (Uptown Players); Angels In America, Part One: Millennium Approaches; Dreamgirls; Once On This Island. Tours: African Tales of Earth And Sky; A Midnight Cry-Underground Railroad To Freedom (Dallas Children's Theatre). Education: Eastman School Of Music, Rochester, New York.

ANDRES ORTIZ (Ensemble) is a young actor from San Antonio and a junior theatre major at Southern Methodist University. He has been dedicated to the art of acting since he was 10-years-old. Andres' past SMU performances include Hamlet, The People Next Door, Balm in Gilead (2007), and An Ideal Husband (2008).

Abbey Siegworth (Ensemble) is very excited to work with DTC for the first time. Regional: She Stoops to Conquer (Northlight Theatre); Mercy of a Storm (Next Act Theatre); Comedy of Errors, Titus Andronicus, The Tempest (Milwaukee Shakespeare); All's Well That Ends Well, Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Heartbreak House, The Winter's Tale, Cymbeline, The Merchant of Venice during five tours with Montana Shakespeare in the Parks. Education: BFA University of Illinois; MFA Southern Methodist University, May 2010.

OLUBAJO SONUBI (Ensemble) is extremely blessed and thankful to be making his debut at DTC. He graduated from the University of Georgia (2006). He is a second-year MFA Acting student at Southern Methodist University. Some of his past roles include, Gerard in The Overwhelming (Directed by Stan Wojewodski, Jr.); Demetrius in A Midsummer Night's Dream; "Hortensio/ Vincentio" in Taming of the Shrew (Rose of Athens); Bynum in Joe Turner's Come and Gone (UGA).

MARCUS STIMAC (Ensemble) is thrilled to be working on his second production with DTC. He is a senior at Southern Methodist University, and is graduating in 2009 with a BFA in acting performance. SMU productions include The Overwhelming and Twelfth Night.

Lee Trull (Ensemble) DTC: A Christmas Carol; 365 Days/365 Plays; Psychos Never Dream; Des Moines. He also serves as a member of DTC's acting com­pany. Work at other theaters includes Kitchen Dog Theater, Classical Acting Company, Theatre Three, Water Tower Theatre, Stage West, Dallas Children's Theatre, Shakespeare Festival of Dallas, Plano Repertory Theatre and Second Thought Theatre. As a playwright: Mark Twain's Huck Finn; O Henry's Gift of the Magi (Classical Acting Company); Puppet Boy based on Carlos Collodi's Pinocchio (Stage West). Mr. Trull is a member of the Artistic Company at Kitchen Dog Theater.

SALLY NYSTUEN VAHLE (Ensemble) DTC (favorites): A Macbeth; Blur; The Front Page; Crumbs from the Table of Joy; An Ideal Husband; Angels in America, Parts I & II; The Misanthrope; A Christmas Carol; Numerous DTC Fresh Ink Reading Series. Film/Television: Inspector Mom; JFK; Wishbone; Walker, Texas Ranger. Education: M.F.A. Acting from SMU Awards: Leon Rabin Awards; Critic's Forum Awards; Emmy Nomination, Wishbone. Other: Founder and Artistic Company Member, Kitchen Dog Theater; Assistant Professor of Acting and Voice at the University of North Texas.

CHRISTINA VELA (Ensemble) DTC: debut. National: 21 Positions by Naomi Wallace staged reading at The Public. Regional: Othello; Romeo & Juliet (Shakespeare Festival of Dallas); The Pillowman (director); Richard III; Our Lady of 121st Street; Fat Pig; Bug; Nickel & Dimed; Much Ado About Nothing; Curanderas; Reckless (Kitchen Dog Theater). Christina is a company member at Kitchen Dog Theater. Education: Texas A&M University.

John Arnone (Scenic Designer) is a Tony Award-winning set designer and Dallas native. He is excited to return to DTC under the direction of Kevin Moriarty. Broadway: The Who's Tommy; How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying; The Full Monty; Grease; Minnelli on Minnelli; The Ride Down Mt. Morgan; The Goat: or, Who is Sylvia?; Twilight, L.A.; Sex and Longing; The Best Man; Fortune's Fool. He has designed for every major U.S. resident theater. He has taught at SMU, CMU, Yale, NYU and UCSD. Awards include the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and two Obies. His work has been seen in London, Germany, Italy, Japan and Australia.

