Round House Theatre Announces Casting For 2018-2019 Season
By: Julie Musbach Jun. 07, 2018
Round House Theatre announces casting for the five mainstage shows that will comprise its 41st season. "Our 2018-2019 Season launches our exciting Resident Artist program, and once again confirms our longstanding value to prioritize the use of local artists, with more than 90% of our artists hailing from the DC area," says Artistic Director Ryan Rilette. "We're thrilled to pair the best DC artists with some of the most exciting new plays and modern classics in American theatre. It's a season you won't want to miss."
Artistic Director Ryan Rilette opens Round House's 41st season with Bess Wohl's Off-Broadway hit Small Mouth Sounds, featuring an ensemble cast of Katie DeBuys (Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley), Resident Artist Maboud Ebrahimzadeh (The Book of Will), Michael Glenn (Stage Kiss), Beth Hylton (Handbagged), Andrea Harris Smith (Our Town at Olney Theatre Center), and James Whalen (NSFW) as six city dwellers embarking on a week-long silent retreat. Dileep Rao (the film Inception) rounds out the cast as the unseen guru who challenges them to seek peace. Small Mouth Sounds runs August 29 - September 23, 2018 at Round House Theatre
Paula Vogel's Pulitzer Prize-winning play How I Learned to Drive will feature Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play) as Li'l Bit, an adult survivor of sexual abuse, and Peter O'Connor (The Aliens at Studio Theatre) as her Uncle Peck. Resident Artist Craig Wallace ("Master Harold" ... and the Boys) is joined by Daven Ralston (The Winter's Tale at Folger Theatre) and Emily Townley (HIR at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company) as members of the Greek chorus, weaving throughout the play as additional characters. Amber Paige McGinnis makes her Round House directorial debut. How I Learned to Drive plays October 10 - November 14, 2018 at Round House Theatre.
August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean will feature Stephanie Berry (Skeleton Crew at Centerstage) as 285-year-old soothsayer Aunt Ester, with Justin Weaks (The Christians at Theater J) as Citizen Barlow. They are joined by Jefferson A. Russell (Ironbound) as Aunt Ester's gatekeeper Eli, Stori Ayers (Father Comes Home from the Wars) as Aunt Ester's housekeeper Black Mary, Ray Anthony Thomas (Broadway's revival of Jitney) as Aunt Ester's suitor Solly Two Kings, KenYatta Rogers (Father Comes Home from the Wars) as Black Mary's brother Caesar, and Thomas Keegan (Angels in America) as traveling peddler Rutherford Selig. Timothy Douglas (Two Trains Running) returns to Round House to direct this first chapter of August Wilson's monumental play cycle, running December 3 - 23, 2018.
J.T Rogers' multiple award-winning Oslo is based on true events surrounding the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords between the Israelis and Palestinians. The Round House production will feature Erin Weaver and Gregory Linington, both seen in last season's production of Or, as the audacious husband-and-wife team of Norwegian bureaucrats. They will be joined by Todd Scofield (The Book of Will), Gregory Wooddell (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), Kimberly Gilbert (The Book of Will), Michael Sweeney Hammond (Julius Caesar at Shakespeare Theatre), and John Austin (Melancholy Play at Constellation Theatre) as fellow Norwegians; Maboud Ebrahimzadeh (The Book of Will) and Ahmad Kamal (The Invisible Hand at Olney Theatre Center) as members of the Palestinian camp; Conrad Feininger (Glengarry Glen Ross), Alexander Strain (Glengarry Glen Ross), and Cody Nickell (Born Yesterday at Ford's Theatre) as members of the Israeli camp; and Susannah Morgan Eig as the German wife and Swedish hostess. Artistic Director Ryan Rilette helms this political thriller, running April 24 - May 19, 2019 at the Lansburgh Theatre.
Also at the Lansburgh Theatre, A Doll's House, Part 2, Lucas Hnath's sequel to Isben's 1879 masterpiece, will feature Holly Twyford (last season's Or,) as Nora, and Craig Wallace ("Master Harold" ... and the Boys) as Torvald. They will be joined by Nancy Robinette (Uncle Vanya) as the family's nanny, Ann Marie, and Kathryn Tkel (Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley) as the couple's daughter, Emmy. Associate Artistic Director Nicole A. Watson makes her Round House directorial debut. A Doll's House, Part 2 opens June 5, 2019, and runs through the end of that month.
