Fun Home

06/28/23 - 08/27/23

MUSIC BY JEANINE TESORI
BOOK AND LYRICS BY LISA KRON
LOCATION MEAD THEATRE
DIRECTED BY DAVID MUSE
BASED ON THE GRAPHIC NOVEL BY ALISON BECHDEL

Alison is 9, begging her father to play with her. She is 19, overcome by the aching and joyous pain of first love. She is 43, an out lesbian hunting for the truth of her brilliant, volatile, and closeted father’s life and death. She is all three at once, trying to untangle the central mystery of her childhood: How did she survive their shared hometown, when her father could not? With a score that ranges from exuberant 70s pop to aching melodies and dissonant harmonies of characters longing to be known, Fun Home is the Tony Award-winning story of a daughter and father, of coming out and coming to terms with a life shaped by a family’s secrets.

SHOW INFORMATION

Runtime: Approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes with no intermission

Read the program.

In the interest of welcoming people with a wide range of needs and life experiences, Studio offers a bit of information on what you will encounter in the play.
Use this information as it is helpful to you.

Environment Warnings: This production of Fun Home includes a moment of very bright lights.

Fun Home is generously underwritten by Susan and Dixon Butler.

Calendar

October 2024
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Multimedia

The Artists

Cast

U/S ALISON & HELEN

Erin Granfield

Erin Granfield (she/her) is an actor and singer who performs regularly in the DMV area and beyond. Credits include the first national tour of Susan Stroman’s production of The Music Man (ensemble/Marian Paroo us/performed). Locally, she’s recently been seen as The Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods, Louise Seger in Always…Patsy Cline, Mevroux Van Tassle in Ichabod: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Agnes Davis in On Air, and Elmira in Nevermore, all at Creative Cauldron. Erin played Francesca Johnson in the DC/Baltimore regional theatre premiere of The Bridges of Madison County at Red Branch Theatre Company. She was a top award winner in the YoungArts Competition as well as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts semifinalist. Erin is a graduate of Northwestern University. 

U/S MEDIUM ALISON & JOAN

Allison Fitzgerald

Allison Fitzgerald (she/they) is a DC-based singer and actor. Her theatre credits include Elegies: A Song Cycle at The Keegan Theatre, The Rocky Horror Show at Iron Crow Theatre, Little Women at Montgomery Summer Dinner Theatre, and Next to Normal at Catholic University. allisonfitzgerald.net

U/S SMALL ALISON, JOHN, & CHRISTIAN

Jules Kanarek

Jules Kanarek (they/them) is making their professional theatre debut at Studio this summer in Fun Home! Jules is an actor, singer, and competition dancer. Their past theatre credits include a radio adaptation of A Christmas Carol at Silver Spring Stage. Jules is also featured in Fearless, a devised video art piece, filmed in D.C. They are represented by Innovative Artists and DDO Print. You can follow Jules at @JazzyJulesy (Instagram).

U/S BRUCE BECHDEL

Keith Richards

Keith Richards (he/him) makes his Studio debut in Fun Home. DC credits include Peter and the Starcatcher (Helen Hayes Award Best Ensemble) at Constellation Theatre Company; Children of Eden at The Kennedy Center; Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at Imagination Stage; Oliver! and Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach (Helen Hayes Award Best Ensemble) at Adventure Theatre MTC; and Dorian’s Closet at Rep Stage. National tours include Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! with The Kennedy Center, J.M Barrie's Peter Pan with 360 Entertainment, and A Christmas Carol with Nebraska Theatre Caravan. Regional credits include Shakespeare in Love at Virginia Rep; 9 to 5 and A Tale of Two Cities at Barter Theatre; The Odd Couple at Mill Mountain Theatre; Hello, Dolly! and Pirates of Penzance at Music Theater Works of Chicago; Television credits include American Titans, The Sultan and the Saint, Deadly Demands. keitharichards.com On social media @keithrichardsactor (Instagram)  

