The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), the not-for profit foundation of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), has announced that the Breakout Award will be awarded to Jon Rua. The SDCF Awards, which will feature the presentation of the Breakout Award along with the previously announced Gordon Davidson Award and Zelda Fichandler Award, will be hosted by Anne Kauffman virtually on Monday January 24, 2022 at 8pm ET.
This year, the Breakout Award is given to a director or choreographer for a production or selection of work that signals a shift in a career and the beginning of critical recognition – a “rising star” moment. The winner of the Breakout Award, Jon Rua, is being recognized amongst his colleagues for his innovate work as a choreographer for the stage. The finalists for this Award are Billy Bustamante & Alex Sanchez. The Breakout Award committee included Darren Lee, Maria Torres, and Christopher Windom.
Sarah Bierstock
The SDCF Awards will take place virtually on Monday January 24, 2022 at 8pm EST and will include the presentation of the Breakout Award, the Zelda Fichandler Award and the Gordon Davidson Award. Anne Kauffman will host the event for the evening. Maria Torres will present the Breakout Award to Jon Rua. Jack Reuler will present the Zelda Fichandler Award to Mark Valdez, and Oskar Eustis will present the Gordon Davidson Award to Emily Mann. The Awards will also feature Christopher Acebo, Mark Brokaw, Donald Byrd, Neel Keller, Casey Stangl, and Tony Taccone. Sarah Bierstock will serve as the script coordinator for the event. The SDCF Awards ceremony is free and open to the public. More information about all the winners and finalists can be found on the SDCF website and tickets for the event can found through Eventbrite.
Freud and C. S. Lewis meet and argue about God in the European debut of Mark St. Germain’s delectably brainy play.
Photo Credit: Alex Brenner
Great minds meet at symposiums, state dinners, literary circles, in the theatre. They get together and discuss their theories, arguing and tearing each other apart in dramatic fashion. What happens when two of the most famous men of their time clash in a small Hampstead office right when the Second World War is about to explode?
When C. S. Lewis enters the ageing Sigmund Freud‘s study, he thinks he’ll have to defend his choice of slandering the father of psychoanalysis in his latest book. But Freud isn’t interested in that, he’s heard of the image his colleague painted and isn’t too bothered in his old age and failing health. What irks him is the fact that Lewis has, out of the blue and totally unexpectedly, gone from being a fervent atheist like himself to being a pious Christian man. Unacceptable, according to him.
Mark St. Germain‘s play Freud’s Last Session was an Off-Broadway hit about a decade ago and it’s now getting its long-awaited European premiere at the King’s Head Theatre directed by Peter Darney. Doctor Julian Bird (a real life psychiatrist turned actor in the early noughties, there probably isn’t a better role for him) and Séan Browne are the pugnacious peers. Factually, nothing really happens in the show but for a great battle of wit on theology and philosophy. It’s delectably brainy.
In reality, the two never met and the source material for St Germain’s text is an equally thought-provoking book by professor Armand Nicholi, The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life. That title is all it takes to sum up the play.
With their positions being diametrically opposed and often brought up in related discussions, it’s a joy to see their spirits in the same room. They spar relentlessly, interrupted only by Freud feverishly turning the radio on to check if there are any reports of the impending declaration of war, the occasional military aircraft flying overhead, and phone calls to and from his daughter Anna.
Brawn is a tall and proud Lewis, towering over Bird’s Freud with his tinny Germanic accent and hobbling frame. They hit the other’s views, finding every weak spot, wounding their pride and patching it up only to attack again. Lewis is smug and slightly haughty with faith, whereas Freud is weary with cynicism. They (and therefore their core ideas) both contradict and justify themselves constantly, shaping and adapting theories to suit their interests and endgames.
The threat of war becomes fertile ground to debate whether God is actually good. Hitler’s spirituality and past as an altar boy also come into question as Lewis brings up his God’s greater plan and Freud points out the injustice and hypocrisy of Nazi cruelty. Inflammatory statements are made and the argument rages on.
It’s a stimulating show, one that will challenge the audience to bring their own beliefs to the table and see them destroyed and rebuilt on stage. It’s intellectually tense and truly well-written in its investigation of the two men and their ideologies. Whether people agree with one or the other, it’s quite the cerebral night out.
Michelle Chin, Rosemarie Chandler, Gabrielle Smith, Bonnie Beus Romney, and Carmiña Garey Photo by Reg Madison Photography
Similar to recent films like Hidden Figures, which helped shed light on the virtually unknown stories of how women were involved in important historical events, the musical The Hello Girls introduces us to Grace Barker, the woman who led a group of skilled female switchboard operators serving in the U.S. Army in France during the final battles of World War I. It’s a superb new musical that focuses on this remarkable woman and the dozens of others who were some of the first to break the “glass ceiling” of serving in the Army, even though they barely got any recognition for their efforts. The Phoenix Theatre Company is presenting the regional premiere in a smashing production with a wonderful cast, rich creative elements, and excellent direction, resulting in a moving theatrical experience.