Full details about the 2018-2019 Season, including cast biographies and subscription information can be found at RoundHouseTheatre.org.
RESIDENT ARTIST PROGRAM
Round House's new Resident Artist program will deepen the relationship with key artists through two-year residencies that guarantees each artist work on four productions, while engaging them in teaching, season planning, and donor cultivation. These actors and designers will become part of the Round House team, working year-round rather than on a per show basis-providing much needed job security.
Resident Artists, 2018-2020
Maboud Ebrahimzadeh, Actor
"It's a kind of dream for any artist to be offered an opportunity such as this. It's more than just an on-going commitment to the work, it's a commitment and a challenge to myself, to learn and grow with a whole organization at my back pushing me to succeed. It's symbiotic in nature; our success is a shared one. "
Paige Hathaway, Scenic Designer
"I could not be more excited about joining Round House as a resident artist. I am filled with anticipation for the work that we are going to be doing together this coming season. Not only are the scripts themselves fantastic, but the team at Round House is also endlessly supportive, talented, and they constantly strive for greatness."
Ivania Stack, Costume Designer
"I'm honored and thrilled to be part of the Resident Artist program. Having been part of The Teen Performance Company Program for the past few years and a designer for several Round House shows, I've seen firsthand and loved the many ways in which this organization has invested in a multigenerational community of artists. I believe this new program goes even further to strengthen this collaborative circle, and provides artists with even more agency and opportunities to invest back into this incredible community."
Craig Wallace, Actor
"I can't wait! Ryan and his team have so many incredible plans for the future of Round House Theatre and I'm excited to be a part of it."
2018-2019 SEASON INFORMATION
SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS
By Bess Wohl
Directed by Ryan Rilette
Round House Theatre
AUG 29 - SEPT 23, 2018
Artistic Director Ryan Rilette opens Round House's 41st season with a remarkable theatrical experience. A weeklong silent retreat in the woods proves to be anything but tranquil for six restless souls in search of enlightenment. Guided by the disembodied voice of an increasingly unhinged guru, the group struggles to find relevance in their own intentions. As the week progresses, they discover inner peace isn't all that peaceful, especially when you're spending most of your time trying to relate to the people around you ... or avoiding the threat of bears. Played with equal parts humor and tenderness, Small Mouth Sounds examines all the aching, awkward, and awesome ways humans break barriers in order to connect with each other.
CAST
Alicia Katie DeBuys
Rodney Maboud Ebrahimzadeh
Ned Michael Glenn
Joan Beth Hylton
Teacher Dileep Rao
Judy Andrea Harris Smith
Jan James Whalen
HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE
By Paula Vogel
Directed by Amber Paige McGinnis
Round House Theatre
OCT 10 - NOV 4, 2018
Paula Vogel's chronicle of one woman's journey to break the cycle-and silence-of sexual abuse is a heartbreaking, sardonic, and uncomfortably funny exploration of the complicated relationships between victims, offenders, and enablers. Li'l Bit's "education" at the hands of her Uncle Peck began when she was just 11 years old. As an adult survivor, she takes the stage to unravel the tangled roadmap of emotions and memories that paved the way for her to reclaim her narrative. Amber Paige McGinnis makes her Round House directorial debut with one of the most resonantly powerful plays in the modern American canon, with a message that is still all too relevant in this pivotal #MeToo moment in our history.
CAST
Li'l Bit Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan
Uncle Peck Peter O'Connor
Teenage Greek Chorus Daven Ralston
Female Greek Chorus Emily Townley
Male Greek Chorus Craig Wallace
August Wilson'S
GEM OF THE OCEAN
Directed by Timothy Douglas
Round House Theatre
NOV 28 - DEC 23, 2018
As turmoil swirls in Pittsburgh's Hill District over a tragedy at the local mill, the "American Century" dawns in Aunt Ester's kitchen when Citizen Barlow arrives to have his soul cleansed by the venerable, 285-year-old soothsayer. Neighborhood personalities mesh and collide as the household prepares for his mystical quest. But with the scars left by the Civil War still fresh, one man's redemption could mean the end of the uneasy calm holding this African-American community together. This first chapter of August Wilson's monumental play cycle, directed by Timothy Douglas (August Wilson's Two Trains Running), challenges us to examine our notions of "freedom" in a country where the end of slavery opened the door to more insidious systems of oppression.
