GREAT AMERICAN EPIC
Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches
March 24 – April 23, 2023
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Credits
By Tony Kushner
Directed by János Szász -
Location
Fichandler Stage
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Run Time
Approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes, with one 15-minute intermission.
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Press Contact
Ryan Impagliazzo
press@arenastage.org
202-600-4051
Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning drama Angels in America is one of the great epic American plays of this past century. We meet Louis and Prior and Harper and Joe, two couples whose relationships are on the rocks; the former because of Prior’s AIDS diagnosis and Louis’ inability to cope with illness, and the latter because of Joe’s closeted homosexuality and Harper’s incessant fears and hallucinations. The brilliant Hungarian director and filmmaker János Szász will stage Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches in-the-round 30 years after its Broadway premiere.
Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches is sponsored bywith additional support by Patricia and David Fisher and Andrew R. Ammerman.
Press Release
Cast
JOHN AUSTIN
FRANK BRITTON
MICHAEL KEVIN DARNALL
VERONICA del CERRO
EDWARD GERO
BRANDON HAAGENSON
BILLIE KRISHAWN
SUSAN ROME
JUSTIN WEAKS
NICK WESTRATE
DEBORAH ANN WOLL
JOHN AUSTIN
John Austin (Joe Pitt/Prior I/Eskimo) appeared at Arena earlier this season as Ned Seton in Holiday. Previous Arena credits are Derril Lark in Right to Be Forgotten and Valentin in Kleptocracy. Other D.C. area credits include Oslo (Round House), Easy Women Smoking Loose Cigarettes (Signature), and Melancholy Play (Constellation, Helen Award, Outstanding Production). John toured the U.S. with Me, Myself, & Shirley starring the late Cindy Williams of the hit television show Laverne & Shirley. In his hometown of Austin, Texas, John won a B. Iden Payne Award for his portrayal of Young Zeus in Zeus in Therapy. He holds a BFA from Boston University (summa cum laude, Dean’s Award, Bette Davis Prize) as well as a Certificate in Classical Acting from LAMDA. Thank you for everything you have given to American theater, Molly Smith! johnaustinactor.com
FRANK BRITTON
Frank Britton (u/s Roy Cohn/Belize) last appeared at Arena Stage nineteen years ago as a performing understudy in Orpheus Descending, directed by Molly Smith. Most recent credits include Our Town (Baltimore Center Stage), Major Barbara (Washington Stage Guild), and P.Nokio: A Hip-Hop Musical (Imagination Stage). Other D.C. area appearances include productions at Studio Theatre, Round House Theatre, Avant Bard Theatre, Adventure Theatre, 1st Stage, Theater Alliance, among many others. Regionally, Mr. Britton has appeared with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, and La MaMa ETC. In 2018, he earned the Helen Hayes Award (Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play—Helen). www.frankbrittonactor.com Instagram: @frankbrittonactor
MICHAEL KEVIN DARNALL
Michael Kevin Darnall (Louis Ironson) is making his Arena Stage debut. Local credits include Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare Theatre Company; Animal, Wig Out!, and The Hot Wing King at Studio Theatre; Jefferson’s Garden and A Christmas Carol at Ford’s Theatre; Father Comes Home From the Wars at Round House Theatre; Ulysses on Bottles at Mosaic Theater Company; and Yentl at Theater J. Michael has performed at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Chautauqua Theater Company, and RhinoLeap Productions. He frequently collaborates with MetroStage and Constellation Theatre Company, and is a company member at The Hub Theatre, and Spooky Action Theater. On television, he recurred in HBO’s The Wire. Michael is a seven-time Helen Hayes Award nominee and received his BFA in Acting at SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Theatre Arts.