The story focuses on Barker and four of the women who worked for her. Their story is set in motion when General John J. Pershing issues a request for female switchboard operators who are fluent in both English and French to serve in the Army in order to more quickly field calls from the base in Chaumont, France. More than 5000 women applied and 223 served, managing millions of calls during their time. They were dubbed “the hello girls,” a reference to the way they answered the calls: “Hello, how may I connect your call?” Barker was chosen to head up this new division, which was overseen by Captain Riser, the somewhat misogynistic and “by the book” Army man who was assigned to interview and hire the group of women and who often doubted their abilities and didn’t think they should be as close as they were to the enemy lines. The struggle for Barker and the other “girls” to be seen as equals, and to prove they are just as loyal, smart, and patriotic as the men in the Army, is the main focus of the plot. There is also an epilogue that gives facts about the characters after the war and shows how it took years for the women to get the recognition they deserved.
The show premiered in 2018 at Prospect Theater Company, where founders Peter Mills and Cara Reichel were also the show’s creators, with both writing the show’s book, Mills writing the music and lyrics, and Reichel directing. The well-crafted book provides plenty of character development for Barker, the four other “girls,” Riser, and Pershing, and Mills’ score is rich and evocative with witty lyrics and wonderful rhymes in a range of musical styles. Reichel repeats directing duties for the Phoenix Theatre production with fluid movement and layered character portrayals from the wonderful cast.
Grace, played by Rosemarie Chandler, is a force of constant determination, although sometimes she finds herself doubting or second guessing her own abilities. Fortunately, her friend and former co-worker Suzanne is a sounding board and confidante, and Gabrielle Smith exhibits a beautiful amount of strength in that role. Michelle Chin is appropriately innocent and slightly confused as Helen, who hadn’t left her Idaho farm before joining the Army; Carmiña Garey is feisty and fun as the French-born Louise, the 18-year-old who lies about her age so she is able to join; and Bonnie Beus Romney is Bertha, the older, married member of the group who exhibits poise and grace under pressure even though her husband is off fighting the war.
While Riser is the antagonist of the piece, Mills and Reichel’s script beautifully depicts him as a conflicted man and Teddy Ladley does a wonderful job portraying the many layers of Riser. As General Pershing, Scott Wakefield, who created the role in the Prospect Theater production, exhibits a layer of fatherly charm that adds poignancy to the show under a steely military exterior. Alex Crossland, Keiji Ishiguri, and Kevin Robert White portray numerous other characters with ease, with Crossland’s portrayal of the soldier who takes a shine to Suzanne especially heartwarming.
With the exception of just a few instruments, the majority of the cast also double as the orchestra and they are all adept musicians under White’s music direction. Many even play numerous instruments throughout. Reichel’s musical staging exhibits tight choreography as the actors trade off instruments and move set pieces around on Douglas Clarke’s beautiful multi-layer wood set. Clarke uses a mass of cords that evoke telephone wires doubling as a screen for the beautiful projections by Dallas Nichols, which incorporate archival pictures and video to help depict the period and various settings. The choreography by Molly Lajoie is bright, fun, and well danced by the cast. Daniel Davisson’s lighting paints the stage in beautiful images, including a fairly realistic portrayal of a fire, and the costumes by Cari Sue Smith are a wonderful combination of period pieces and modern street clothes used for the modern-day period framing device which helps provide a connection between the past and the present.
The Hello Girls is a refreshing and rewarding musical that sheds light on these unknown women. It’s both a patriotic musical and a lesson in feminism as it honors the first women soldiers in the U.S. Army. It’s also a rich, rousing and enjoyable piece of theater and an eye-opening history lesson.
The Hello Girls runs through January 30, 2022, at The Phoenix Theatre Company, 1825 N Central Avenue, Phoenix AZ. For tickets and information, visit phoenixtheatre.com or by calling 602-254-2151.
Music and Lyrics by Peter Mills; Book by Peter Mills and Cara Reichel Director/Musical Staging: Cara Reichel Choreographer: Molly Lajoie Musical Director: Kevin Robert White Assistant Director: Elise Palma Dialect and Language Coach: Pasha Yamotahari Scenic Designer: Douglas Clarke Lighting Designer: Daniel Davisson Video Designer: Dallas Nichols Sound Designer: Dave Temby Costume Designer: Cari Sue Smith Hair + Makeup Designer: Shelby Joiner Properties Master: Sarah Harris br> Director of Production: Karla Frederick Stage Manager: Michelle Elias* Assistant Stage Manager: Maylea Bauers* Covid Safety Manager: Tatiana Trujillo Company Manager/Assoc. Production Manager: Tyler Welden
Cast: (in alphabetical order) Grace Banker: Rosemarie Chandler* Helen Hill/Dance Captain: Michelle Chin* Pvt. Eugene Matterson/Others: Alex Crossland Agnes Coleman: Alicia Ferrin Louise LeBreton: Carmiña Garey Pvt. Robert Dempsey/Others: Keiji Ishiguri Cpt. Joseph Riser: Teddy Ladley Bertha Hunt: Bonnie Beus Romney Suzanne Prevot: Gabrielle Smith* General John Pershing: Scott Wakefield* Lt. Ernest Wessen/Others: Kevin Robert White*
*Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors & stage managers in the U.S.
Discover Sarah Bierstock’s creative process in her recent intimate, telling StoryBeat interview by Broadway veteran Steve Cuden.
The show is available on all the major podcast apps and platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher, and more. Listen Now
Sarah Bierstock was interviewed on the thought-provoking and inspiring show, One Sharp Sword – Cutting Through To What Matters Most with Dr. Wayne Pernell. Enjoy the video or audio below.
