Universe Rushing Apart: Blue Kettle and Here We Go

November 7-18, 2018

Sorenson Black Box Theater, Babson College, Wellesley

By Caryl Churchill

Directed by Bryn Boice

Commonalities with a surrealist bent are explored in two one-acts by renowned playwright Caryl Churchill. In Blue Kettle, anxieties emerge and language is tested when a troubled man claims to be the long lost son of several different women. In Here We Go a funeral party for a man with an adventurous past forces a group of women to capture flickering moments of their own lives as they grapple with their own mortality.

Wednesday, November 7 at 7:30pm
Thursday, November 8 at 7:30pm
Friday, November 9 at 7:30pm
Saturday, November 10 at 7:30pm
Sunday, November 11 at 3:00pm
Thursday, November 15 at 7:30pm
Friday, November 16 at 7:30pm (post-show talk back with the cast and director)
Saturday, November 17 at 3:00pm
Saturday, November 17 at 7:30pm
Sunday, November 18 at 3:00pm

Running Time: 100 minutes with one intermission.

Blue Kettle and Here We Go are presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH
*denotes member Actor’s Equity Association

This production has received a “Standing O” from StageSource, a service organization that connects the Boston-area theatre community. Their Gender Parity Task Force awards a “Standing O” to local productions that champion the work of female, trans, gender-queer, and non-normative gender identities in order to be a catalyst for change in the Boston and New England theater communities.

 

                                            (Siobhan Carroll, Maureen Keiller*, Karen MacDonald*, Sarah Mass, and Ryan Winkles*)

Cast

Siobhán Carroll
Miss. Clarence/ Mother/ Ensemble
Siobhán Carroll
Miss. Clarence/ Mother/ Ensemble

Siobhán Carroll (she/her/hers) is delighted to be returning to Commonwealth Shakespeare Company after being a part of their production of Universe Rushing Apart: Blue Kettle & Here We Go. Other Boston credits include Red Velvet (O.W.I.); My Fascination With Creepy Ladies and I, Snowflake (Anthem Theatre Company); The Three Sisters (Apollinaire Theatre Company); and Next To Normal (Arts After Hours). Catch her as Petra in the series Ms/Manage now out on Black Oak TV.

Maureen Keiller
Mrs. Oliver/ Mr. Vane/ Ensemble
Maureen Keiller
Mrs. Oliver/ Mr. Vane/ Ensemble

Maureen Keiller is happy to be be back at Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, having last appeared in their production of Our American Hamlet. Theatre credits: The Honey Trap, Faithless (Boston Playwrights), Oh God (Israeli Stage), Come Back Little Sheba (Huntington Theatre Company), Into The Woods, 33 Variations, Big River, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Speech and Debate, Epic Proportions (Lyric Stage), The Whale, Nine, The Little Dog Laughed, Almost Maine, The Women (SpeakEasy Stage). Television and film: “Olive Kitteridge”, “Spotlight”, “Fever Pitch”, “My Best Friend’s Girl”, “Brotherhood”.  Maureen is an Elliot Norton Award winner for Outstanding Actress and a three-time IRNE winner for Best Supporting Actress.

Karen MacDonald
Mrs. Plant/ Mrs. Vane/ Ensemble
Karen MacDonald
Mrs. Plant/ Mrs. Vane/ Ensemble

Karen MacDonald previously appeared as Mrs. Plant/Mrs.Vane in Universe Rushing Apart, Maria in Twelfth Night, Volumnia in Coriolanus, The Countess in All’s Well That Ends Well and Gertrude in Hamlet and directed Old Money for CSC. On Broadway, she understudied and performed the role of Amanda Wingfield in John Tiffany’s production of The Glass Menagerie. New England area credits include The Huntington Theatre, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Portland Stage, Hartford Stage,  Trinity Rep, Speakeasy Stage Company, Lyric Stage, Greater Boston Stage Company, Gloucester Stage, GAMM Theatre, Israeli Stage, Sleeping Weasel, ARTS Emerson, Boston Playwrights Theatre, Bridge Rep, Boston Theatre Company, New Repertory Theatre,. The Vineyard Playhouse, Dorset Theatre Festival, Shakespeare and Company, Berkshire Theatre Festival.  She has appeared with the Boston Pops and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, both at Symphony Hall and Tanglewood. She was a Founding Company Member of the American Repertory Theatre, performing in 73 productions.. She has worked nationally from The Wilma Theatre to Berkeley Rep. Karen has been awarded several IRNE and Eliot Norton Awards for her work. She received the Robert Brustein Prize for Sustained Achievement in the Theatre and the Eliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence. She is a graduate of Boston University and teaches at Harvard University.

