The Originalist

JOHN STRAND

Playwright

John's Arena Stage commissions include Snow Child, The Originalist, The Miser, Lovers and Executioners (MacArthur Award) and Tom Walker. Recent works include the book and lyrics for Hat! A Vaudeville (South Coast Repertory); Lincolnesque (Old Globe); and Lorenzaccio (Shakespeare Theatre Company), and the book for the musical The Highest Yellow (Signature Theatre). Additional plays are The Diaries (Signature Theatre, MacArthur nomination); Otabenga (Signature Theatre, MacArthur nomination); Three Nights in Tehran (Signature Theatre); and The Cockburn Rituals (Woolly Mammoth). Strand spent 10 years in Paris, where he worked as a journalist and drama critic, and directed NYU’s Experimental Theater Wing in Paris. His novel Commieland was published by Kiwai Media, Paris in 2013. He is currently at work on a new play about President Teddy Roosevelt for Arena Stage and on the film adaptation of The Originalist.

MOLLY SMITH

Director

has served as Artistic Director since 1998. Her more than 30 directing credits at Arena Stage include Carousel, Oliver!, The Originalist, Fiddler on the Roof, Camp David, Mother Courage and Her Children, Oklahoma!, A Moon for the Misbegotten, My Fair Lady, The Great White Hope, The Music Man, Orpheus Descending, Legacy of Light, The Women of Brewster Place, Cabaret, South Pacific, Agamemnon and His Daughters, All My Sonsand How I Learned to Drive. She most recently directed Our Town at Canada’s Shaw Festival. Her directorial work has also been seen at The Old Globe, Asolo Repertory, Berkeley Repertory, Trinity Repertory, Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre, Montreal’s Centaur Theatre and Perseverance Theater in Juneau, Alaska, which she founded and ran from 1979-1998. Molly has been a leader in new play development for over 30 years. She is a great believer in first, second and third productions of new work and has championed projects including How I Learned to Drive; Passion Play, a cycle; Next to Normal; and Dear Evan Hansen. She has worked alongside playwrights Sarah Ruhl, Paula Vogel, Wendy Wasserstein, Lawrence Wright, Karen Zacarías, John Murrell, Eric Coble, Charles Randolph-Wright and many others. She led the re-invention of Arena Stage, focusing on the architecture and creation of the Mead Center for American Theater and positioning Arena Stage as a national center for American artists. During her time with the company, Arena Stage has workshopped more than 100 productions, produced 39 world premieres, staged numerous second and third productions and been an important part of nurturing nine projects that went on to have a life on Broadway. In 2014, Molly made her Broadway debut directing The Velocity of Autumn, following its critically acclaimed run at Arena Stage. She was awarded honorary doctorates from American University and Towson University.

SEEMA SUEKO

Associate Director

joined the Arena Stage staff in July 2016 as deputy artistic director, and recently directed Smart People. She previously served as associate artistic director at Pasadena Playhouse and executive artistic director of Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company in San Diego. Her directing and acting credits include Pasadena Playhouse, People’s Light, The Old Globe, San Diego Repertory, La Jolla Playhouse, Yale Repertory, 5th Avenue Theatre, Native Voices and Mo`olelo, among others. As a playwright, she received commissions from Mixed Blood Theatre and Center Stage. Her work has been recognized by the California State Assembly, NAACP San Diego Branch, San Diego Theatre Critics Circle, Chicago Jeff Awards, American Theatre Wing and American Theatre magazine. Seema serves on the Diversity Committee of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

MISHA KACHMAN

Set Designer

has worked at Asolo Repertory, Baltimore Center Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, the Kennedy Center, Milwaukee Shakespeare, Opera Lafayette, Opera Royal Versailles, Pasadena Playhouse, Portland Center Stage, Round House, Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, Signature Theatre, Skylight Music Theatre, Studio Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Theater J, Wilma Theater and Woolly Mammoth, among many other companies in the United States and abroad. He is a company member at Woolly Mammoth and an associate artist at Olney Theatre Center. Misha is a Helen Hayes Award recipient, a graduate of the St. Petersburg Theatre Arts Academy and serves as the associate professor of scene and costume design and head of M.F.A. in design at University of Maryland.

JOSEPH P. SALASOVICH

Costume Designer

is the costume director at Arena Stage, where he has worked for 17 seasons in various capacities on over 100 productions. He most recently designed costumes for Molly Smith’s Mother Courage and Her Children and the world premiere of The Originalist. He held internships with Williamstown Theatre Festival and Actors Theatre of Louisville. Joe studied at the University of Dayton. For Karen and Marjan.