VERONICA del CERRO
Veronica del Cerro (u/s Hannah Pitt/Harper Pitt/The Angel) D.C. Theater: Ford’s Theatre: Trip to Bounitful (u/s); Shakespeare Theatre: Othello; Constellation Theatre: Arabian Nights; GALA Theatre: El Paso Blue, Ana en el Trópico; Everyman Theatre: August: Osage County; Kennedy Center: Adventures of Homer; MetroStage: Savage in Limbo; Theater J: Andy and the Shadows, The Seagull on 16th Street; Studio Theatre: My Children! My Africa!; Rock ‘n’ Roll; Round House Theatre: How the García Girls Lost Their Accents. Veronica has been working internationally with groups such as Café de las Artes, Movimiento en Red (Spain), Proyecto Bicéfalo, Teatro del Mundo (Mexico). Training: BS from Virginia Tech (Psychology and Theatre Arts), Graduate of Studio Theatre Conservatory, MA in Theatre from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Upcoming Film: See You on Venus (SUR FILMS) (2023) Instagram: @mia.moca
EDWARD GERO
Edward Gero (Roy Cohn/Prior II)’s Arena Stage credits include Thomas Everson, Jr. in Junk, Antonin Scalia in The Originalist, Benjamin Hubbard in The Little Foxes, and Mark Rothko in Red. He is a four-time Helen Hayes Award-winner and 16-time nominee. New York credits include The Originalist (59E59). Regional credits include The Originalist (Asolo Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse, and Court Theatre, Joseph Jefferson Award nomination); Red and Gloucester in King Lear (Goodman); Nixon’s Nixon and Night Alive (Round House); Sweeney Todd (Signature Theatre); Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (Ford’s Theatre); and American Buffalo, Shining City and Skylight (Studio Theatre). In 39 seasons with Shakespeare Theatre Company, his over 80 roles include Helen Hayes turns in Henry IV, Richard II, and Macbeth. Film/TV credits include House of Cards, TURN: Washington’s Spies, Die Hard 2, Striking Distance, and narrations for Discovery Channel and PBS. He is a Ten Chimneys 2015 Lunt-Fontanne Fellow and Professor of theater at George Mason University.
BRANDON HAAGENSON
Brandon Haagenson (u/s Joe Pitt/Louis Ironson/Prior Walter) is ecstatic to be making his Arena Stage debut! Last season, he appeared in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Our Town and The Merchant of Venice. He has performed off-Broadway in Afterglow (original cast) and My Big Gay Italian Wedding. National tours include Beauty and the Beast (Lumière) and A Christmas Carol. Regional credits include Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Stages St. Louis, Riverside Theatre, North Carolina Theatre, and North Shore Music Theatre. Television appearances include The Other Two (HBO Max) and The Food That Built America (History Channel). He earned his MFA in Classical Acting at STC’s Academy at The George Washington University, and has a BFA in Musical Theater from Millikin University. Love to his family and friends for their unending support. www.brandonhaagenson.com. Instagram: @brandonhaagenson
BILLIE KRISHAWN
Bille Krishawn (The Angel/Emily/Sister Ella/Homeless Woman) makes her Arena Stage debut. Her most recent D.C. credits include JUMP at Everyman Theatre, The Till Trilogy at Mosaic Theater Company (Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Supporting Performer), Joy That Carries You at Olney Theatre Center, Until the Flood at Studio Theatre, HERstory at The Kennedy Center, Blood at the Root at Theater Alliance (Helen Hayes Award recipient for Outstanding Lead Performer, Outstanding Ensemble, and Outstanding Production), Melancholy Play at Constellation Theatre Company (Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Lead Actress, Helen Hayes Award recipient for Outstanding Production), Airness at 1st Stage and Keegan Theatre. Major film credits include Amazon Prime's Water in a Broken Glass. Education: Drew University and Duke Ellington School of the Arts. www.billiekrishawn.com Instagram: @absolutereality
SUSAN ROME
Susan Rome (Hannah Pitt/Rabbi/Henry/Ethel Rosenberg)'s Arena Stage credits include Indecent (Helen Hayes ensemble nomination), The Great Society, and All the Way. Baltimore/Washington: Baltimore Center Stage: Our Town, Folks at Home, Indecent, After the Revolution, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Mud Blue Sky, An Enemy of the People; Signature: Easy Women Smoking Loose Cigarettes; Folger: Love’s Labor’s Lost; Studio Theatre: If I Forget (Helen Hayes nominations), Hand to God (Helen Hayes ensemble nomination); Olney Theatre Center: The Diary of Anne Frank, The Joy We Carry (Helen Hayes ensemble nomination); Theater J: Edward Albee’s Occupant, Roz and Ray, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Brighton Beach Memoirs (Helen Hayes Award), After the Revolution (Helen Hayes nomination), and many other plays. Regional: Kansas City Repertory Theatre: Indecent; Mark Taper Forum: The Substance of Fire; many more. Film: Fishbowl, My One and Only, A Dirty Shame. Television: The Wire, We Own This City (HBO); House of Cards (Netflix). www.susanrome.com
JUSTIN WEAKS
Justin Weaks (Belize/Mr. Lies) makes their in-person Arena Stage debut with Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches after collaborating virtually with Arena on The 51st State and The Freewheelin’ Insurgents during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is a company member at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, where he has appeared in There’s Always the Hudson, BLKS, Gloria, and Describe the Night. D.C. area credits include: Long Way Down (Kennedy Center), Fences (Ford’s Theatre), Gem of the Ocean (Round House Theatre), Pipeline (Studio Theatre), Word Becomes Flesh (Theater Alliance). Off-Broadway: i need space (The New Group). Regional credits include work with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Shakespeare & Company, and Barter Theatre. Justin holds two Helen Hayes Awards and five nominations for his work. Education: Greensboro College. #HIVIsNotACrime
NICK WESTRATE
Nick Westrate (Prior Walter/Man in Park) On Broadway, he originated roles in Harvey Fierstein’s Casa Valentina, and Theresa Rebeck’s Bernhardt/Hamlet. Other favorites include the National Tour of The King’s Speech as Bertie for director Michael Wilson, Tribes directed by David Cromer, The Little Foxes for Ivo van Hove, Merchant of Venice and Tartuffe with Daniel Fish, The Boys in the Band for Jack Cummings III, and as Berowne in Love’s Labor’s Lost for NYC’s Public Theater. Three seasons as Robert Townsend on AMC’s Turn: Washington’s Spies. On film, he starred in William Sullivan’s American Insurrection, Jonathan Demme’s Ricki and the Flash, and Todd Haynes’ Mildred Pierce. Next, playing Edwin Booth in Apple TV+’s Manhunt. Nick received the Special Drama Desk Award for his versatility Off-Broadway. He’s a Juilliard graduate.