Sarah Mass
Enid/ Ensemble
Sarah Mass
Enid/ Ensemble

Sarah Mass is delighted to return to Commonwealth Shakespeare Company after appearing in last year’s productions of Fear and Misery in the Third Reich, Julius Caesar (Stage2), and Romeo and Juliet (Free Shakespeare on the Common).on the Boston Common. Sarah is an alumnus of both the CSC2 company and the CSC Apprentice Program. Other local credits include Mame (Greater Boston Stage), Sense and Sensibility and The Winter’s Tale (Maiden Phoenix Theatre Co), A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Henry V (Arts After-hours), Blinders (Flat Earth Theatre), Footfalls (Exiled Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare Now!). Sarah received her B.A. in Theatre from Boston College and also studied at the British American Drama Academy in London.

Ryan Winkles
Derek/ Man
Ryan Winkles
Derek/ Man
Ryan Winkles Boston Area Credits: Bridge Repertory Theatre: Valentine’s Day SHAKE-Up (Henry V), Mrs Packard (Male Witnesses); Brandeis University: DibbleDance: Shoes On/Shoes Off (Dapper Man); Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse:Visitors (Stephen); Elements Theatre Company:All My Sons (Chris),Merchant of Venice (Bassanio). Regional: Shakespeare & Company: The Creditors (Adolph),Two Gentlemen of Verona (Valentine),Henry V (Henry V),Complete Works (Ryan),Mother Courage (Swiss Cheese), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Dull),The Tempest (Ferdinand), King Lear (Edgar), As You Like It (Silvius), Hound of the Baskervilles (Sir Henry), Irma Vep (Jane/Lord Edgar), The Learned Ladies (Trissotin), Richard III (Tyrrel/1st Murderer), Twelfth Night (Sir Andrew), Othello (Roderigo), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Flute), Antony & Cleopatra (Pompey/Eros), Merry Wives (Fenton), Julius Caesar NE Tour (Cassius), Macbeth NE Tour (Banquo); Ark Theatre Company: Babylon Revisited (Lincoln); WAM Theatre: Old Mezzo (Joe); Madison Rep: Muskie Love (Claude); Milwaukee Chamber Theatre: Christmas Memory (Buddy), Misalliance (Bentley). Film/TV: “Paper Birds”; Doug Trumbull’s “UFOTOG”; “Time Traveling Bong” (Comedy Central).  Ryan is also a Fight Choreographer and teaches at Boston University. He holds a BA from FSU, an MFA from UW-Madison, and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity.

