Chris Stinson, Maggie Erwin & More to Star in Hub Theatre's ABOMINABLE

Casting has been announced for The Hub Theatre's summer production of the Hub artistic director, Helen Pafumi's new play ABOMINABLE. Pafumi's work was last seen at Theatre Alliance in the Helen Hayes nominated adaptation of Wonderful Life, which she co-wrote with Hub veteran Jason Lott. ABOMINABLE follows Sam (CHRIS STINSON), a teenager on the brink, as his town is suddenly filled with mysterious footprints. Members of his community try to make meaning of the footprints, including Sam's best friend Esther (MAGGIE ERWIN), his Mom Gia (LIZ OSBORN), his neighbor Primavera (CARLA BRISCOE), the town sheriff Ulysses (SASHA OLINICK), and his bully, Jacob (WILLIAM VAUGHN). ABOMINABLE is a play that walks the line of boy and man, and man and beast. Hub company member Chris Stinson, returns to the Hub after playing John N. in the Hub's spring production of Failure: A Love Story. He was also seen at the Hub as the Golem in A Man, His Wife, and his Hat. Other DC credits include The Iceman Cometh at Quotidian Theatre and We Tiresias at Forum Theatre.

Stinson is joined by fellow Hub company member, Sasha Olinick, who was last seen at the Hub in A Man, his Wife, and his Hat. Another familiar face at the Hub is Maggie Erwin, who was last seen in Failure: A Love Story. Erwin has also been seen on DC stages in Sunny and Licorice (Arts on the Horizon) and Edgar and Annabelle (Studio). Liz Osborn is back in the DC area after spending some time Los Angeles and New York, and was last seen at Rorschach Theatre in Neverwhere. Carla Briscoe is making her Hub debut, and was one of the original cast members of Stephen Ruddy's long-running hit, Gravid Water, at the Upright Citizens Brigade, as well as a member of the long-form improv group Livestock, which had a two-year run at the People's Improv Theater in NYC. Rounding out the cast is William Vaughn, who was last seen in Romeo and Juliet with We Happy Few Productions. Vaughn also recently understudied at the Folger Theatre, covering roles in 12th Night and Romeo and Juliet.

ABOMINABLE is directed by Kirsten Kelly, who returns to the Hub after receiving a Helen Hayes nomination for her work in Big Love. Kelly is near wrapping "The Homestretch" a feature documentary about homeless teens in Chicago which recently won the MacArthur Foundation Film Grant and a Sundance Development Grant. Kirsten also directed D.C. premieres of "The Clockmaker" and "Boy Gets Girl" by Rebecca Gillman (Helen Hayes Nomination, Best Direction) as well as the Midwest/Chicago premiere of Mamet's "Boston Marriage" (After Dark Award, Best Director).Next season, Kirsten will be directing Macbeth at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Laura Eason's new play, The Undeniable Sound of Right Now, at Rattlestick Playwright's Theatre in New York. Recent New York theatre credits include shows for The Shakespeare Society, Roots&Branches Theatre (an intergenerational theatre company), Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre & Piece by Piece Productions (off-broadway), Rising Phoenix Rep, The Juilliard School and Lincoln Center. Kirsten is a graduate of the Master's Directing program at Juilliard where she received the Andrew W. Mellon Directing Fellowship, is a documentary fellow of the Sundance Documentary Institute and is a proud member of Rising Phoenix Repertory. Prior to Juilliard, Kirsten directed at many Chicago theaters and was a member of the Education Department and an Assistant Director at Chicago Shakespeare.

Helen Pafumi is the Artistic Director and co-founder of The Hub Theatre. Since the Hub's inception Helen has produced three world premier plays, multiple area premiers, an annual free staged reading series and commissioned original work from area artists. Her original plays have been produced by The Hub and been seen at the Kennedy Center's Page to Stage Festival. In addition to her role at The Hub, Helen works as an actor in many DC area theatres, including Folger Theatre, Woolly Mammoth, Theatre J, Forum Theatre, Theatre Alliance, Rorschach Theatre, Keegan Theatre, Didactic Theatre, The Inkwell, the Source Festival, the Beckett Centenary Festival, Vpstart Crow, and Madcap Players. She has appeared in numerous independent films and area commercials. Helen also does dialect coaching for George Mason University's theatre program and teaches private acting and public speaking. Helen holds a BA in Theatre from Virginia Tech. She has been nominated for a Helen Hayes Award in Outstanding New Play for her co-adaptation of Wonderful Life. She is the recipient of the Puffin Foundation Award and the Washington Canadian Partnership Award. In ABOMINABLE, Sam is dealing with a lot, but so do all teenagers. His bones are growing so fast that sometimes he feels inhuman. Meanwhile, a mysterious and beastly footprint is discovered in the middle of town. While his mother tries to find out what is happening to Sam, more footprints appear and terrify the community as gossip and mayhem abound. A play that walks the brink between boy and man, and man and beast.

The Creative Team for ABOMINABLE includes: MATTHEW NIELSON (Original Music & Sound Design) KRISTEN MORGAN (Scenic Design), ELIZABETH COCO (Lighting Design), JANE FINK (Costume Design), SUZANNE MALONEY (Props Design), and WILLIAM POMMERENING (Stage Management).

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