[Capdist-announce] PRESS RELEASE: WAM Theatre Announces Cast of ROE

[Gail Burns]

September 3, 2020



Contact: Gai Burns, Marketing and Publicity Associate

www.wamtheatre.com <http://www.wamtheatre.com/#_blank>

pr at wamtheatre.com; 518.243.9627

Press Photos can be found here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wamtheatre/albums/72157713011054691



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WAM Theatre Announces Cast of ROE

Digital Production to Launch October 17

Two Women. Multiple Truths. One Landmark Supreme Court Case.

LENOX, MA (September 3, 2020) —  Producing Artistic Director Kristen van
Ginhoven, Associate Artistic Director Talya Kingston, and the WAM Theatre
team today announced the cast for the area premiere ROE by Lisa Loomer.
WAM’s creatively designed digital production directed by WAM’s Producing
Artistic Director, Kristen van Ginhoven, will be available October 17-20.

The cast is led by acclaimed actress and Berkshire resident Tara Franklin
[Chester Theatre Company’s On The Exhale] as Norma McCorvey, the woman who
became “Jane Roe” in the landmark 1973 supreme court case, and Tracy Liz
Miller [Saratoga Shakespeare Company’s The Tempest], who has previously
worked with WAM as a Fresh Takes reading director, as lawyer Sarah
Weddington.  Acclaimed actress Susanna Guzmán [TV’s The Outsider and New
Amsterdam] appears as Connie Gonzales, Norma’s longtime partner, and
assistant director Catherine Dickerson [UAlbany’s A Midsummer Night's
Dream]will
be Roxy. Berkshire favorites MaConnia Chesser [Shakespeare & Company’s The
Merry Wives of Windsor] and Ryan Winkles [Shakespeare & Company’s Creditors]
lead the ensemble, including Vivian Burnham [Saratoga Children’s Theatre], KD
McTeigue [Troy Foundry Theatre’s Catastrophe Carnivale], Daniel Rios, Jr.
[Shakespeare & Company’s The Comedy of Errors], and Wendy Welch [Watertower
Theatre’s Pride and Prejudice], each of whom appears as multiple characters.

For more information on the ROE cast visit:
https://www.wamtheatre.com/showsandevents/roe/roe-cast/

“Ninety-nine percent of the director’s job is to bring an excellent cast
together. WAM has truly outdone itself with this cast. Each person is not
only an incredible artist, but also an incredible human who is excited
about the opportunity to use their art as activism with this production of
ROE,” said van Ginhoven. “It must also be said that taking on this digital
production requires a playfulness, flexibility, and openness that this
whole cast has been eagerly displaying. All of us at WAM count ourselves
incredibly lucky to be working with this extraordinarily talented,
experienced, and dedicated cast. We cannot wait to share their work with
you in October. “

Supported with powerful theatrical design elements, this large ensemble
cast will illuminate the history of one of the most polarizing social
issues of the modern era - the Roe v. Wade, U.S. Supreme Court ruling that
established a woman’s right to an abortion. WAM’s innovative, online
performance will bring the dynamic history--and how it relates to our
current world — into the comfort of your own home.

Thanks to a grant from Mass Humanities, WAM is also working in
collaboration with Scholar-In-Residence Dr. Laura Briggs, Professor of
Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies at UMass Amherst, and dialogue experts
Essential Partners to open up and deepen the conversation around
reproductive justice during this election year.

“In our early conversations with Dr. Briggs and Essential Partners, we were
made aware of an article written by a group of people who came together for
dialogue across difference following the bombing of an abortion clinic in
1994,” van Ginhoven explained. “This quote lept out to us: ‘In this world
of polarizing conflicts, we have glimpsed a new possibility: a way in which
people can disagree frankly and passionately, become clearer in heart and
mind about their activism, and, at the same time, contribute to a more
civil and compassionate society.’  These ideas have been guiding our work
as we plan the community outreach events around ROE, which will include
conversations with Dr. Briggs, a special dialogue with Essential Partners,
as well as additional talkbacks and engagement opportunities.”

