Cast Announced For WET's FEATHERS AND TEETH By Charise Castro Smith

Washington Ensemble Theatre has announced the cast for the Seattle premiere of Feathers and Teeth, the twisted horror comedy by Charise Castro Smith that grapples with the power of grief and the dangers of the other side. WET members Rachel Guyer-Mafune (WET: Teh Internet Is Serious Business, ACT: The Wolves, Book-It: Howl's Moving Castle) and Samie Spring Detzer (WET: Teh Internet Is Serious Business, Revolt. She said. Revolt again.) return to the WET stage to star as the creepy cool daughter/stepmother duo, Chris and Carol. Brandon J. Simmons (WET: Sextet, The Seagull Project: The Cherry Orchard, The Three Sisters) joins the cast as Arthur and James Schilling (ArtsWest: Peter and the Starcatcher, The Horse in Motion: The Great Noise) makes his WET debut as Hugo. WET's Associate Artistic Director Bobbin Ramsey directs. This is the second play by Castro Smith to be produced by WET; the world premiere of The Hunchback of Seville was the company's final play produced at The Little Theater on 19th Avenue East before moving to its current home, 12th Avenue Arts

"At its core, Feathers and Teeth is a play about what happens to us when our grief goes uncared for," said director Bobbin Ramsey. "Looking through the perspective of an angsty and devastated 13-year-old, we see a bizarre Tim Burton-esque world that's crumbling around her. On the surface this play is wild, hilarious, and unsettling, but beneath that first layer is a poignant story about loneliness, trauma, and what happens when we let our darkness get the best of us."

Feathers and Teeth plays March 29 - April 15, 2019 at 12th Avenue Arts (1620 12th Avenue in Capitol Hill). Single tickets are on sale now www.washingtonensemble.org.

Stepparents are usually a drag, but Chris's new stepmom might actually be evil incarnate. When a mysterious creature shows up at their home, poor, grieving Chris sees it as a sign to avenge her mother's death and take back her life, family, and future once and for all. Part Stranger Things and part Serial Mom, get ready to have goosebumps!

Rachel Guyer-Mafune joins the cast as Chris. Guyer-Mafune is a 4th generation Seattlite, a member of Washington Ensemble Theatre, and an ACT Core Company member. Past credits include: M. Butterfly (ArtsWest), The Wolves, A Christmas Carol (ACT), Prelude to a Kiss, How I Learned to Drive (Strawberry Theatre Workshop), Howl's Moving Castle, a New Musical (Book-it Repertory Theatre), Teh Internet Is Serious Business (Washington Ensemble Theatre), A Winter's Tale (Seattle Shakespeare Company), The Lost Girls, and Puny Humans (Annex).

Samie Spring Detzer returns to the WET stage as Carol. A graduate of Cornish College of the Arts and Artistic Director of WET, Detzer was most recently seen in Teh Internet Is Serious Business, Revolt. She said. Revolt again., The Hunchback of Seville (Footlight Award), and The Edge of Our Bodies at WET, Rikki Tikki Tavi at Seattle Children's Theatre, and Wayne Rawley's award-winning Live! From the Last Night of My Life. She has worked as an actor at Seattle Shakespeare Company, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Taproot, The Solo Performance Festival, The Chicago Improv Festival, and 14/48. Detzer is a co-creator of Six Pack Series and the Literary Manager at ACT Theatre.

Brandon J. Simmons joins the cast as Arthur. He is pleased to return to WET, where he last appeared in Sextet. In Seattle, Brandon has appeared with numerous theaters, including The Seagull Project (co-founder), The Williams Project, Book-It Repertory Theatre, On the Boards, New City Theatre, Seattle Public Theatre, Seattle Children's Theatre, Annex Theatre, theater simple, and numerous productions at Seattle Shakespeare Company. His play Is She Dead Yet? (a white comedy) received the Gregory Award for Outstanding New Play in 2016. He directed the Seattle premiere of An Octoroon at ArtsWest and Alma by Benjamin Benne.

James Schilling makes his debut with WET as Hugo. Schilling is an actor/playwright and a December 2018 graduate of Cornish College of the Arts in Theatre - Original Works. Recent credits include The Winter's Tale (Freehold's Engaged Theatre), The Great Noise (The Horse in Motion), and Peter and the Starcatcher (ArtsWest). His full-length play Out in the Open, a contemporary comedy-drama about interpersonal relationships and queer identity, was staged as his senior thesis at Cornish last December.

Bobbin Ramsey is a freelance theatre and film director based in Seattle. She is WET's Associate Artistic Director and a co-founder and Lead Producer of The Horse in Motion, a new theatre company dedicated to non-traditional performance, and has directed most of their major productions. In summer 2014, Ramsey directed her first feature, a horror film titled Dead Body, produced by Diving Bell Media and Angel Inc. Productions which is now available on multiple VOD platforms including Amazon, iTunes, and Vudu. Notable productions include The Nether, and Revolt. She said. Revolt again. with the Washington Ensemble Theatre, Wellesley Girl and BrechtFest with The Horse in Motion, Peter and the Starcatcher at Cornish College of the Arts, Waiting for Godot with Arts on the Waterfront, American Archipelago with Pony World Theatre, The Great Noise, a rock musical which premiered at On the Boards, and staged readings with ACT Theatre, Macha Productions, Book-It Repertory Theatre, and New Century Theatre Company.

Charise Castro Smith is a playwright, television writer, and actor from Miami, currently residing in Los Angeles. Playwriting credits include: Feathers and Teeth (Goodman Theatre/developed at Atlantic Theater Company), Estrella Cruz [The Junkyard Queen] (Ars Nova/Yale Cabaret/Halcyon Theatre), The Hunchback of Seville (Washington Ensemble Theatre/Trinity Repertory Company), Washeteria (Soho Rep.), and Boomcracklefly (Miracle Theatre). She is currently under commission by South Coast Repertory and Trinity Repertory Company. Select acting credits include Antony and Cleopatra (Royal Shakespeare Company/The Public Theater), An Enemy of the People(Baltimore Center Stage), and The Good Wife (CBS). Smith is the recipient of a Van Lier Fellowship at New Dramatists, and is an alumna of Ars Nova's Play Group and The New Georges Jam. She holds an M.F.A. from Yale School of Drama and a B.A. from Brown University.

Feathers and Teeth features scenic design by Pete Rush, lighting design by Ryan Dunn*, costume design by Caitlin Cooke, sound design by Maggie Rogers*, properties design by Robin Macartney, projections design by Bryce Bartl-Geller with animation and effects by Broom Cupboard Studio, fight choreography by Ian Bond, with stage management by Joceline Wynn*. Additional staff includes Riley Gene (assistant director).

*Member of Washington Ensemble Theatre

Through collaborative artistic leadership, Washington Ensemble Theatre fearlessly creates audacious stories for adventurous Seattle audiences. A resident company at 12th Avenue Arts in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, WET is committed to maintaining an environment wherein its members, as well as artists from the community, are challenged to grow through its work as an ensemble. For more information about Washington Ensemble Theatre, please visit www.washingtonensemble.org.

The 2018/19 Ensemble is Samie Spring Detzer, Jeffrey Azevedo, Maria Manness, Rachel Liuzzi, Bobbin Ramsey, Tristan Roberson, Joceline Wynn, Jenn Oaster, Ryan Dunn, Erika Bailey, Maggie Rogers, Sophie Franco, Rachel Guyer-Mafune, and Erin Bednarz.

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