COLIN K. BILLS

Lighting Designer

is pleased to return to Arena Stage, where his credits include Oliver!, Fiddler on the Roof and the premiere of The Originalist. He is a company member at Woolly Mammoth where he has designed over 45 productions, including An Octoroon, HIR and Black Side of the Moon. As a conspirator with the devising company dog & pony dc, he has collaborated in the writing, direction and design of A Killing Game, Beertown and Toast. His recent work includes Macbeth at Shakespeare Theatre Company, Midwestern Gothic at Signature Theatre and Transmission with The Welders. Colin is the receipient of three Helen Hayes Awards and a Princess Grace Fellowship in Theater. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College.

ERIC SHIMELONIS

Sound Designer

returns to Arena Stage after having composed music for Orpheus Descendingand Anna Christie, and creating the sound design for the original production of The Originalist. Other recent projects include Grounded (Everyman Theatre, Olney Theatre Center and Northern Stage); The Nether (Woolly Mammoth); and The Flick (Signature Theatre), for which he received a Helen Hayes Award nomination. www.shimelonis.com

JANA LLYNN

Stage Manager

is delighted to return to her hometown area and Arena Stage where recent credits include Intelligence and Sweat. Broadway credits include The Drowsy Chaperone, Bridge & Tunnel, Company and The Moliere Comedies. Off-Broadway credits include SILENCE! The Musical, SHOUT! The Mod Musical, Matt & Ben(starring Mindy Kaling), The Shawl (director Sidney Lumet, starring Dianne Wiest), and Beau Jest (three years Off-Broadway, director for Boston production). Additional credits include two tour stops of The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey (Philadelphia Theatre Company and Laguna Playhouse), The Hard Problem (Studio Theatre) and The Night Alive starring Edward Gero (Round House). PSM for Pfizer-Brazil’s Viagra launch.

ALLIE ROY

Assistant Stage Manager

is thrilled to make her Arena Stage debut with The Originalist. Allie’s other D.C.-area credits include Diner, West Side Story, Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing and Elmer Gantry (Signature Theatre); Straight White Men, Animal, Silence! the Musical and Murder Ballad (Studio Theatre); and Ulysses on Bottles, When January Feels Like Summer and After the War (Mosaic Theater Company). Before moving to D.C., Allie worked in Los Angeles for 10 years, where she was the resident stage manager for Cabrillo Music Theatre. With Cabrillo, Allie stage managed over 20 productions including The Producers, 42nd Street, Legally Blonde, CATS and 1776. Allie is a graduate of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television, and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity.

JOCELYN CLARK

Dramaturg

is currently Theatre Adviser to the Arts Council of Ireland and Dramaturg at American Voices New Play Institute at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. He has taught dramaturgy at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Columbia University and Trinity College Dublin. He was the Commissioning and Literary Manager of the Abbey Theatre for four years, and lead theater critic with The Sunday Tribune for nine years. He is an associate artist with The Civilians and Theatre Mitu in New York. He has written six plays for Anne Bogart and the SITI Company — Bob, Alice’s Adventures Underground, Room, Score, Antigone and Trojan Women (After Euripides) — and Chess Game No. 5, his new collaboration with the company, will premiere in New York in March.

ASOLO REPERTORY THEATRE

Co-Production

Now in its 59th season, Asolo Repertory Theatre is recognized as one of the premier professional theaters in America and one of the largest in the Southeastern United States. As a center for theatrical excellence, Asolo Rep crafts the highest quality productions of classical, contemporary and newly commissioned work all performed in the rarest form of rotating repertory. Asolo Rep’s highly-skilled acting company and extensive craftsmanship bring to life this unique performance method that offers audiences a unique and dynamic theatre experience. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards and Managing Director Linda DiGabriele, this world-class institution has taken a bold step toward the future, building landmark partnerships and collaborations which will add to its success for generations to come.

PASADENA PLAYHOUSE

Co-Production

Celebrating its centennial this year, Pasadena Playhouse is one of the most prolific theater companies in America. Its legacy includes world premieres by beloved American playwrights Eugene O’Neil and Tennessee Williams and productions that have transferred to Broadway like Sister Act: The Musical. In 1937, the Playhouse was officially recognized as the State Theater of California for its contribution and commitment to the dramatic arts. Today it continues that tradition of excellence under the helm of Producing Artistic Director Danny Feldman. Dedicated to enriching lives through theater, community programs and learning, Pasadena Playhouse is a living force in the community.