CAST
Black Mary Stori Ayers
Aunt Ester Stephanie Berry
Rutherford Selig Thomas Keegan
Caesar KenYatta Rogers
Solly Two Kings Ray Anthony Thomas
Citizen Barlow Justin Weaks
OSLO
By J. T. Rogers
Directed by Ryan Rilette
Lansburgh Theatre
APR 24 - MAY 19, 2019
In 1993, unbeknownst to the rest of the world, an audacious husband-and-wife team of Norwegian bureaucrats assembled a motley band of would-be diplomats from the Middle East to attempt the unimaginable: negotiate peace between Israel and Palestine. Operating only through back-channels-in secrecy, and without any official bargaining power-the group struggles to find middle ground as political tensions reach a fever pitch. But at the heart of diplomacy lies empathy, and these peacemakers must rely on the strength of the surprising personal bonds they have forged if they want to succeed. Based on the true events surrounding the Oslo Peace Accords, Artistic Director Ryan Rilette helms this thrilling nail-biter, which swept the 2016-2017 awards season.
CAST
Trond Gunderson / German Husband John Austin
Ahmed Qurie Maboud Ebrahimzadeh
German Wife / Swedish Hostess Susannah Morgan Eig
Yair Hirschfeld / Shimon Peres Conrad Feininger
Marianne Heiberg/ Toril Grandal Kimberly Gilbert
American/Diplomate/Thor Bjornevog Michael Sweeney Hammond
Hassan Asfour Ahmad Kamal
Terje Rod-Larsen Gregory Linington
Joel Singer Cody Nickell
Johan Jorgen Holt/ Finn Grandal Todd Scofield
Yossi Beilin Alexander Strain
Jan Engeland / Ron Pundak Gregory Wooddell
A DOLL'S HOUSE PART 2
By Lucas Hnath
Directed by Nicole A. Watson
Lansburgh Theatre
JUN 5 - JUN 30, 2019
When last we saw Nora Helmer, she left her husband Torvald-and audiences-with the slam of a door that became a feminist battle cry. Now, 15 years later, Nora knocks on that same door in search of closure... except the reactions of those she left behind are not quite what she anticipated. That's the funny thing about the end of relationships, though: hindsight isn't necessarily 20/20 if you don't stick around for the aftermath. Associate Artistic Director Nicole A. Watson shares her artistic vision with Round House audiences for the first time, directing this clever and sharp sequel to Ibsen's 1879 masterpiece that opens up old wounds with fresh insight, unexpected humor, and modern sensibility.
Ann Marie Nancy Robinette
Emmy Kathryn Tkel
Nora Holly Twyford
Torvald Craig Wallace
ABOUT ROUND HOUSE THEATRE
Round House Theatre is one of the leading professional theatres in the Washington, D.C. area, producing a season of new plays, modern classics, and musicals for more than 40,000 patrons each year at our theatre in Bethesda. Round House has been nominated for 181 Helen Hayes Awards and has won 37, including four Outstanding Resident Play Awards, Outstanding Resident Musical, and the Charles MacArthur Award for Original New Play. Round House has been nominated for more than 181 Helen Hayes Awards and has won over 32, including four Outstanding Resident Play Awards and the Charles MacArthur Award for Original New Play in 2016. Round House's lifelong learning and education programs serve over 4,000 students each year at its Education Center in Silver Spring and in schools throughout Montgomery County. Cornerstone programs include Play It Forward, which provides free tickets for teens and college school students, the year-round Teen Performance Company, which culminates in the student-produced Sarah Metzger Memorial Play, Summer Camp for students in grades K-12, and a full slate of classes for Adults & Youth.
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