In keeping with WAM’s double philanthropic mission, a portion of the
proceeds will be given to an organization taking action for women and
girls. The beneficiary for ROE will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets will go on sale September 8th. For more information about WAM
Theatre’s 2020 programs, events, and artists, please visit
www.WAMTheatre.com.



ROE

by Lisa Loomer (She/Her)

Online October 17-20, 2020

Cast:

Vivian Burnham (She/Her) - Emily, Melissa

MaConnia Chesser (She/Her) - Aileen, Barbara, Waitress, Uma, Davina,
Pregnant Woman #3, Christian Woman #1, Peggy, Television News Reporter

Catherine Dickerson (She/Her) - Roxy

Tara Franklin (She/Her) - Norma McCorvey

Susanna Guzmán (She/Her) - Connie, Ofelia

KD McTeigue (She/Her) - Linda Coffee, Judy, Rhonda, Holly Hunter, Eleanor
Smeal, Mariah, Mary Gilmour, Pregnant Woman #1, Pregnant Woman #2, Pro-Life
Woman

Tracy Liz Miller (She/Her) - Sarah Weddington

Daniel Rios, Jr. (He/Him) - Henry McCluskey, Jay Floyd, TV Newsman, Beau,
Fred Gilmour, Abortion Doctor, Television News Reporter, Christian Man,
Male TV Reporter, Pro-Life Man

Wendy Welch (She/Her) - Molly, Mary, Gloria Allred, Christian Woman #1,
Christian Woman #2, Pro-Choice Woman #1, Pro-Choice Woman #2

Ryan Winkles (He/Him) - Doctor, Ron Weddington, Flowers, Fred Friendly,
Michael Manheim, Justice Blackman, Flip Benham

Creative Team:

Amy Altadonna (She/Her) - Sound Designer

Deborah Brothers (She/Her) - Costume Designer

Catherine Dickerson (She/Her) - Assistant Director

Tatiana Godfrey (She/Her) - Assistant Dramaturg

Elisabeth Castellon Goncalves (She/Her) - Assistant Sound Designer

Juliana von Haubrich (She/Her) - Scenic Designer

Aja Jackson (She/Her) - Lighting Designer

Hope Rose Kelly -(She/Her) Stage Manager

Talya Kingston (She/Her) - Dramaturg

Ashley Lewis (She/Her)- Assistant Stage Manager

Calypso Michelet (She/Her)- Assistant Costume Designer

Frida Swallow (She/Her) - Assistant Lighting Designer

Kristen van Ginhoven (She/Her) - Director

"Rousing entertainment ... a big play with big ideas." -Mail Tribune
“Cleverly illuminating” -The Washington Post
“Full of nuance and complexity" -NPR

“Shares 50 years of history in gripping style” -Mail Tribune
“A powerful and compassionate look at a controversial issue” -The Siskiyou
Daily News

ROE is an historically sweeping play with a large ensemble cast that
illuminates the history of one of the most polarizing social issues of the
modern era, the Roe v. Wade, U.S. Supreme Court ruling that established a
woman’s right to an abortion. ROE explores the women behind the landmark
case of Roe v. Wade, illuminating the heart and passion each side has for
their cause, providing a reminder of where the debate began and how hard we
have to work to communicate compassionately with people with whom we may
disagree.

Playwright Lisa Loomer says, "I wanted people to feel, as they watched the
play, that their point of view was represented, if nothing else because
that helps people be more open and willing to hear another point of view."

ROE was commissioned by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2012 as part of
its American Revolutions Cycle. It was developed at the University of Texas
and The Kennedy Center (as part of DC’s Women’s Voices Festival) as well as
at OSF’s Black Swan Lab before it played for 70 performances in Ashland,
OR, and then had runs in Washington, DC (Arena Stage), Berkeley, CA
(Berkeley Rep), and Sarasota, FL (Asolo Rep).



