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Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

By Edward Albee
Directed by Russell McGee

Left to right: Honey (Sarah Mae Ruggles), George (Gerard W. Pauwels), Nick (Michael Carey) and Martha (Gail Bray)

See images.

PERFORMANCES

John Waldron Arts Center
Rose Firebay
122 S. Walnut St.
Bloomington, IN 47401

April 18-19, 25-26, May 2-3 @ 7:00 pm & May 3 @ 1:00 pm

Advanced Ticket Sales
General Admission $12
Students/Seniors $9
Buy tickets online @
http://www.bloomingtonarts.info

Ticket Sales
General Admission $15
Students/Seniors $12

 

 

ABOUT THE PLAY

Starrynight Productions presents Edward Albee's 1963 Tony Award winning play, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. The Broadway production of this play was a shattering and memorable experience and established the Albee as a major American playwright.

"This is a Big One" -- NY Journal American.
"...a scorching, scalding, revealing and completely engrossing drama" -- Women's Wear Daily.
"...a brilliant piece of writing" -- NY Herald Tribune.

Russell McGee will direct this production, which brings the lives of two couples to an evening intersection. George, a professor at a small college, and his wife, Martha, have just returned home drunk from a Saturday night party. Martha announces, amidst general profanity, that she has invited a young couple- an opportunistic new professor at the college and his shatteringly naive new bride- to stop by for a nightcap. When they arrive the charade begins. The drinks flow and suddenly, inhibitions melt away. It becomes clear that Martha is determined to seduce the young professor and George couldn't care less. Underneath the edgy banter, which is crossfired between both couples, lurks an undercurrent of tragedy and despair. George and Martha's inhumane bitterness toward one another is provoked by the enormous personal sadness that they have pledged to keep to themselves, a secret that has seemingly been the foundation of their relationship. In the end, the mystery, in which the distressed George and Martha have taken refuge, is exposed, once and for all revealing the degrading mess they have made of their lives.

 

 

CAST

Martha Gail Bray
George Gerard W. Pauwels
Honey Sarah Mae Ruggles
Nick Michael Carey

 

CREW

Director Russell McGee
Assistant Director Kathryn Marshall
Stage Manager Stephenie Courter
Assistant Stage Manager
Anthony Wayne
Sound Designer
Jared D. Duymovic
Set Designer
Bill Goveia
Set Construction Bill Goveia
Toni Ane Scroggins
Anthony Wayne
Costume Designer Toni Ane Scroggins
Lighting Designer Lee Burckes
Light and Sound Technician Kathryn Marshall

 

 

CAST & CREW BIOGRAPHIES

Gail Bray (Martha) was most recently seen onstage in Well and Stuff Happens at the Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. Locally, she played Sarah in Empty Sky and Nan Schuler in Arrangement for Two Violas at the wonderful Bloomington Playwrights Project, which is where she met most of the terrific people involved in this production. Big, special thanks to my dear husband Steve and son Will. While I've been off rehearsing and performing, they have been taking care of the house and dogs and fending for themselves. I love you guys! Special thanks too to Russell for this extraordinary opportunity; what a delightful challenge!

Lee Burckes (Lighting Designer) loves lights and appreciates the opportunity to spend time high in the air on a ladder. She would like to thank Russell McGee for three years of fun and Marc for helping her be less likely to go postal. Lee's favorite regional credits include Of Mice and Men and Macbeth, both of which won Memphis Theatre Awards for lighting design. Lee is preparing for a move to take on Chicago but part of her will always reside here in Bloomington.

Michael Carey (Nick) discovered theatre three years ago doing an original play in a friend's basement. Since then, he has done commercial work and has been featured at the Bloomington Playwrights Project as Will in Cowboyily and Michael Douglas in Fatal Attraction: a Greek Tragedy. He has also worked on student film and theater projects and appeared in short play showcases at the BPP.

Stephenie Courter (Stage Manager) is the proud mother of three working as a manager at Penn Station during the day and pursuing her PASSION- theatre (both onstage and offstage)- at night! She has also recently started an internet-based networking business, so needless to say, never a dull moment. She is still in pursuit of a degree at Indiana University, double-majoring in Theatre and Psychology but has taken a break for awhile. She was most recently seen onstage as Mrs. Hatch in the Merry MAC production of It's a Wonderful Life. She also appeared in MCCT's productions Romeo and Juliet, and Directors' Symposium XIII and worked as a stage manager for The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.