Creative Team

Bryn Boice
Director
Bryn Boice
Director

Bryn Boice is an award-winning director, educator, actor, and producer, as well as CSC’s Associate Artistic Director and Director of Education & Training. Also for CSC, Bryn helmed Universe Rushing Apart: Blue Kettle & Here We Go – two Caryl Churchill one-acts – which garnered her the Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Director, Large Theatre. Other recent Boston-area credits include: The Sound Inside and The Children (both Elliot Norton nominated for Outstanding Production, Speakeasy Stage); The Book of Will, Into the Breeches! (Elliot Norton nom. for Direction and Production, Hub Theatre Company); Tall Tales from Blackburn Tavern, Gloria (Gloucester Stage); The Half-Life of Marie Curie (The Nora Company); Admissions (The Gamm Theatre); Last Night at Bowl-Mor Lanes (Greater Boston Stage Company); an all-female production of Julius Caesar for Actors’ Shakespeare Project; and a number of Apprentice Repertory Company and Stage2 productions for CSC. New York, regional and other Boston credits as an actor and/or director include work with Asolo Repertory Company, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Anthem Theatre Company, Okoboji Theatre, InProximity Theatre, Theatre Row, Martha’s Vineyard PAC, Monomoy Theatre, Caroline’s on Broadway, and Manhattan Theatre Club. Before turning full-time to CSC, she taught at Salem State University, where her wide-ranging experience allowed her to teach Voice for Performance, Applied Stage Movement, Public Speaking, Directing, Acting III (Early Realism), Dramatic Theory & Criticism, and Dialects, among others. MFA in Directing, Boston University. MFA in Acting, Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training (FSU). Member AEA. For more information visit www.brynboice.com

 

Caryl Churchill
Playwright

Caryl Churchill wrote her first play, Downstairs while she was still at university, and was first staged in 1958, winning an award at the Sunday Times National Union of Students Drama Festival. She wrote a number of plays for BBC radio including The Ants (1962), Lovesick (1967) and Abortive (1971). The Judge’s Wife was televised by the BBC in 1972 and Owners, her first professional stage production, premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London in the same year.

She was Resident Dramatist at the Royal Court (1974-5) and spent much of the 1970s and 1980s working with the theatre groups ‘Joint Stock’ and ‘Monstrous Regiment’. Her work during this period includes Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (1976), Cloud Nine (1979), Fen (1983) and A Mouthful of Birds (1986), written with David Lan. Three More Sleepless Nights was first produced at the Soho Poly, London, in 1980.

Top Girls (1982) brings together five historical female characters at a dinner party in a London restaurant given by Marlene, the new managing director of ‘Top Girls’ employment agency. The play was first staged at the Royal Court in 1982, directed by Max Stafford-Clark, and transferred to Joseph Papp’s Public Theatre in New York later that year. Serious Money was first produced at the Royal Court in 1987 and won the Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy of the Year and the Laurence Olivier/BBC Award for Best New Play. More recent plays include Mad Forest (1990), written after a visit to Romania, and The Skriker (1994). Her plays for television include The After Dinner Joke (1978) and Crimes (1982). Far Away premiered at the Royal Court in 2000, directed by Stephen Daldry. She has also published a new translation of Seneca’s Thyestes (2001), and A Number (2002), which addresses the subject of human cloning. Her new version of August Strindberg’s A Dream Play (2005), premiered at the National Theatre in 2005. Her plays since then have included Seven Jewish Children – a play for Gaza (2009), Love and Information (2012), Ding Dong the Wicked (2013), Here We Go (2015) and Escaped Alone (2016).

 

Cristina Todesco
Scenic Design
Cristina Todesco
Scenic Design

Cristina Todesco is pleased to work with CSC again, having previously designed Corialanus, and Twelfth Night on Boston Common. Theater companies include Actor’s Shakespeare Project, ART Institute, Company One, the Culture Project, Gloucester Stage, Huntington Theatre, Boston Playwrights, Merrimack Repertory Theater, New England Conservatory, New Repertory Theater, Olney Theater Center, Orfeo Group, Poet’s Theater, Shakespeare and Company, Speakeasy Stage Company, Harbor Stage, Summer Play Festival, Trinity Rep, Wheelock Family Theater, Williamstown Theater Festival among many more.  She has designed for the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall in Boston and at Tanglewood and is a designer for Sally Taylor’s Consenses: Come to Your Senses exhibit currently showing at Mass MOCA.  For Outstanding Design, she is the recipient of four Eliot Norton Awards and an IRNE. She earned a BFA in painting from Boston University’s School of Visual Arts, and an MFA in scenic design from BU’s School of Theatre Arts, where she currently teaches.