Jennifer Caprio (Costume Designer) Broadway: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Off-Broadway: Fugitive Songs (Dreamlight); Two Rooms (Lion); SaKaLa (45 Bleeker); Masked (DR2); Striking 12 (Daryl Roth); Wanda's World (Amas); Serendib (EST); The Atheist (Center Stages); Broadway Bares (BC/EFA event); The Blowin' (Irish Arts Center). Regional: Actors Theatre Louisville, Minnesota Opera, Opera Boston, Geva, Utah Shakespearean Festival, North Shore Music Theatre, The Cleveland Playhouse, Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Hangar Theatre. Her work can currently be seen on exhibition at Lincoln Center in their presentation Curtain Call: Celebrating a Century of Women Designing for Live Performance.

Steve Woods (Lighting Designer) has enjoyed international success at the Festival L'Imaginaire and the Festival Blues Sur Scene in Paris, as well as productions in Berlin, Moscow, and London. New York City: The Lincoln Center, Theatre for a New Audience, Joyce, York, and Ohio Theatres. Regional: The Kennedy Center, The Shakespeare Theatre, Jacob's Pillow, American Dance Festival and Spoleto Festival. Dance: Jose Limon, Compania Nacional de Danza. Television: PBS Broadcasts of Rigoletto, Lucia de Lammermoor, Susannah, Evangeline, and Lewis & Clark, as well as events for MTV, BBC, Showtime. Recent work includes the Undermain Theatre's Off Broadway premiere of Neil Young's Greendale.

Ryan Rumery (Sound Designer) DTC: The Who's Tommy. Broadway: Thurgood, starring Laurence Fishburne. Off-Broadway: Deathbed (McGinn/Cazale); Beauty on the Vine (Epic Theatre Center); Rearviewmirror (59E59); Based on a Totally True Story; Back Back Back (Manhattan Theatre Club); Getting Home (Second Stage); Edward II (Connelly Theatre). Regional: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Actors Theatre, Center Stage, Kennedy Center, Shakespeare Theatre, Playmakers Rep, Hartford Stage, Virginia Stage, Westport Country Playhouse, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Ford's Theatre, Florida Stage, Alley, Syracuse Stage, Trinity Rep, Adirondack Theatre Festival, Hangar, Woolly Mammoth, Alliance and Eugene O' Neill Theatre Center. Film: SynchroNYCity.

Daniel Baker (Sound Designer) Off-Broadway: The Atlantic Theater (Scarcity, The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow), Cherry Lane Theater (Hoodoo Love), Keen Company (Theophilus North, Tea and Sympathy, The Dining Room, The Maddening Truth, The Conscientious Objector), MTC (The Four of Us), The New Group (Everythings Turning Into Beautiful, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Things We Want), Second Stage (The Mystery Plays), Rattlestick Theater (Acts of Mercy, Stay), Women's Project (The Cataract, Victoria Martin, Sand). Regional: Actors Theater of Phoenix, Arena Stage, Dallas Theater Center, Dorset Theater Festival, Geva Theater Center, Huntington Theater, Long Wharf, Portland Center Stage, San Jose Rep, The Shakespeare Theater, Studio Theater, TheaterWorks Hartford, Westport Country Playhouse, Weston Playhouse, and Yale Rep.

LINDY HEATH CABE (Musical Director) served as musical director this year for The Who's Tommy and A Christmas Carol at DTC. Lindy has musical directed, directed and choreographed more than 50 productions for Casa Mañana's Playhouse. She also served as the Director of The Playhouse for two years. She has directed and performed for many theaters including Casa Mañana, Bass Hall, Casa on the Square, Stage West, Theatre Arlington, Dallas Summer Musicals, North Shore Music Theater and Cape Cod Playhouse. Lindy has vocally coached and taught hundreds of young people and adults in the metroplex as well as directing and teaching for many educational venues.

BILL LENGFELDER (Fight Choreographer) Bill Lengfelder is a member of both the Kitchen Dog Theater of Dallas, Texas, and The Fabulous Beast Dance Theater Company of Dublin, Ireland. He is a professor of movement in the Theater Division of Southern Methodist University, and a certified trainer of The Society of American Fight Directors.

ABOUT Dallas Theater Center

One of the leading regional theaters in the country, DTC produces new, contemporary and classic plays and musicals to an audience of more than 90,000 patrons annually. DTC's Mainstage season is presented at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, one of only three existing theaters designed and built by the legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright. In 2009, DTC will move into and become one of the resident companies of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, a multi-form space designed by REX/OMA, Joshua Prince Ramus (partner in charge) and Pritzker Prize-winning architect Rem Koolhaas.

The mission of DTC is to engage, entertain and inspire our diverse community by creating experiences that stimulate new ways of thinking and living. DTC is committed to consistently producing plays, educational programs and other initiatives that are of the highest quality and reach the broadest possible constituency.

DTC gratefully acknowledges the support of our season sponsors: American Airlines, The Dallas Morning News, Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Arts, Mix 102.9, TACA, TCA and WFAA.

 

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