The Play that Goes Wrong

Paul Takács, he/him, (Director) is a Richmond, VA based director and most recently directed The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley for Virginia Repertory Theatre. Other local credits include Anne Washburn’s Mr. Burns for VCU’s Department of Theatre & Dance and the premiere of Andrew Gall’s Burial Tax for Firehouse Theatre. Previous credits for Virginia Repertory Theatre are: Ira Levin’s Deathtrap, Mo Willems and Deborah Wicks La Puma’s Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus!, Roald Dahl’s Charlie & the Chocolate Factory and Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery.  He was the founding Artistic Director of The Shop in New York City, where he directed the New York premieres of David Harrower’s Knives in Hens for The Shop at 59E59 Theaters and Philip Ridley’s Dark Vanilla Jungle at HERE Arts Center. Other credits for The Shop include the U.S. premieres of Jon Fosse’s I Am The Wind translated by Simon Stephens and Philip Ridley’s Tender Napalm, both at 59E59 Theaters. Other work: The world premiere of David Pinski’s Yiddish play Professor Brenner and the premiere of a new translation of Peretz Hirshbein’s Yiddish play Carcass both for the New Worlds Theatre Project at HERE Arts Center, NYC. He holds a BA in Drama from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and an MFA in Directing from The New School for Drama. Paul is currently Head of Upper School Theatre at St. Christopher’s School in Richmond, VA and Artistic Director of Ampersand, the joint theatre company of St. Christopher’s and St. Catherine’s Schools. www.paultakacsdirector.com

Daniel Conway (Scenic Designer) has designed for regional theaters such as Ford’s, Chicago Shakespeare, Milwaukee Repertory, Cincinnati Playhouse, American Repertory Theatre (A.R.T.), The Shakespeare Theatre, Studio Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Arena Stage, Signature Theatre, and South Coast Rep. He is the set designer for Penn and Teller on both Broadway at the Marquis theatre and for their long running show in Las Vegas. He has been nominated for 16 Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Set Design and received the award four times. He is the recipient of The Anderson/ Hopkins Award for outstanding contributions to Washington, D.C. Theatres and in 2019 he was one of three featured American set designers at The Prague Quadrennial Exhibition of Design and Performance Art.

Sarah Grady (Costume Designer) has been designing costumes for Richmond audiences since 2004. Recent designs include Waitress, Dial M for Murder and Moriarty (Virginia Rep) and True West (Cadence). She worked as a Costumer on the Pharrell Williams movie “Atlantis”, Apple TV’s Swagger and AMC’s The Walking Dead: World Beyond. She was the Assistant Costume Director for Virginia Repertory Theatre for 17 years. Favorite designs include Sister Act, West Side Story (RTCC Award for Best Costume Design), In the Heights, Dreamgirls (RTCC Award for Best Costume Design), Junie B. Jones, The Music Man, Spring Awakening, The Sound of Music (Virginia Rep); Fun Home, Violet, The Mountaintop, Caroline or Change, and Appropriate (Cadence). For three lucky summers, Sarah traveled to Roma, Italy, to work with the Operafestival di Roma, where she coordinated the costumes for The Magic Flute, Suor Angelica, The Marriage of Figaro, and Die Fledermaus. She has also worked at TheatreVirginia, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Seaside Musical Theatre.

Alia Radabaugh, she/they, (Wig Designer) is a TheatreVCU alumnus and Richmond native who is continually elated to be here. When she isn’t sculpting coifs or crafting costumes, she works as a fiber artist, design consultant, and is the Theatrical Costumes and Makeup Instructor at Appomattox Regional Governor’s School, as well as their resident costumer. Recent wiggy Rep work includes The Cottage and Murder on the Orient Express. Other design credits include Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat (Homefront Players) and Pump Boys & Dinettes (Swift Creek Mill Theater).  See more of her work in Pride and Prejudice with Homefront Players thru 09/27! Special thanks to Maura, Jacob, and viewers like you for supporting local theater!

BJ Wilkinson, he/him, (Lighting Designer) received his B.A. from the University of Northern Colorado, and his M.F.A. from the University of Cincinnati – CCM. Recent designs include Murder on the Orient Express, Misery, and After December with VA Rep, Peter and the Starcatcher, and Roman a clef with Firehouse Theatre, and Let the Right one in, and RENT with Theatre VCU.  He serves as Head of Lighting for VCU. Visit www.bjwlightingdesign.com for more!

Jonathan Pratt, he/him, (Sound Design) – Jonathan is thrilled to be designing again at Virginia Rep where some of his recent designs include Come From Away, The Cottage, Flat Stanley the Musical, Deathtrap, A Christmas Carol, Waitress, Dial M for Murder, Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty and Baskerville, Satchmo at the Waldorf, On Air, 9 to 5: The Musical, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the latter three winning the RTCC Award for Outstanding Sound Design of a Musical. Other favorite local design credits include: The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Minutes, and Machinal (William and Mary), Cry It Out (Yes, And!), and Sunset Baby (BVTA). Jonathan has also designed over 40 productions for Camelot Theatre in Talent, Oregon. Jonathan is a proud member of the Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association.

Casey Kaleba, he/him, (Fight & Movement Direction) has arranged violence, slapstick, and intimacy for nearly 600 productions, most recently at Pennsylvania Shakespeare (Romeo & Juliet), Wolf Trap Opera (Tosca), and Signature Theatre (Merrily We Roll Along).  He has worked throughout the country, including Northern Stage, Washington National Opera, Ford’s Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Spoleto Festival USA, Guthrie Theatre, and he smashed fruit with swords on the YouTube channel Men At Arms: Reforged.  A Fight Director and Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors, Casey currently teaches at both William & Mary and the University of Mary Washington.  For more of his work go to www.ToothAndClawCombat.com

Ginnie Willard, she/her, (Production Stage Manager) is happy to return to her stage management roots at Virginia Rep, where she also serves on the staff as Production Manager. Selected stage management credits include The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley, Murder on the Orient Express, 9 to 5: The Musical, Mary Poppins, Dreamgirls, Into The Woods, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Seussical, the Musical, and Peter Pan for Virginia Rep; Spring Awakening, Clybourne Park, and multiple University Dancers Concerts for the University of Richmond’s Department of Theatre and Dance; Live Art (2012-2018) for SPARC. Ginnie is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and the Stage Managers’ Association.

Lexi Christie, (she/her) is excited to return to another show with Virginia Rep, following her work stage managing Primary Trust and assistant stage managing A Christmas Carol. Lexi has spent most of her theatre career before moving to Richmond as a production/assistant stage manager and assistant director with Charlottesville Opera. Her production stage manager credits with the opera include Scalia/Ginsburg and assistant stage manager credits include Carmen, The Elixir of Love, and The Merry Widow. Lexi would like to thank her partner, Annie, her friends, and her cats, Hamlet, Cortado, and Brego, for all of their love and support.