Nancy Leary
Costume Design
Nancy Leary
Costume Design

Nancy Leary is a Costume Designer who’s visionary work for Opera and Theater has graced stages across the United States. Experienced in producing both highly conceptual and more traditional models of Opera and Theater costuming, Nancy has successfully applied her expertise to a wide array of theatrical styles and artistic endeavors.  From 2000 to the present Nancy has worked on well-established productions, recently developed pieces, and the premier of new works for such places as; Opéra Royal Château de Versailles, Glimmerglass Festival, The Pittsburg Symphony, Virginia Opera, Utah Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Saratoga, Mannes Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Mobile Opera, Juilliard Opera, Opera Boston, as well as Commonwealth Shakespeare Co.mpany, Westin Playhouse, The Julie Harris Theatre, The Barrow Group Theatre, and New York Live Arts to name a few.

Jen Rock
Lighting Design
Jen Rock
Lighting Design

Jen Rock is thrilled to be joining CSC again after designing A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2016.  Other design credits include productions ranging everywhere from Off-Broadway to academia, including work with Actors’ Shakespeare Project, Bated Breath Theatre Company, Company One Theatre, Crossroads Repertory Theatre, Lyric Stage Company of Boston, Speakeasy Stage, The Brown University/ Trinity Rep Consortium, The University of Rhode Island.  Additionally Jen serves on the faculty of Eastern Connecticut State University as a professor of lighting design and is the recipient of two Elliot Norton Awards.  www.jenrockdesign.com.

Dewey Dellay
Composer/Sound Designer
Dewey Dellay
Composer/Sound Designer

Dewey Dellay is happy to be part of CSC again after working on Blue Kettle and Here We Go here, which was included in The Boston Globes Top Ten. Some other of his recent shows have been The Bakelite MasterpieceIdeation, Thurgood (New Rep); Anna Christie and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Lyric Stage Company); and Constellations (Underground Railway Theater) which won an Elliot Norton award. In past years he has received an Elliot Norton award for Outstanding Design and an IRNE for Best Sound Design. His television credits include original music for Emmy nominated National Geographic’s China’s Mystery Mummies, Discovery Channel’s Miami Jail, and he was the composer for five seasons of the show Our America with Lisa Ling for the OWN Channel. He presently is contributing music to This is Life with Lisa Ling on CNN, and composing music for digital children’s books produced by Live Oak Media.

Sally Tomasetti
Props Artisan
Sally Tomasetti
Props Artisan

Sally Tomasetti is pleased to return to CSC having recently worked on Birdy, Universe Rushing Apart and Birdy.  A freelance set and props designer working with Next Generation Theatre Company, Boston Improv, Walpole Children’s Theatre, Uncommon Theatre Company and Needham Explorations. Sally is an artist that specializes in portraits and liturgical art. Each spring and summer Sally’s joy is to teach Theatre and Set design classes, educating the next generation in the wonders of backstage theater.

Jenna Worden
Stage Manager
Jenna Worden
Stage Manager

Jenna Worden is a producer, director, and stage manager with a passion for storytelling, education, and access to the arts. Favorite CSC credits include Birdy, Universe Rushing Apart, and Our American Hamlet. Additional regional credits include New Rep Theatre, Gloucester Stage Company, Phoenix Theatre, and Childsplay AZ. She collaborates often with Brian O’Donovan and is the director and producer of A Christmas Celtic Sojourn. She earned both her BA in Theatre Studies and BSEd in History from Northern Arizona University and is constantly looking for new ways to teach and be in conversation with the past. Proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Kristen Mazzocchi
Production Manager
Kristen Mazzocchi
Production Manager

Kristen Mazzocchi is an experienced arts educator, director and production manager. She holds a BA in Theatre and Economics from Boston College and a Master’s in Education from Harvard University. Kristen began her career at the Boch Center for the Performing Arts working in their arts education program. She went on to work as Production Manager and Director of Education for Celebrity Series of Boston. Kristen is currently a freelance teaching artist, director and production manager working with many schools and arts organizations in the Boston area. Current and past clients include: New England Conservatory of Music, Improv Asylum, Needham Public Schools and Needham Community Theatre. She also serves as Chair of the Needham Cultural Council.