DEBORAH ANN WOLL
Deborah Ann Woll (Harper Pitt/Martin Heller) will be making her debut at Arena Stage this season. Most recently she appeared as the titular shrew, Katherine, in The Taming of the Shrew (The Old Globe, San Diego), and as Amalia Balash in Parfumerie (Wallis Annenberg, Los Angeles). She is best known for her work on television and film as Jessica Hamby on HBO’s True Blood, Karen Page on Marvel’s Daredevil, and Amanda in Sony’s Escape Room. She is the voice and performance capture for Faye in PlayStation’s God of War franchise. And you can also catch her online, creating and performing in the TTRPG space, most notably as creator and game master for Relics and Rarities and Children of Éarte.
Creative
TONY KUSHNER
JÁNOS SZÁSZ
MARUTI EVANS
OANA BOTEZ
CHRISTOPHER AKERLIND
FABIAN OBISPO
THE WIG ASSOCIATES
OTIS RAMSEY-ZÖE
ZOË ELIZABETH LILLIS
JOSEPH PINZON
JZ CASTING/GEOFF JOSSELSON, C.S.A. and KATJA ZAROLINSKI, C.S.A.
CHRIS De CAMILLIS
DAYNE SUNDMAN
LEIGH ROBINETTE
TONY KUSHNER
Tony Kushner (Playwright)’s plays include Angels in America; Hydriotaphia, or the Death of Dr. Brown; The Illusion, adapted from the play by Pierre Cornelle; Slavs!; A Bright Room Called Day; Homebody/Kabul; Caroline, or Change, a musical with composer Jeanine Tesori; and The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures. He wrote the screenplays for Mike Nichols’s film of Angels in America and for Steven Spielberg’s Munich, Lincoln, West Side Story, and The Fabelmans. His books include The Art of Maurice Sendak: 1980 to the Present; Brundibar, with illustrations by Maurice Sendak; and Wrestling with Zion: Progressive Jewish-American Responses to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, co-edited with Alisa Solomon. Among many honors, Kushner is the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize, two Tony Awards, three Obie Awards, two Evening Standard Awards, an Olivier Award, an Emmy Award, four Oscar nominations, and the Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2012, he was awarded a National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama. He lives in Manhattan with his husband, Mark Harris.
JÁNOS SZÁSZ
János Szász (Director) is an international f ilm and theater director, academic, and professor. He returns to Arena Stage having previously directed A Streetcar Named Desire in 2001. Theater work in his native Hungary includes works by Brecht, Chekhov, and Shakespeare, among others. János has directed at the Royal Swedish Theatre (Stockholm), Det Norske Teatret (Oslo), Moscow Art Theatre, Bard SummerScape, and numerous productions at the American Repertory Theater, including The Seagull, Desire Under the Elms, Uncle Vanya, Marat/Sade, and Mother Courage and Her Children. His many film credits include Opium (presented at various festivals in Europe and winner of several prizes), Woyzeck (Hungarian nominee for the Oscars), The Witman Boys (official selection of the Cannes Film Festival and winner of several awards), and Eyes of the Holocaust, a documentary film about the Hungarian holocaust produced by Steven Spielberg for the Shoah Foundation. János was the Director of the Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard, and at the Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest for 23 years, as a faculty member and head of the film department. He is a member of the European Film Academy and the Hungarian Academy of Science’s Department of Arts.
