Illustration by Robert Meganck
Equivocation
September 26 – October 19, 2014
Preview September 25
A Co-production with Henley Street Theatre and Richmond Shakespeare
The Sara Belle and Neil November Theatre
Marjorie Arenstein Stage
at Virginia Rep Center New Free Parking
By Bill Cain
Directed by Jan Powell
Visit the show page for tickets and more information.
Cast Bios
Steven Carpenter (Nate/Cecil) is thrilled to be making his Virginia Rep debut. Acting credits in over 20 years in the DC area include: Higgins in Pygmalion, The Philanderer, Major Barbara, Anna Karenina, The Countess (Washington Stage Guild); The Actor’s Nightmare (Bay Theatre); Amadeus (Round House); The Road From Appomattox, The Heavens Are Hung In Black, A Christmas Carol (Ford’s); The Goat, Translations The Lonesome West (Rep Stage); Leontes in A Winter’s Tale (Baltimore & Virginia Shakespeare Festivals); Hamlet (Folger); A Man for All Seasons (Mill Mountain). Helen Hayes nominations for acting and directing. 400+ titles narrated for the National Library Service for the Blind.
Mitchell Grant (Sharpe) is excited to be making his Virginia Repertory debut. He was most recently seen in as James in Synetic Theater’s production of Dorian Gray as well as Buckingham in The Three Musketeers. Some other credits include roles in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Moliere’s The Pretentious Young Ladies, Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange, and John Patrick Shanley’s Defiance. He attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama where he received his Master’s Degree, with Merit, in Classical and Contemporary Text and received his BA in Theatre from the College of Charleston.
Joe Pabst (Richard/Garnet) has appeared in numerous Virginia Rep productions including Tartuffe, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Brooklyn Boy, Barefoot in the Park, and Lend Me a Tenor. He was nominated for Richmond Theatre Critics Circle awards for roles in Virginia Rep’s productions of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Is He Dead? ; and received the Best Actor award for Faith Healer (Henley Street Theatre). He directed Virginia Rep productions of Driving Miss Daisy, The Odd Couple, Greater Tuna, and Always… Patsy Cline. He sends love to his wife, Debra Wagoner.
Zoe V. Speas (Judith) is a NYC-based actor and playwright. She graduated in 2011 from The College of William and Mary with majors in Theater and English. NYC credits include: Helena in Midsummer, Octavius in Julius Caesar, Joey Kapps in Murder on Broadway, Narrator in The Ghosts of Christmas Past. Other recent credits: Titania in Midsummer, Anne in Richard III, and The Governess in The Turn of the Screw for the Virginia Shakespeare Festival. Zoe is thrilled to return to her home state and city for this production, and she thanks her family for their unwavering love and support.
Rafael Untalan (Shag) DC credits include: Yellow Face (Theatre J), Anime Momotaro (Imagination Stage), The Duchess of Malfi (We Happy Few). Regional credits include: The Winter's Tale, Cyrano de Bergerac, Richard III, As You Like It, The Cherry Orchard, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, Doctor Faustus (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); The Ramayana (A Contemporary Theatre); A Tale of Two Cities, In the Northern Lands (Seattle Children's Theatre); Twelfth Night, (Theatreworks); The Winter's Tale, Amadeus (Marin Shakespeare Company); A Midsummer Night's Dream (Virginia Shakespeare Festival); Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Lorca in a Green Dress, Blood Wedding (Miracle Theatre). Film/TV credits include: Leverage (TNT); Eden, Earth (Invisible Pictures). MFA: The Academy for Classical Acting, at the George Washington University.
Nicholas Wilder (Armin) is thrilled to be making his Virginia Rep debut! Past Credits: 2 Boys in a Bed On a Cold Winters Night (Richmond Triangle Players), The 39 Steps (Laguna Playhouse), Noises Off, The Importance of Being Earnest (Winnipesaukee Playhouse), Centennial Casting (Seven Angels Theatre), The Santaland Diaries (Tri-State Actors Theater) Fat Pig (Millbrook Playhouse), The 39 Steps (Forestburgh Playhouse), The Diary of Anne Frank (Westport Country Playhouse) The Ladies Man, Rumors (Cortland Rep.) Tours: The 39 Steps (National Tour) The Learned Ladies, Richard II (Shakespeare Theatre of NJ) Many thanks to Chase and Jan for this opportunity! www.nicholaswilder.com
Production Bios
Dr. Jan Powell (Director) is the Artistic Director of Henley Street Theatre/Richmond Shakespeare, where she directed Taming of the Shrew; A Midsummer Night's Dream; The Importance of Being Earnest; King John; A Child's Christmas in Wales; and Macbeth (awarded Best Direction, Richmond Theatre Critics' Circle). Prior to coming to Richmond, she was Artistic Director of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, and founding Artistic Director of the innovative Tygres Heart Shakespeare Company in Portland, Oregon. Freelance direction includes Marat/Sade (Theatre 54, NYC), The Taming of the Shrew (Kingsmen Shakespeare, Los Angeles), Much Ado About Nothing (Nevada Repertory Theatre, Reno), The Twilight of the Golds (Stoneham Theatre, Boston), and world premieres including the award-winning Money Shot; Gimpel the Fool starring Metropolitan Opera star Richard Zeller, and direction/co-author (with Carole J. Dane) of Cambio, a new musical set in Cuba, based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Elizabeth Weiss Hopper (Costume Designer) is an Emeritus Professor of Theatre at the School of the Arts, VCU in Richmond, Va. where she served as costume designer for 32 years. Professionally she has designed costumes for over 250 productions in theatre, dance and opera including the Company of Fools, Hailey, Id; Theatre VCU, Theatre IV, Virginia Rep, The Production Company, the University of Richmond, James River Chamber Opera, Richmond Shakespeare, Cadence Theatre and the Confederation Center of the Arts, Canada. Among the shows she has designed for Virginia Rep are To Kill a Mockingbird, Quilters, The Full Monty, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Hamlet, The Dead, 1940’s Radio Hour, The Trip to Bountiful, Olympus on My Mind, The Diviners, Of Mice and Men, The Little Foxes, A Member of the Wedding, Sideways Stories, Well, Prelude to a Kiss, The Stinky Cheese Man and Shrek. She is an expert on 1920 and 1930 women’s clothing having co-authored two current books: Women’s Wear of the 1920’s: with complete patterns and Women’s Wear of the 1930’s: with complete patterns published by Player’s Press.
BJ Wilkinson (Lighting Designer) received his B.A. in Design & Technology from the University of Northern Colorado, & his M.F.A. from the University of Cincinnati- College Conservatory of music. Recent lighting designs include The Charitable Sisterhood... for Virginia Rep, as well as Richard III, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Wittenberg, Death and the Maiden, Comedy of Errors, Othello, The Tempest, King John, MacBeth, Cybeline, and Merry Wives of Windsor for Richmond Shakespeare/Henley Street. He has toured nationally with A Year with Frog and Toad, & Nebraska Theatre Caravan’s Christmas Carol. He would like to thank Samm and Molly.
Rick Brandt (Stage Manager) is happy to be back at Virginia Rep and working with this wonderful company. Recent Virginia Rep stage management credits include Tartuffe, To Kill a Mockingbird, Red, and Hay Fever. He also served as Assistant Stage Manager on The Color Purple, Fiddler on the Roof, The Music Man, and The Producers. Acting credits include Standing on Ceremony (Richmond Triangle Players and TheatreLab), Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, Talley’s Folly (Barksdale Theatre), Raised in Captivity (Theatre Gym), Richard III (Richmond Shakespeare Company), Edward II (LiveArts).