Rachel Corning
Assistant Stage Manager
Rachel Corning
Assistant Stage Manager

Rachel Corning returns to CSC for the Stage2 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Since 2016, she has worked in various technical capacities with companies throughout the Boston and North Shore areas. Select credits include Deal Me Out (Boston Playwrights’ Theatre), A Christmas Celtic Sojourn (WGBH), TrayfCardboard Piano (New Repertory Theatre), Romeo & JulietBirdyBlue Kettle/Here We GoMacbeth, Old Money, Death and the Maiden (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company), A Christmas CarolSunset Boulevard, Jersey BoysJekyll and Hyde (North Shore Music Theatre). Rachel holds a BA in Communications from Simmons University and is a native of Ipswich, MA, where she first discovered her love for theatre in sixth grade.

Courtney Plati
Assistant Director
Courtney Plati
Assistant Director

Courtney Plati is an SDC Associate director, actor, and educator currently working in the Boston area. She is a recent graduate from Salem State University where she found her passion for directing while receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts in performance. She is the recipient of the SDC Directing Initiative Award for Region 1 from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival 2018. This award afforded her the opportunity to attended the national festival as well as the opportunity to return to the Kennedy Center this past summer to attend their MFA Directing and Playwriting Intensive focusing on new works. Courtney is a former apprentice with CSC and has been in the CSC family since she was 17. She wishes to thank CSC and Bryn Boice for their continued support of her as an artist.

Carling-Sorenson Theater
19 College Drive Babson College
231 Forest Street
Babson Park (Wellesley), MA 02457

Driving Directions to Babson College/Sorenson Center for the Arts

From the east: Take the Massachusetts Turnpike to Exit 15 (Interstate 95/Route 128). After the tolls, follow signs to Route 95/128 South to Exit 21 (Route 16 Newton/Wellesley) …

From the west: Take the Massachusetts Turnpike to Exit 14 (Interstate 95/Route 128). After the tolls, follow signs to Route 95/128 South to Exit 21 (Route 16 Newton/Wellesley) … From the south: Follow Route 95/128 North to Exit 21 (Route 16 Newton/Wellesley) …

From the north: Follow Route 95/128 South to Exit 21 (Route 16 Newton/Wellesley) …

Then … At end of the off ramp, follow signs for Route 16 West (Washington Street). Continue on Route 16 West for 2 miles through Newton Lower Falls and Wellesley Hills. Turn left onto Forest Street and follow for 1 mile to Babson College; the main entrance is on the right. Turn left onto Map Hill Drive and park in the Trim Parking Lot. The theater is a short walk away, on College Drive.

Trim Parking Lot is the best place to park when attending events at the Sorenson Center for the Arts.  As you enter on Forest Street, make a left at the first stop sign unto Map Hill Drive.  On your right will be a smaller lot, Hollister Lot. If there is space available, patrons may park there.  However, Trim Parking Lot is preferred which will be on the left hand side after you pass the Hollister lot.  To walk to the theater, walk back towards the stop sign and make a left at the Hollister building.  Continue walking straight past Reynolds Campus Center and the Sorenson Center for the Arts will be the next building.

Handicap parking is available in the Hollister Lot, on Map Hill Drive.  We also recommend that patrons with mobility issues be dropped off in front of the theater before your party finds parking in Hollister or Trim lot for your convenience. 

From the Amtrak Terminal at South Station

You have two options:

1) Take the Framingham/Worcester Commuter rail to Wellesley Hills. From South Station, take the Framingham/Worcester commuter rail to Wellesley Hills. Depending on the time of day, regularly scheduled trains leave South Station at ½ to 2-hour intervals (Monday-Friday), and 1-to 3-hour intervals (Saturday and Sunday). The trip takes approximately 30 minutes. Purchase your ticket in the station. Then, call a taxi from Wellesley Hills. (See Area Taxis, below.)

