FROGGY World Premiere to be Presented at Center REP
Performances will run from February 9 – March 2, 2025.
Kicking off the new year, Center Repertory Company will present the world premiere of the graphic novel noir thriller, FROGGY, performing at the Lesher Center for the Arts (1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek) beginning Sunday, February 9 and running through Sunday, March 2, 2025. Press night will be held on Saturday, February 15, 2025.
It’s 2007, and for Froggy it’s been a year of being consumed by her actor boyfriend’s disappearance. When she stumbles upon clues to his whereabouts embedded in a violent, underground video game, Froggy’s obsession becomes a quest for truth as she embarks on a dangerous journey to uncover his—and her own—fate. From the brilliantly demented minds of Blackburn Award-winner Jennifer Haley (The Nether, Netflix’s Mindhunter), multimedia artist and Obie Award-winner Jared Mezzocchi, (Off Broadway’s Vietgone, The Wind and the Rain, Vulture’s Best of 2024), and directed by Center REP Artistic Director Matt M. Morrow, FROGGY is next generation storytelling, fusing the styles of graphic novels, film noir, and today’s revolutionary virtual gaming to create a thrilling new theatrical event.
"I'm thrilled to bring Froggy to life for this world premiere production as the centerpiece to my inaugural season at Center REP,” said Artistic Director Matt M. Morrow. “Froggy is as ambitious and adventurous as it gets. Jen’s unique style of storytelling fuses genres and technology with the ideas and themes which have become her trademark as a playwright, deftly illuminating the side effects of capitalism and addiction alongside personal grief and healing. Her graphic-novel approach to creating the magnificently theatrical world of FROGGY is matched by Jared’s vision for a mediated landscape which employs live camera feeds and an immersive video design alongside timeless mask design, all of which is being created by a team of brilliant local and national designers.”
The cast of FROGGY includes (in alphabetical order): Nancy Carlin (Delia/Celia), Maeve Coyne (Little Froggy), Jamella Cross (Froggy), Adam KuveNiemann (Michael/Tiger), Emily Newsome (Voice of Froggy), Jed Parsario (Rusty/Coyote), and Michael Ray Wisely (Dad/Marty).
The creative team for FROGGY includes Becky Bodurtha (Costume Designer), Sibyl Wickersheimer (Scenic Design), Yuri Okahana-Benson (Associate Scenic Designer), Spense Matubang (Lighting Design), Nathan Leigh (Sound Design), Alyssa Tryon (Properties Designer), Lyle Barrere (Technical Connectivity), Cheryle Honerlah (Stage Manager), and Joe Coe (Assistant Stage Manager).
Over the past decade FROGGY has been developed by some the nation’s leading new play development institutions, such as The Sundance Theatre Lab, Page 73 Productions in residence at Yale, New York City’s 3-Legged Dog, Center Theatre Group, La Jolla Playhouse, Andy’s Playhouse, and San Francisco’s own American Conservatory Theater, as well as The Banff Centre in Canada.
Recognizing the unique challenges and innovation required to bring Froggy to the stage, the production was among those this summer that was awarded the prestigious Venturous Capital Production Grant by the Venturous Theatre Fund, a nationally competitive grant awarded to select theatre productions that are producing work that is venturous in nature and seeks to expand the theatrical form.
“We are so grateful to the Venturous Theatre Fund for including us among such groundbreaking theater companies,” says Center REP General Manager Carolyn Jackson. “Their support has gone a long way in making this world premiere of Froggy possible.”
Center REP includes a host of interactive audience events for each production including a Director Chat (Friday, February 14), Cast Chats (Wednesday, February 19 and Sunday, February 23) and Pride Night (Wednesday, February 26).
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