Jared D. Duymovic (Sound Designer), 24, is the Community Outreach Coordinator at the Pike Performing Arts Center and co-owner of a theatre technology company, Just a Thought Entertainment Group, with his beautiful wife, Rissa. Jared is involved with theatre of all shades all over Indiana and even still performs at Miss Betty's Dinner Theatre in Trafalgar, Indiana. He has designed and performed and pretty much everything-ed shows at the Indianapolis Civic Theatre, Theatre on the Square, Phoenix Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Clowes Memorial Hall, Zionsville Performing Arts Center, Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall, Ransburg Auditorium Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center, The Alley Theatre, Christian Theology Seminary, Nashville Follies, and other places as well.

Bill Goveia (Set Designer) is a member of the Bloomington Playwrights Project's Ensemble of Artists. He writes, designs, directs and acts in local theatre. He has had roles in Hadrian VII, Fatal Attraction: A Greek Tragedy, Twelfth Night, Silent Cinema, and various Vintage Scenes, Acting Against Hunger, BPP Blizzard and Playoffs productions. Crew credits include: Mad Honey, Empty Sky, Housewives of Mannheim, Chicks with Dicks, Peter Pan, Romeo and Juliet, Cowboyily, The Babbling Banshee, DramaTech, BloomingPlays, The Lora Shiner Series, and Symphony for Three. In his spare time, he reads, plays guitar, and dabbles in photography. He would like to thank the people who keep the home fires burning for all of us!

Kathryn Marshall (Assistant Director) is a student in Theatre and Drama at Indiana University and is a native of Columbus, Indiana. Previous credits include: Three Sisters (Stage Manager) and Side Man (Assistant Stage Manager) at Indiana University; Getting Out (Ronnie/The Warden) and Big River (Mary Jane Wilkes) at Dominican University; and Cinderella (Cinderella) at DePaul University. She would like to thank God for his blessings and protection and her parents for their undying support.

Russell McGee (Director) is the Literary Manager of the Bloomington Playwright's Project, a member-at-large of the board of Monroe County Civic Theater and a 2001 graduate of Indiana State University's Theatre program. In 2002, his full-length play, Ankhenaten & Nefertiti, earned him a scholarship to attend the W.B. Yeats International Summer School. In 2007, he was awarded the Basile Playwrighting Fellowship for his play, The Clockwork Man and his play Silent Cinema won the Artsweek Playwrighting Competition. His directing credits include: Peter Pan, Seussical Jr., The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Romeo and Juliet, Lysistrata Americana, The Zoo Story, Euripedes' Cyclops, Frankenstein, A Christmas Carol, Dracula: or the Undead, It's a Wonderful Life and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

Gerard W. Pauwels (George) received both undergraduate and graduate degrees at Indiana University and appeared in numerous university and local community theater productions including: Richard III, The Rainmaker, Enemy of the People, Black Comedy. He also studied acting at the HB Studio in New York, won the American College Theatre Festival competition in theatre criticism and participated in the National Critics Institute and taught for five years at DePauw University. Recently, Gerry has appeared in Amadeus and Oliver! with Cardinal Stage, the BPP productions of Arrangement for Two Violas and Men of Tortuga, a short film entitled Until the Last Time and a yet to be released feature-length film, Silk Trees.

Sarah Mae Ruggles (Honey) is a senior at Indiana University majoring in Theatre and Drama and minoring in English. Sarah's previous performing experiences include (but are not limited to): Mary Hatch/Bailey in the Merry MAC production of It's a Wonderful Life; Freedom isn't Free, Merry Wives of Winsor and Julius Caesar with MCCT; Archangels Don't Play Pinball and Close with Independent Study Projects at IU. First and foremost, Sarah would like to thank God for the gifts He has bestowed upon her. Also, she'd like to thank Johnny for always supporting her- in everything she does. Sarah would like to thank her mother and father for EVERYTHING- all the love and happiness in the world.

Toni Ane Scroggins (Costume Designer) is a lifelong Indiana resident; she was born in the capital and has roamed about. She attended IVY Tech State College where she earned a certificate in the field of Interior Design. She has a passion for the arts, be it sewing, painting or writing. Her nearly two dozen design credits include: Wait until Dark, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged, Empty Sky, Romeo & Juliet, Our Town, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde and It's a Wonderful Life. Mrs. Scroggins is a mother of two luminous little boys and works out of a studio in her home.

Anthony Wayne (Assistant Stage Manager) has performed in Romeo and Juliet (Clown/Waterboy/Friar) and Alice's Adventures through the Looking Glass (Tweedle Dee). This is his first production serving as assistant stage manager. He is very pleased to be a part of this project and can't wait to do more in the future.