TICKET INFO

Tickets for ROE go on sale September 8th on wamtheatre.com

ABOUT THE CAST

VIVIAN BURNHAM (Emily, Melissa). WAM Theatre: Debut. Elsewhere: Vivian is a
4th grader at Pawling Elementary School. She has been in several theatre
productions that her parents have directed that conveniently needed a kid
as well as kids’ program productions at her school, Saratoga Children’s
Theatre, Saratoga Arts Center, and Childsplay Theatre in Tempe, Arizona.
She loves dancing, singing, acting, swimming, riding her bike, art
projects, and playing with her friends. She lives in Pawling with her mom
and dad, Tracy Liz Miller and Kent Burnham. She also adores her cats
Blueberry, Jam, and The Big Lebowski (The Dude).

MaCONNIA CHESSER (Aileen, Barbara, Waitress, Uma, Davina, Pregnant Woman
#3, Christian Woman #1, Peggy, Television News Reporter) WAM Theatre:
Staged readings of The Virgin Trial, The Flora & Fauna, The Revolutionists,
Grand Concourse. Elsewhere: Shakespeare & Company, Actors’ Shakespeare
Project, Berkshire Playwrights Lab, Chester Theatre, Kennedy Center, NJ
Rep, Theater Alliance, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Tennessee Shakespeare, York
Shakespeare, African Continuum Theatre,Totem Pole Playhouse, & Folger
Theatre. Film/TV: THE SHAPE OF DESTINY (Official selection, 2018 Women in
Comedy Festival), GHOSTS OF HAMILTON STREET, DISEASELS. HBO’s THE WIRE.
Training: Shakespeare & Company, National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts,
Alcorn State University. Awards: Helen Hayes nomination for INSURRECTION:
HOLDING HISTORY with Theater Alliance. Et cetera: Company member at
Shakespeare & Company and New Jersey Repertory Theatre.

CATHERINE DICKERSON (Assistant Director/Roxy) WAM Theatre: Debut Elsewhere: A
Midsummer Night's Dream, Intimate Apparel, A Streetcar Named Desire, Hair,
Almost Maine, Rebel/Sister (UAlbany Premiere), Break: A New Musical (Troy
Civic Arts Center Premiere). Film/TV: Succession (Extra). Training: University
at Albany (BA), Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre (3-week
Intensive). Online: Instagram - @cattmarie4114.

TARA FRANKLIN (Norma McCorvey) WAM Theatre: Debut Elsewhere: On The Exhale,
Bar Mitzvah Boy, Sister Play (Chester Theatre Company), Naked, At Home At
The Zoo, The Homecoming, The Lion in Winter, The Puppetmaster of Lodz,
Birthday Boy, The Guardsman, Ghosts, A Man For All Seasons, Educating Rita,
Amadeus, Equus, The Misanthrope, Peter Pan and Dimetos (Berkshire Theatre
Group),  Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, King Lear, Much Ado About
Nothing, Henry V and Love's Labour's Lost (Nebraska Shakespeare
Festival), Translations,
The Trojan Women, Misalliance and Red Noses (Connecticut Repertory
Theatre), A Manuscript Found in Saragossa (Lookingglass Theatre
Company), Gravid
Water (Improv Olympic), Sleep No More (McKittrick Hotel / Punchdrunk LLC).
Film: Labor Day Training: MFA (University of Connecticut), BFA (NYU Tisch
School of the Arts) Awards: Best Solo Performance, Berkshire Theatre
Critics Awards, 2019. Et Cetera: Tara is currently the Associate Artistic
Director and Director of Education for the Chester Theatre Company.  She
performed in an online version of King Lear for CTC this past August. Tara
is also on the faculty for the Theatre and Dance Department at Smith
College.

