Anime-obsessed Sebastian and emo-Wiccan Claryssa survive high school with a mix of imagination and belligerence. But then a horrific event on the school’s athletic field sends Sebastian on an apocalyptic mission, changing their friendship forever. From one of Australia’s provocative young writers, this US premiere is directed by acclaimed DC actor Tom Story. A propulsive exploration—fast, funny, and devastating—of adolescent friendship and betrayal, an ecstatic vision and an unshakable loss.
2ndStage is Studio’s playground for emerging artists, offering innovative and thrillingly eclectic programming with shorter rehearsal periods and smaller budgets than our other productions, with a spirit of exuberance and experiment.
Runtime: 75 minutes with no intermission.
Environmental Warnings: This production of Moth contains strong language and loud sound effects.
The 2013-2014 2ndStage Season is underwritten
by A. Fenner Milton.
This production of Moth is generously supported
by Rick Kasten.
Click on artist headshot to see bio
Declan Greene is a writer and theatre-maker based in Melbourne. His plays include A Black Joy and Moth, and have been produced at Malthouse Theatre, Sydney Opera House, and The Storeroom. His awards include the Malcolm Robertson Prize (2010), the R.E. Ross Trust Playwright’s Development Awards (2007 and 2009), and the Green Room Award for Best Original Writing (2010). His commissions include Melbourne Theatre Company, Malthouse, HotHouse, and Arena Theatre. Alongside Ash Flanders, Declan runs D.I.Y. ‘trash-theatre’ group Sisters Grimm, and has co-devised and directed work including Mommie & the Minister and Cellblock Booty, touring locally and internationally.
(As of August 2013)
STUDIO 2NDSTAGE: Terminus (director), Moth (director), POP!. STUDIO THEATRE: The Wolfe Twins, The Invention of Love, A Number, The Pillowman. DC AREA: Affiliated Artist at Shakespeare Theatre Company, where credits include Design for Living, Twelfth Night, The Winter’s Tale, Major Barbara, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; Folger Theatre, Arena Stage, Round House Theatre, The Hub, and Ford’s Theatre. REGIONAL: Seattle Rep, Missouri Rep, Provincetown Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Milwaukee Rep, and eleven seasons at The Berkshire Theatre Festival, where he recently directed Design for Living. EDUCATION/TRAINING: Duke University, The Juilliard School, Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory.
(As of July 2015)
DC AREA: The T Party, Forum Theatre; Young Robin Hood, Round House Theatre; inFATuation, Atlas Intersections Festival. FILM: Let Me Eat Cake. EDUCATION: BA Theatre and Performance Studies, Georgetown University.
(As of April 2014)
2NDSTAGE: Debut. REGIONAL: Metamorphoses (Playhouse on Park). INTERNATIONAL: The Arabian Nights (Edinburgh Fringe). FILM: The Apostle, J.T. vs. the Good Guys, Kit’s Business. TELEVISION: Deadly Affairs. UNIVERSITY: Richard III, King John, An Enemy of the People. EDUCATION: BFA, NYU Tisch.
(As of April 2014)
Elena Day specializes in movement theatre and circus. Ms. Day served as the Movement Director for Moth in Studio 2ndStage and teaches Movement for the Actor at the Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory. Other area credits include directing Balloon Plays at Capital Fringe and directing/producing on the nOse at Round House Theatre, which was also seen at Brick Theater and Orlando Fringe. She served as Movement Director on Wiley and the Hairy Man at Imagination Stage, Merrily We Roll Along at Sidwell Friends, and Mockingbird at The Kennedy Center. Ms. Day served as Assistant Director on Stuart Little and Movement Consultant on Tiny Tim at Adventure Theatre MTC. She also consulted on the Look Both Ways Festival at The Kennedy Center. Regionally, Ms. Day directed Hair at Mad Cow Theatre and Cirque du Charme at Artscape, which she also wrote. Her performing credits include Cirque Mechanics’ Boom Town and Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba. Ms. Day performs worldwide with Cirque du Soleil in their special events department and is a graduate of Oberlin College, L’Ecole Jacques Lecoq, and the Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory.
(As of March 2015)
Colin K. Bills has designed the lighting for An Iliad, Lungs, Circle Mirror Transformation, The Year of Magical Thinking, Stoop Stories, and Radio Golf at Studio as well as Moth, Contractions, POP!, That Face, autobahn, The Death of Meyerhold, Tommy, Four, and Bat Boy for Studio 2ndStage. He is a Company Member at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, where his dozens of designs have included Stupid Fucking Bird, Clybourne Park, The Clean House, Detroit, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, and Patience. As a Conspirator with the devised theater company dog & pony dc he directed, conceived, and co-wrote A Killing Game; co-wrote and designed Beertown; and designed Courage. His work has also been seen locally at Everyman Theatre, Forum Theatre, Imagination Stage, The Kennedy Center, Metro Stage, Olney Theatre, Round House Theatre, Signature Theatre, Synetic Theatre, Theater J, and The Washington Revels where he is an Artistic Associate. Nationally, his work has been seen at the Berkshire Theatre Festival, Center Stage, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Dallas Theatre Center, Portland Center Stage, Intiman Theatre, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival. He designs regularly with Opera Lafayette, presenting his work at The Kennedy Center, Rose Theater at Lincoln Center, and Opéra Royal Versailles. Mr. Bills is the 2009 recipient of a Princess Grace Award and a three-time Helen Hayes Award winner. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College.