MARUTI EVANS
Maruti Evans (Set Designer)’s credits include Fat Ham (Public Theater), At the Wedding (Lincoln Center Theater), In Our Daughter’s Eyes (LA Opera), Kill Move Paradise (National Black Theater), The Ring Cycle (Opera Australia), Angel’s Bone (Hong Kong Music Festival, Beijing Music Festival), and Real Enemies (BAM). Drama Desk Awards: Tiny Dynamite and Pilo Family Circus. Drama Desk nominations: Peculiar Patriot, Kill Move Paradise, Deliverance, In the Heat of the Night, Slaughterhouse-Five, and Blindness.
OANA BOTEZ
Oana Botez (Costume Designer) is an international set/costume designer for f ilm, theater, opera, and dance. She is a Princess Grace Award recipient, NEA/TCG Career Development Program recipient, and Barrymore Award recipient, as well as a Henry Hewes Design Award nominee and Lucille Lortel Award nominee. New York: BAM Next Wave, Bard SummerScape/ Richard B. Fisher Center, Playwrights Horizons, Baryshnikov Arts Center, David H. Koch Theater/Lincoln Center, Big Apple Circus/Lincoln Center, Classic Stage Company. Regional: Ain’t Misbehavin (Barrington Stage Company); Macbeth (Old Globe); Angels in America (Wilma); Man in a Case (Hartford). Opera: Song of the Ambassadors (Alice Tully Hall/Lincoln Center); Carmen (Minneapolis Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, Portland Opera); In a Grove (Pittsburgh Opera); Persona (National Sawdust, REDCAT); A House in Bali (BAM). Internationally: Bucharest National Theatre (Romania), Château de Versailles, Théâtre National de Chaillot, Les Subsistances, The Old Vic, Budapest National Theatre, Cluj Hungarian National Theatre (Romania), Le Quartz (Brest, France), La Filature (Mulhouse, France), Exit Festival/Maison des arts de Créteil, Tanz im August Festival Hebbel am Ufer – HAU1 (Berlin, Germany), Edinburgh International Festival, Singapore Arts Festival. She teaches at David Geffen School of Drama at Yale in the Design Department.
CHRISTOPHER AKERLIND
Christopher Akerlind (Lighting Designer) has designed lighting for over 650 productions at theater, opera, and dance companies around the world. He returns to Arena Stage where he designed Imitations for Saxophone and Equivocation. Work with János Szász includes productions of The Seagull, Desire Under the Elms, and Uncle Vanya at the American Repertory Theater. Recent work includes Martha Clarke’s God’s Fool at La MaMa ETC, Lynn Nottage’s new play Clyde’s on Broadway and at the Mark Taper Forum, and the world premiere of Huang Ro and David Henry Hwang’s opera M. Butterfly at the Santa Fe Opera. Mr. Akerlind is the recipient of an Obie, two Tonys, and four Drama Desk Awards, among many others, and is on the faculty of the CalArts School of Theater.
FABIAN OBISPO
Fabian Obispo (Original Music and Sound Designer) returns to Arena Stage where his credits include Seven Guitars, Agamemnon and His Daughters (Helen Hayes nomination), and Caucasian Chalk Circle, among others. D.C.-area credits include Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Comedy of Errors, Henry V, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Folger Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet. He has designed extensively for off-Broadway and regional theaters. Recent off-Broadway credits include The Chinese Lady (Lucille Lortel nomination), Out of Time, Once Upon a Korean Time, and his musical Felix Starro. He is a recipient of the Berkshires Theatre Critics Award and the Barrymore. His music score for the movie Vancouver won International Motion Picture Award, LA Film Festival’s Indie Short Fest Award, and South Film and Arts Academy Festival Award.
THE WIG ASSOCIATES
The Wig Associates (Wig and Makeup Designer) are making their Arena Stage debut. Opera: Opera Theatre Saint Louis 2023 Season. Off-Broadway: At The Wedding (Lincoln Center); Americano! (New World Stages); Mrs. Warren's Profession, Candida (Gingold Group). Regional: Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles (Yale Rep); the ripple, the wave that carried me home (Yale Rep); Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Barrington). Krystal and Will hold BFAs in Wig and Makeup Design from Webster Conservatory. See thewigassociates.com for more.