SUSANNA GUZMÁN (Connie/Ofelia) WAM Theatre: debut. Has recently appeared in
People’s Light Theatre’s production of Project Dawn. Film/TV: The Outsider,
New Amsterdam, POSE, The Deuce, Last Week with John Oliver, Unbreakable
Kimmy Schmidt*, Leftovers, Power, Orange is the New Black, multiple Law &
Orders, The First Purge, High Resolution, If you could say it in words, to
name a few. Training: Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, La Jolla Playhouse
Conservatory. Awards: *Emmy Nominee for Cast of Outstanding Comedy Series,
HOLA Outstanding Performance Award, Best Actress in Dallas 1998.
Susannaguzman.com <http://susannaguzman.com/>

KD McTEIGUE (Linda Coffee, Judy, Rhonda, Holly Hunter, Eleanor Smeal,
Mariah, Mary Gilmour, Pregnant Woman #1, Pregnant Woman #2, Pro-Life Woman)
WAM Theatre: Debut Elsewhere: Catastrophe Carnivale, (Troy Foundry
Theatre), Theatre in the Classroom Tour (Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble), Summer
Stage 2019 (Capital Repertory Theatre), Romeo & Juliet, A Christmas Carol,
Alice in Wonderland (Theatre Institute at Sage) Film: Dear Helen (dir.
Henry Caughey) Television: Diabolical (Investigation Discovery) Training:
Russell Sage College (BA), Tectonic Theater Project, Poseidon Theatre
Company / Wildrence, Troy Foundry Theatre, Wayne Pyle Acting Class, and the
Will Bryan Studio. Awards: Recipient of the Bruce Rainer award for Most
Promise in Theatre. Et cetera: KD is thrilled and thankful to be a part of
WAM's innovative digital production of ROE. You can find her on social
media @kdmcteigue.

TRACY LIZ MILLER (Sarah Weddington): WAM Theatre: Director, How the World
Began by Catherine Treishman, Fresh Takes reading series. Elsewhere:
Selected Acting Credits: Molly Castle in Polar Bears, Black Boys, and Prairie
Fringed Orchids (Capital Rep and Barrington Stage co-pro virtual), Alonsa
in The Tempest (Saratoga Shakespeare Company), Titania/Hippolita in
Midsummer (Southwest Shakespeare Company), Dora Hand in The Swan, various
roles in Almost, Maine (Chester Theatre Company), Molly in Dusk Rings a Bell
(Shaker Bridge Theatre), Mrs. Daldry in In the Next Room, or the Vibrator
Play (Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Theatre Company). Selected
Directing Credits: The Moors (Bridge Street Theatre), Gidion’s Knot (Stray
Cat Theatre, Tempe Center for the Arts), Much Ado About Nothing (Southwest
Shakespeare Company), The Twelve Dates of Christmas (Class 6 Theatre).
Founder and former Co-Producing Artistic Director of The Bridge Initiative
in Tempe, Arizona. Current Co-Producing Artistic Director of Pawling
Theatre Exchange. Current Director of Education at Saratoga Shakespeare
Company. Current Faculty at University of Albany Theatre Department. Etc.
Partner to Kent Burnham, Mom to Vivian Burnham.

DANIEL RIOS JR. (Henry McCluskey, Jay Floyd, TV Newsman, Beau, Fred
Gilmour, Abortion Doctor, Television News Reporter, Christian Man, Male TV
Reporter, Pro-Life Man) WAM Theatre: Campus Unrest, (Fresh Takes Play
reading) Elsewhere: Fences (The Umbrella Stage Company), Comedy of
Errors (Shakespeare
& Company), White, Black, and Blue (Silverthorne Theatre Company),The
Merchant of Venice (Valley Shakespeare Festival). Film: Katie Fforde: Ein
Haus am Meer (A House at the Sea) Training: Fitchburg State University
(BA), University of Southern California (MFA).