U/S ROY/MARK/PETE/BOBBY JEREMY

Camilo Linares

Camilo Linares (he/him/his) makes his Studio Theatre debut.  He is originally from Bogotá, Colombia and currently resides in the Washington DC area where he works as an actor, photographer, videographer, editor, musician, and teaching artist.  Selected credits include Mojada at 1st Stage; The Day You Begin at The Kennedy Center; PicassoLa Tía Julia y el escribidor, La vida es sueño, VolcanO at GALA Hispanic Theatre; Theory at Mosaic Theater Company; and Òyeme, the Beautiful at Imagination Stage. Camilo holds an associate of arts degree in theatre performance from Montgomery College and is a graduate of the British American Drama Academy.  He was a Dreamer and none of this would be possible without DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and perseverance.  "You either make progress or excuses." Learn more at camilolinares.com 

Production Team

SET DESIGNER

Debra Booth

Debra Booth has a long history with Studio, where she has set designed People, Places and Things; Pass Over; Translations; The Wolves; The Father; The Hard Problem; Constellations; The Apple Family Cycle; Jumpers for Goalposts; Cock; Bachelorette; and many others. Her regional credits include Sooner/Later and Vicuña & The American Epilogue at Mosaic Theater Company; Small Mouth Sounds at Round House Theatre; Richard III (Helen Hayes nomination), The Lover and The Collection at the Shakespeare Theatre Company; Marisol at Hartford Stage and The Public Theater; Trying, The Illusion, and Happy Days at Portland Center Stage; the New York premiere of Angels in America at The Juilliard School; Broken Glass at Philadelphia Theatre Company (Barrymore Award nomination); and A Moon for the Misbegotten at Yale Rep. Debra is the recipient of a DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Artist Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Arts design grant. She is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.  

COSTUME DESIGNER

Sarah Cubbage

Sarah Cubbage's Studio credits include Kings, The Wolves, and The Hard Problem. Favorite designs include Crazy for You directed by Susan Stroman at David Geffen Hall; Triumph of Love and Hippolyte et Aricie directed by Stephen Wadsworth at The Juilliard School; and Beauty & The Beast for Disney Creative Entertainment. Off Broadway credits include work with Soho Rep, Theater for the New City, Aquila Theatre, Urban Stages, New Ohio Theatre, and Atlantic Theater Company. Regional credits include The Tempest (co-directed by Aaron Posner & Teller) and Spring Awakening at Round House Theatre; A Chorus Line at Signature Theatre; That Face at Baltimore Center Stage; The Lily’s Revenge at American Repertory Theater; Disgraced and In The Next Room at Syracuse Stage; King John at Folger Theatre; The Crucible and Labour of Love at Olney Theatre Center; Unseen at Mosaic Theater Company; and Compulsion or the House Behind at Theater J. Member USA 829. sarahcubbage.com 

LIGHTING DESIGNER

Brian Tovar

Brian Tovar is a Drama Desk-nominated lighting designer who has created original work for major Off Broadway and regional theaters. His body of work spans theater, dance, installations, live events, and music, including recent and upcoming projects with Sam Smith and Mariah Carey. Brian has developed and collaborated on multiple groundbreaking and award-winning live experiences, earning multiple Clio Awards. He is a frequent collaborator with the City of New York and has designed multiple art installations across the city. BrianTovarDesign.com. On social media @BrianTovarDesign (Instagram).

SOUND DESIGNER

Gordon Nimmo-Smith

Gordon Nimmo-Smith (he/him) is a Maryland-based sound engineer and designer. Recent sound designs include Nate The Great at Imagination Stage; How The Light Gets In at 1st Stage; The Last Five Years, The 39 Steps, and The Caucasian Chalk Circle (for which he received a Helen Hayes nomination) at Constellation Theatre Company; The Revolutionists at Prologue Theatre; Maz and Bricks, In The Middle of the Fields at Solas Nua; Chemical Exile, Distance Frequencies, and The Toxic Avenger at Rorschach Theatre. By day, Gordon works as the Audio/Video and Stage Operations Supervisor for Shakespeare Theatre Company. 
 