2) Take the “T.” From South Station, take the MBTA subway Red Line inbound two stops to Park Street. Walk upstairs and take the Green Line outbound Riverside D train to Woodland, the next to last stop on the D line. Allow an hour for the trip. Then, take a taxi from Woodland to Babson. (See Area Taxis, below.)

For complete information about Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) services, including specific maps, schedules, and fares for trains, buses, and subways, please visit the MBTA web site.

By Taxi

Veteran’s Taxi (781) 449-8294 Wellesley Transportation (781) 235-2200 The Babson campus is handicap accessible.

Reviews

A mortal chill runs through “Here We Go,’’ a spare and haunting drama about the end of life. And the journey to the grave is no picnic, either, given how susceptible we are to the kind of bad… Read More

- The Boston Globe, Don Aucoin

News

WGBH: Preview of “Universe Rushing Apart: Blue Kettle and Here We Go.”
Category: News
Wicked Local: Commonwealth Shakespeare Company interprets two of Caryl Churchill’s one-act plays
Category: News

 

 

 

 

 

Special Talk Back 
Friday, November 16, following the performance
Hear more from the director and cast about the process of bringing Caryl Churchill’s vision and words to life on stage with a predominately female cast and artistic team.

This production has received a “Standing O” from StageSource, a service organization that connects the Boston-area theatre community. Their Gender Parity Task Force awards a “Standing O” to local productions that champion the work of female, trans, gender-queer, and non-normative gender identities in order to be a catalyst for change in the Boston and New England theater communities.

What is the running time of the production?

100 minutes with one intermission.

What ages is the production appropriate for?

Blue Kettle and Here We Go is recommended for ages 14 and up.  The show contains themes of death and younger audiences may find the non-naturalistic writing and dialogue challenging.  Parents know your child’s sensibilities and maturity best.  If you have specific concerns about content, please contact the box office at 781-239-5880.

Are there accessible performances for patrons with disabilities?

Currently there are no accessible dates for this production.  CSC is committed to making theater available for all and we look forward to offering accessible performances in the near future,

Is there handicap seating available?

Yes, there are several locations in the theater to accommodate wheelchairs.  Call the box office at the Sorenson Center for the Arts to purchase these locations at 781-239-5880.

Are assisted listening devices available?

Yes, visit the box office for assisted listening devices.

When should I arrive?

The theater will open for seating roughly a half hour before curtain time. We advise you give yourself plenty of time for parking and walking to the theater.

Where should I park?/How do I get to the theater after parking?

Trim Parking Lot is the best place to park when attending events at the Sorenson Center for the Arts.  As you enter on Forest Street, make a left at the first stop sign unto Map Hill Drive.  On your right will be a smaller lot, Hollister Lot. If there is space available, patrons may park there.  However, Trim Parking Lot is preferred which will be on the left hand side after you pass the Hollister lot.  To walk to the theater, walk back towards the stop sign and make a left at the Hollister building.  Continue walking straight past Reynolds Campus Center and the Sorenson Center for the Arts will be the next building.

Are concessions available?

Although there is no food or drink permitted in the theater, food and drink are available for purchase in the Reynolds Campus Center next to the Sorenson Center for the arts.

Are shows delayed or canceled for weather?

Audience and actor safety is our main concern.  In cases of heavy snow or extreme weather, we will cancel and try to re-seat patrons into an alternative performance date.  Weather updates can be found on the homepage of our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If I miss the show, what are my options?

To reschedule, call the box office at the Sorenson Center for the Arts at 781-239-5880 at least one business day before your reservation.  We will make our best efforts to seat you in another performance.  Seating will be based on availability.  It is not our policy to refund tickets but we are happy to reseat you on another date.  If you miss a production altogether, we will reseat you in an alternative production of your choice based on availability.

Can I take photos or video?

The taking of photos or video is strictly prohibited.

How can I support Commonwealth Shakespeare Company?

to make a donation or call 617-426-0863.  Click on the Ways To Give tab on our website to learn more about upcoming fundraising events and ways to get involved.

 

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