WENDY WELCH (Molly, Mary, Gloria Allred, Christian Woman #1, Christian
Woman #2, Pro-Choice Woman #1, Pro-Choice Woman #2)  WAM Theatre:
Debut Elsewhere:
Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice (Mrs. Bennet), A Little Night Music (Madame
Armfeldt), Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike (Sonia), Caroline, or Change (Rose
Stopnik Gellman), The Light in the Piazza (Margaret Johnson), The
Unmentionables (Nancy), Death of a Salesman (Linda Loman), The History
Boys (Dorothy
Lintott), Follies (Sally Durant Plummer), The Matchmaker (Dolly Levi), Bloody
Bloody Andrew Jackson (Storyteller), The Dining Room (Actress #2), Talking
Pictures (Mrs. Jackson), Sexy Laundry (Alice). Film/TV: award winning
documentary Shatter the Silence, Occupy Texas, Murder Made Me Famous,
Upstream Color, Sweet Tornado, Deadline Crime. Numerous Commercials and
Voiceovers. Training: B.F.A. Acting S.M.U., where she was mentored by
Margaret Loft. Apprentice Chelsea Theater Center. Awards: DFW Critics Forum
(3) Best Actress, Leon Rabin Award Best Supporting Actress. Et Cetera:
Adjunct Professor S.M.U., Richland College, Northlake College, Private
voice/coaching studio. Online: wendywelch.net

RYAN WINKLES (Doctor, Ron Weddington, Robert Flowers, Fred Friendly,
Michael Manheim, Justice Blackman, Flip Benham) WAM Theatre: The Old
Mezzo, Fresh
Takes readings including Photograph 51, The Tall Girls, Blue Stockings, The
Virgin Trial Elsewhere: credits include: Creditors, Two Gents, King Lear,
The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Othello (Shakespeare & Company), Pericles (the
rig), Universe Rushing Apart (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company), Mrs.
Packard (Bridge Repertory Theatre), All My Sons (Elements Theatre), Visitors
(Martha's Vineyard Playhouse), Misalliance (Milwaukee Chamber Theatre), Muskie
Love (Madison Repertory Theatre) Film/TV: Time Traveling Bong (Comedy
Central), UFOTOG (Trumbull Studios), Paper Birds (French Press Films) Training:
BA from Florida State University, MFA from University of Wisconsin-Madison

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Kristen van Ginhoven (director) WAM Theatre: Ann, The Bakelite Masterpiece,
In Darfur (New England Premiere), Emilie (New England Premiere), The Old
Mezzo (World Premiere), The Attic, The Pearls and Three Fine Girls and
Melancholy
Play Elsewhere: Ann (Arena Stage, Dallas Theatre Center), Disgraced, I and
You (Chester Theatre), Waxworks (Williams College), The Whale (Adirondack
Theatre Festival), 10 Minute Play Festival (Barrington Stage Company),
Petticoats
of Steel (Capital Repertory Theatre), Footloose (Cohoes Music Hall), Children’s
Hour (Siena College), Vendetta Chrome (Emerson College). Selected assistant
directing: The Physicists, 42nd Street (Stratford Shakespeare Festival of
Canada), Two Men of Florence (Huntington Theatre) Sleuth, Absurd Person
Singular (Barrington Stage Company). Training: Dalhousie University (BA),
Queen’s University (BEd), Emerson College (MA). Et cetera: Kristen is a
member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and a theatre
artist for the International Schools Theatre Association. She is a member
of the Lincoln Center Director’s Lab and the Michael Langham Workshop for
Classical Direction at the Stratford Festival of Canada. Kristen is the
co-founder and Producing Artistic Director of WAM Theatre.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

Lisa Loomer (playwright)  WAM Theatre: debut  Plays: ROE, LIVING OUT, THE
WAITING ROOM, DISTRACTED, CAFÉ VIDA, HOMEFREE, EXPECTING ISABEL, TWO THINGS
YOU DON’T TALK ABOUT AT DINNER, BIRDS, MARIA, MARIA, MARIA!, and BOCÓN!,
have been produced at such theatres as The Mark Taper Forum, Arena Stage,
South Coast Repertory, The Kennedy Center, Seattle Rep, Denver Theater
Center, Berkeley Repertory, OSF, Trinity Repertory, The Williamstown
Theatre Festival, and, in New York, at The Roundabout, The Vineyard, Second
Stage, Intar, and The Public. Her work has also been produced in Mexico,
the Middle East, and Europe. Awards: Lisa is a two-time winner of the
American Theatre Critics Award, and has also received awards from the
Kennedy Center, the Pen Center, the Imagen Foundation, (Norman Lear Award),
the Jane Chambers Award, and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, among others.
Film: credits include GIRL, INTERRUPTED. She also writes for television.