MUSIC DIRECTOR

Darren R. Cohen

Darren R. Cohen (Musical Director) returns to Studio after music directing Murder Ballad. Broadway/Off Broadway credits include A Chorus Line; Chicago; Fosse; Woman Songwriters at Carnegie Hall with Michael Feinstein; Make Me A Song (original cast recording); Zombie Prom (original cast recording); Anyone Can Whistle; A…My Name Is Still Alice; Carnival; The Fantasticks; And the World Goes ’Round; Nunsense; Show Me Where the Good Times Are; Oh, Boy!; and Bar Mitzvah Boy. Darren’s favorite regional and summer theatres are Barrington Stage Company (where he is an Associate Artist), Sacramento Music Circus, Baltimore Center Stage, Goodspeed Musicals, North Shore Music Theatre, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Cincinnati Playhouse, The MUNY, and Asolo Repertory Theatre. Darren was also the musical director for the Association of National Olympic Committees (NBC) at Constitution Hall. He is the author of The Complete Professional Audition (published by Random House) and is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and the Vermont College of Fine Arts. darrenRcohen.com 

MOVEMENT COORDINATOR

Ashleigh King

Ashleigh King is a DC based director, choreographer, and performer. She is the associate director for the national tour of Jenn Weber’s The Hip Hop Nutcracker. Her regional credits include choreography for ‘Bov Water, Spring Awakening, and Spamalot at Northern Stage, and Mamma Mia! at Virginia Rep (RTCC award). Among her DC area creative credits are Which Way to the Stage at Signature Theatre (Helen Hayes nomination); Grace at Ford’s Theatre; Teenage Dick and Fairview at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company; The World Goes ‘Round at Olney Theatre Center; Seussical and Legally Blonde (Helen Hayes Award Winner) at Keegan Theatre; Nate the Great at Imagination Stage and Make Way for Ducklings at Adventure Theatre. 

INTIMACY CHOREOGRAPHER

Chelsea Pace

Chelsea Pace (she/her) is an intimacy choreographer, intimacy coordinator, and consultant. Following People, Places & Things earlier this season, this is Chelsea's fourth show at Studio, where she also serves as the Resident Intimacy Consultant and Choreographer. Theatre credits include A Strange Loop currently running on Broadway; Help at The Shed; Bundle of Sticks at INTAR; RENTDetroit '67, and Daphne's Dive at Signature Theatre; and A Strange Loop at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. She is Resident Intimacy Consultant and Choreographer at Signature Theatre and Resident Intimacy Consultant at Woolly Mammoth. Chelsea’s intimacy coordination work for TV and film includes The Tender Bar and Harlem, and the forthcoming series A League of Their Own and The Best Man: The Final Chapters. Chelsea is the co-founder of Theatrical Intimacy Education and the author of Staging Sex: Best Practices, Tools, and Techniques for Theatrical Intimacy. In 2021, she received the Kennedy Center Gold Medallion for her work in intimacy choreography and building consent-based pedagogies. chelseapace.com 

ILLUSTRATION CONSULTANT

Natsu Onoda Power

DRAMATURG

Adrien-Alice Hansel

Adrien-Alice Hansel (she/her) is the Literary Director at Studio, where she has dramaturged the world premieres of Good Bones,  John Proctor is the Villain, I Hate it Here, Queen of Basel, No Sisters, I Wanna Fucking Tear You Apart, Red Speedo, Dirt, Lungs, and The History of Kisses, among others, as well as productions of Clyde's, English, Heroes of the Fourth Turning, The Hot Wing King, White Noise, Tender Age, Flow, Until the Flood, 2.5 Minute Ride, Cry It Out, Translations, Curve of Departure, Wig Out!, Straight White Men, Hedda Gabler, Jumpers for Goalposts, Bad Jews (twice), The Apple Family Cycle, 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 is the co-editor of eight anthologies of plays from Actors Theatre and editor of 11 editions of plays through Studio. Adrien-Alice holds an MFA from the Yale School of Drama. 

PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER (JUNE 27 - AUGUST 4)

John Keith Hall

John Keith Hall has stage managed many productions at Studio including English, Bad Jews, Choir Boy, Cock, Water by the Spoonful, Tribes, The Habit of Art, Torch Song Trilogy, 4000 Miles, In the Red and Brown Water, The History Boys, and The Road to Mecca. Other DC area credits include Ain’t No Mo’, Where We Belong, Shipwreck, The Peculiar Patriot, Gloria, Familiar, Hir, An Octoroon, and The Nether at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company; The Producers, Mary Poppins, Sweeney Todd, Annie, The Crucible, On the Town, Matilda the Musical, Cabaret, and Beauty and the Beast at Olney Theatre Center; Show Way at the Kennedy Center TYA;  Ain’t Misbehavin’, Soon, and West Side Story at Signature Theatre. His regional credits include over 40 productions as Resident Stage Manager at the Barter Theatre as well as Shadowlands Stage, Virginia Musical Theatre, and Contemporary American Theatre Festival.    

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER (JUNE 27 - AUGUST 4)/PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER (AUGUST 4 - 27)

Lauren Pekel

Lauren Pekel (she/her) returns to Studio Theatre after last stage managing Good Bones. Some of her favorite Studio credits include People, Places & Things, Doubt, Cry It Out, Vietgone, P.Y.G. or the Mis-Edumacation of Dorian Belle, Skeleton Crew, The Father, and No Sisters. Her DC theatre credits include productions with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Signature Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Theater J, Mosaic Theater, Theater Alliance, and the Kennedy Center. Regionally, she has worked with the San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program, the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, and Skylight Music Theater in Milwaukee, among others. Lauren is an alumna of the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee’s Theatre Program, with a BFA in Stage Management, and is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association. 

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER (AUGUST 4 - 27)

Taylor Kiechlin

Taylor Kiechlin’s DC credits include Into the Woods and Passing Strange at Signature Theatre; Born Yesterday, A Christmas Carol, 12 Angry Men, Into the Woods, Fences, Silent Sky, Guys and Dolls, and Come From Away: Concert at the Lincoln Memorial at Ford’s Theatre; Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Boogie at The Kennedy Center; and Nathan the Wise and Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story at Theatre J. Regional credits include Godspell at the Great Lakes Center for the Arts; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Quartet, Times Stands Still, The Producers, and Triumph of Love at Bristol Riverside Theatre; and Moscow x6 at Williamstown Theatre Festival. 

CASTING

McCorkle

McCorkle Casting continues to strive for inclusivity and social awareness during it’s 35 year history in casting and is pleased to be associated with this production. Broadway: Over 50 productions including, On The Town, Amazing Grace, End of the Rainbow, A Few Good Men. etc. Off Broadway: Over 60 productions: Highlights; Tribes, Our Town, Driving Miss Daisy. Regional Theatre: Guthrie, Barrington Stage, George Street Playhouse, CATF and hundreds of regional theatres throughout the country. Feature films: Currently casting six films for theatrical release. Previous project highlights: Premium Rush, Ghost Town, The Thomas Crown Affair, Die Hard with a Vengeance, etc. Television: 3 new films for Hallmark, Twisted, Sesame Street, Californication (Emmy Nomination), Chappelle’s Show, Strangers with Candy etc. mccorklecasting.com 

Press

A terrific cast
The Washington Post
A 90-minute, rousing coming-of-age musical
DC Theater Arts
A poignant musical
MD Theatre Guide
Beautifully captures the extremes of Alison's story
Broadway World
Mr. Muse makes every moment matter
Stage and Cinema
Quinn Titcomb... can act and sing and is a joy to watch
Georgetown Dish

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