OTIS RAMSEY-ZÖE
Otis Ramsey-Zöe (Dramaturg) is a care worker, dramaturg, director, theatre arts educator, Literary Manager at Arena Stage, and Lecturer in Dramaturgy at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. He has developed new works at such institutions as Sundance Institute, Kennedy Center, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Playwrights Center, and National New Play Network. He has held posts in Theatre at Northeastern University, Dramaturgy at Carnegie Mellon University, Women’s Studies and Honors Humanities at University of Maryland, Performing Arts at American University, and Theatre Arts at Howard University. He was Associate Artistic Director at banished? productions, Future Classics Program Coordinator at The Classical Theatre of Harlem, Literary Manager at Center Stage, and an Allen Lee Hughes Senior Fellow at Arena Stage.
ZOË ELIZABETH LILLIS
Zoë Elizabeth Lillis (Dramaturg) is a director, producer, playwright, and dramaturg. While typically based in New York, Zoë is thrilled to have joined Arena Stage’s 2022/23 Season as an Allen Lee Hughes Fellow. She had the honor of assistant directing Arena’s world premiere of My Body No Choice. Zoë has worked on Broadway with Manhattan Theatre Club and Second Stage, Off-Broadway with The Public Theater, the cell, and Theatre Row, and regionally with Arena Stage, The Huntington Theatre Company, and Hawaii Performing Arts Festival. She earned her BA in Directing and Dramatizing History at NYU Gallatin, where she focused on the relationship between narrative and the process of production. zoelillis.com
JOSEPH PINZON
Joseph Pinzon (Casting Director) is the founder and creative producer of the contemporary circus company Short Round Productions and its award-winning show Filament. With over 25 years of performing experience, he has worked internationally with renowned companies such as Cirque Éloize, Compagnia Finzi Pasca, Cirque du Soleil, and The 7 Fingers. He holds an MS in Arts Leadership from USC, a BA in Psychology from UCLA, and graduated from the National Circus School in Montreal with a specialization in aerial techniques. He was the casting and resident director for Chamäleon Productions (Berlin) and Constellation Immersive (CAA’s experiential affiliate). He is also a member of the Creative & Independent Producer Alliance and a founding board member of the American Circus Alliance. You can see him causing chaos on season 6 of Nailed It! on Netflix, where (spoiler alert) he is a part of the series’ first three-way tie.
JZ CASTING/GEOFF JOSSELSON, C.S.A. and KATJA ZAROLINSKI, C.S.A.
JZ Casting/Geoff Josselson, C.S.A. and Katja Zarolinski, C.S.A. (New York Casting) are New York-based casting directors, handling productions for theater, film, and television. Recent work includes productions for Arena Stage, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Baltimore Center Stage, Cape Playhouse, Denver Center, The Irish Repertory Theatre, Merrimack Rep, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Pittsburgh CLO, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Round House Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Studio Theatre, TheaterWorks Hartford, and Weston Playhouse. For more information, please visit www.jz-casting.com.
CHRIS De CAMILLIS
Chris De Camillis (Stage Manager) has been an Equity Stage Manager for over 30 years, working on Broadway, Off-Broadway, internationally, and in numerous regional theaters. He is making his Arena stage debut with Angels in America. Chris and János have been making theater together since 1999, at the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) with Janos’ groundbreaking production of Mother Courage and Her Children. Further collaborations included Marat/Sade, Desire Under the Elms, Uncle Vanya, and The Seagull. From 1998-2013, Chris was the Line Producer/Resident Stage Manager at the A.R.T.where he stage-managed over 30 productions and line produced the world premiere of Sleep No More, Porgy and Bess, and Pippin. Chris is the PSM for the touring production of Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower with Toshi Reagon.
DAYNE SUNDMAN
Dayne Sundman (Assistant Stage Manager) is thrilled to be making his ASM debut at Arena Stage after having served as an Allen Lee Hughes Fellow and Production Assistant for several seasons. Some past shows at Arena include American Prophet: Frederick Douglass in His Own Words, Catch Me If You Can, Mother Road, Newsies, Junk, The Heiress, and Anything Goes. Other shows include Jane Anger, The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (STC); The Great Society, Born Yesterday, The Little Foxes (Asolo Repertory Theatre). Baldwin Wallace University 2015.
LEIGH ROBINETTE
Leigh Robinette (Assistant Stage Manager)’s Arena Stage credits include Holiday, Change Agent, The Originalist, Dear Evan Hansen, Fiddler on the Roof, and Mother Courage and Her Children. Other D.C. credits include The Second City’s Love, Factually at the Kennedy Center, Love Sick and The Jewish Queen Lear with Theater J, and There’s Always the Hudson, Describe the Night, Gloria, Botticelli in the Fire, Familiar, The Arsonists, and An Octoroon with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. She has worked Off-Broadway at Second Stage, with the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston, and the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, NY. She is a graduate of Boston University.