WAM 2020 Sponsors

WAM’s 2020 sponsors include Adams Community Bank, Berkshire Hand to
Shoulder Center, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Blue Q, Blue Spark
Financial, Brabson Library & Educational Foundation, Canyon Ranch, Chez
Nous, Custom Business Solutions, The Dylandale Foundation, Greylock Federal
Credit Union, Haven Cafe and Bakery, Health Professional Coaching, Heller &
Robbins, Interprint, J.H. Maxymillian, Inc., Lake House Inn. Lee Bank,
Massachusetts Cultural Council, Onyx Specialty Papers, Outpost Productions,
RB Design Co., The Rookwood Inn, T Square Design Studio, Toole Insurance,
and a. von schlegell & co.

WAM Theatre is also supported in part by grants from the Massachusetts
Cultural Council, as well as grants from the Alford-Egremont Cultural
Council, Lenox Cultural Council, Pittsfield Cultural Council, and the
Sandisfield Cultural Council – local agencies supported by the
Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

ROE is sponsored in part by Maggie and Don Buchwald, Berkshire Taconic
Community Foundation, the Brabson & Library Educational Foundation and Mass
Humanities.

WAM’s 2020 Season of Events is sponsored in part by Carolyn Butler.

ABOUT WAM THEATRE

WAM Theatre is a professional theatre company based in Berkshire County,
MA, that operates at the intersection of arts and activism. WAM creates
theatre for gender equity and has a vision of theatre as philanthropy.

In fulfillment of its philanthropic mission, WAM donates a portion of the
proceeds from their Mainstage productions to carefully selected
beneficiaries. Since WAM’s founding in 2010, they have donated more than
$75,000 to 19 local and global organizations taking action for gender
equity in areas such as girls education, teen pregnancy prevention, sexual
trafficking awareness, midwife training, and more.

In addition to Mainstage productions and special events, WAM’s activities
include innovative community engagement programs and the Fresh Takes Play
Reading Series. To date, WAM has provided paid work to more than 400
theatre artists, the majority of whom are female-identifying.

As a civic organization that embraces intersectional feminism (feminism
that acknowledges how multiple forms of discrimination overlap), WAM
understands that to address one piece of systemic discrimination means we
have to address them all. This is on-going personal and professional work
at WAM for the staff and board.

WAM Theatre has been widely recognized for having a positive impact on
cultural and community development in the region. WAM is the recipient of
the Creative Economy Standout Berkshire Trendsetter Award and previously,
was named Outstanding Philanthropy Corporation of the Year by the Western
MA Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Kristen van
Ginhoven, WAM’s Producing Artistic Director, was honored by the Berkshire
Theatre Critics Association (BTCA) with the prestigious Larry Murray Award,
presented at the discretion of the BTCA Board to a person or theatre
project that advances social, political, or community issues in Berkshire
County.



For more information, visit www.WAMTheatre.com <http://www.wamtheatre.com>

###




-- 
Gail M. Burns (She/Her/Hers)

*Marketing + Publicity Associate*
https://www.wamtheatre.com/
413-458-4246

*Our 2020 Season!*
THE SUFFRAGE PROJECT <https://www.wamtheatre.com/suffrage-project/> | ROE
<https://www.wamtheatre.com/roe/> | THE THANKSGIVING PLA
<https://www.wamtheatre.com/thanksgiving-play/>Y


Make a donation now <https://www.wamtheatre.com/donateonline/> to WAM
Theatre!
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://capdisttheater.org/pipermail/capdist-announce/attachments/20200903/967ddfce/attachment.html>