(As of May 2014)
Brandee Mathies has been Studio’s Costume Shop Manager since 1994. He has designed MotherStruck, This Is Our Youth, The Year of Magical Thinking, Stoop Stories, Rimers of Eldritch, A Number, The Syringa Tree, and Comic Briefs for Studio Theatre, as well as Moth, Contractions, A Beautiful View, Crestfall, and Polaroid Stories for Studio 2ndStage. DC area credits include Satchmo at the Waldorf at Mosaic Theater Co (Costume Designer); Anything Goes and Spunk (Assistant Designer) at Howard University; The Wiz at Duke Ellington School of the Arts (Costume Designer); Blues for an Alabama Sky and Sunday in the Park with George (First Hand) at Arena Stage; and Black Nativity (Assistant Designer) at The Kennedy Center.
(As of September 2016)
James Bigbee Garver returns to Studio Theatre after designing Cock, Lungs, Mary Kate Olsen Is In Love, Moth, Contractions, Skin Tight, and 2-2 Tango. In Washington, DC his work has been heard at Signature Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Folger Theatre, Round House Theatre, Theater J, CityDance Ensemble, Word Dance Theatre, and Georgetown University, among others. Some of Mr. Garver’s New York credits include Theatre Row, PS122, 92nd St. Y Harkness Dance, Joyce SoHo, Japan Society, World Financial Center, and Robert Wilson's Watermill Center. His installation and sound art work has been on view at the Smithsonian Institution's Hirshhorn, American, and Natural History Museums, Lincoln Center’s Dance on Camera Festival, and the Megapolis Audio Festival, among others. Mr. Garver is a member of the Theatrical Sound Designers And Composers Association. He received his training at the University of Washington in Seattle.
(As of December 2016)
STUDIO THEATRE: Come to Your Senses Annual Gala (Projection Design), Water by the Spoonful (Projection Programmer), Torch Song Trilogy (Assistant Projection Design). UNIVERSITY: Orlando (Projection Co-Design), Soft Focus (Projection Design and Photography Installation), and PeopleDance (Projection and Lighting Design), Willamette University Theatre. AWARDS: Robert E. Thunen Memorial Foundation, Illuminating Engineering Society San Francisco. EDUCATION: BA Theatre Design & Art History, Willamette University.
(As of April 2014)
Adrien-Alice Hansel is the Literary Director at Studio, where she has dramaturged the world premieres of Queen of Basel, The Remains, No Sisters, I Wanna Fucking Tear You Apart, Animal, Laugh, Red Speedo, Dirt, Lungs, and The History of Kisses as well as productions of Cry It Out,Translations, Curve of Departure, The Effect, Wig Out!, Straight White Men, Cloud 9, Hedda Gabler, Constellations, Jumpers for Goalposts, Bad Jews (twice), The Apple Family Plays, Invisible Man, Sucker Punch, The Golden Dragon, and The New Electric Ballroom, among others. Prior to joining Studio, she spent eight seasons at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, where she headed the literary department and coordinated project scouting, selection, and development for the Humana Festival of New American Plays. She also served as production dramaturg on roughly 50 new, contemporary, and classic plays there, including premieres by Naomi Wallace, Gina Gionfriddo, Kirk Lynn and Rude Mechs, Rinne Groff, The Civilians, Anne Bogart and SITI Company, Jordan Harrison, and John Belluso. She is the co-editor of eight anthologies of plays from Actors Theatre and editor of eight editions of plays through Studio. Adrien-Alice holds an MFA from the Yale School of Drama.
(As of April 2019)
STUDIO 2NDSTAGE: Moth (Stage Manager), Edgar & Annabel (Assistant Stage Manager), Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show (ASM). STUDIO THEATRE: The Night Watcher, Red Speedo, Bachelorette, Sucker Punch, Time Stands Still, The Golden Dragon, The Habit of Art (Assistant Stage Manager). DC AREA: Twelfth Night, Henry V, The Conference of the Birds (Assistant Stage Manager, Folger Theatre); Under the Canopy, Young Spectaculars (Stage Manager, Arts on the Horizon); The Wedding Dress (Stage Manager, Spooky Action Theater); Grandfather Frost and the Snow Maiden (Stage Manager, Adventure Theatre); Little Shop of Horrors (Assistant Stage Manager, Olney Theatre Center). EDUCATION: BA in English, History, and Theatre, Vanderbilt University.
(As of April 2014)
