Irrepressible ex-cop Walter Washington is facing eviction, City Hall, and the recent death of his wife. Clinging to both his grievances and the palatial rent-controlled apartment he shares with his ex-con son and a ragtag surrogate family, Walter needs to shake the past—but isn’t ready to move on. Winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize, a boisterous and unflinching dark comedy from the playwright of The Motherfucker with the Hat.
Runtime: 2 hours and 10 minutes, with one intermission.
Environmental Warnings: This production contains the use of herbal cigarettes.
Oh and please let's keep it classy.
Please.
Between Riverside and Crazy
is generously underwritten
by Steve and Linda Skalet.
Stephen Adly Guirgis was born and raised on New York City’s Upper West Side by an Egyptian father and Irish-American mother. “We didn’t have money to really go to Broadway,” he recalls, “but every couple years we would go see a play.” In college, Guirgis didn’t find his focus until his sister gave him tickets to a production of Lanford Wilson’s Burn This, starring John Malkovich. “It changed my fucking life,” he explains. “The play just knocked me out. I went back and changed my major to theater.”
Mr. Guirgis initially embarked on an acting career, but found his calling in playwriting. His plays, as fiercely funny as they are tragic, are notable for their colorful characters and portraiture of New York City street life. As Hilton Als of The New Yorker describes them, Guirgis’ plays feature “black, Jewish, and Latino voices that meet and crash and land on the predatory streets that his characters sometimes stalk far into the night, in search of a little coke, perhaps, or some Chicken McNuggets.”
Mr. Guirgis’ plays has been produced on five continents and throughout the United States. They include Our Lady of 121st Street (Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle Best Play nominations, 10 Best Plays of 2003), Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train (Edinburgh Festival Fringe First Award, Barrymore Award, Olivier nomination for London’s Best New Play), In Arabia, We’d All Be Kings (2007 LA Drama Critics Circle Awards, Best Production and Best Writing), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (10 Best, Time Magazine and Entertainment Weekly) and The Little Flower of East Orange at The Public Theater. All five plays were originally directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman for LAByrinth Theatre Company (where Mr. Guirgis is currently a co-artistic director). The Motherfucker with the Hat opened on Broadway in 2011 in a co-production with The Public Theater; the production received six Tony nominations, including Best Play.
In London, his plays have premiered at The Donmar Warehouse, Almeida Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, and at The Arts in the West End. Mr. Guigis has received a 2006 PEN/Laura Pels Award, a 2006 Whiting Award and a 2004 TCG fellowship. His television writing credits include NYPD Blue, The Sopranos, Big Apple and UC: Undercover.
(As of January 2013)
Brian MacDevitt directed Between Riverside and Crazy for Studio Theatre, where he designed lighting for Sucker Punch and The Real Thing, and he served as the Production Designer for Murder Ballad. His recent directing credits include Proof at Theater Three in New York and Spring Awakening at The Clarice Smith Center. Other directing credits include Joyce Soho and readings at New York Stage and Film and Naked Angels. He has designed lighting for close to 70 shows on Broadway, including Larry David’s A Fish in the Dark, A Delicate Balance with Glenn Close, and This is Our Youth by Kenneth Lonergan. Other Broadway credits include Death of a Salesman starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and directed by Mike Nichols; The Book of Mormon (Tony Award), The Coast of Utopia, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Fences, A Behanding in Spokane, Race, The Pillowman, Urinetown, and Into the Woods. He is the recipient of five Tony Awards, an Obie Award for Sustained Excellence, a Bessie Award, Lucille Lortel Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, the Hewes Award, and a Drama Desk Award. He designed lights for dance productions with The Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Tere O’Connor Dance, Merce Cunningham, Lar Lubovitch, Nancy Bannon, and many others. His designs for the Metropolitan Opera include The Enchanted Island, Le Compte Ory, and Doctor Atomic. He is on the faculty of University of Maryland and is a member of the Naked Angels Theater Company.
(As of April 2015)
Frankie earned a Tony and Drama Desk nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the brain-damaged Gabriel to James Earl Jones' Troy Maxon in August Wilson's award winning play Fences. His other Broadway appearances include Getting Away with Murder, the Brooks Atkinson Theatre production of Of Mice and Men, and the Circle in the Square revival of The Iceman Cometh and The Shadow Box. Frankie also took on the challenge of playing the role of Memphis in August Wilson’s Two Trains Running and the monumental role of Willie Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Following his success as Commissioner Ervin Burrell on the acclaimed HBO series "The Wire" Frankie Faison continues to weave a series of studio and independent film performances in Cirque du Freak, Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist, Meet the Browns, and indies Order of Redemption, For Sale By Owner, Adam, and Splinterheads. Audiences delighted in his portrayal of Chief Gordon in the madcap Wayan’s Brothers comedy White Chicks. Other prominent feature appearances include all three Hannibal Lecter films: The Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, and Hannibal, as well as appearing in the initial film Manhunter, which makes him the only actor to have appeared in all of the films. He can most recently be seen in the hit Cinemax series Banshee as Sugar Bates.
(As of December 2015)
Jasmin Tavarez made her professional theatre debut as Lulu in Between Riverside and Crazy. She has appeared on the television shows Shameless (HBO), Southland (TNT), Law & Order: SVU (NBC), Gossip Girl (CW), and most recently on Bosch (Amazon). Ms. Tavarez is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where she trained under Michael Kahn and James Houghton in the Drama Division. Her credits at Juilliard include Gower in Shakespeare’s Pericles, Gotchling in A Dark Room Called Day, Nanny in A Doll’s House, and Maniefa in Diary of a Scoundrel.
(As of January 2016)
Sean Carvajal made his Studio Theatre debut in Between Riverside and Crazy. As an actor, some of his work includes Ghetto Babylon (59E59), Lissabon (La MaMa), Holy Land (HERE Arts Center), Seven Spots on The Sun (Cincinnati Playhouse), and Stephen Adly Guirgis’s Dominica, That Fat Ugly Ho (Labyrinth Intensive Ensemble). He also starred in HBO’s award-winning short film, CRUSH. Mr. Carvajal has worked as a teaching artist, collaborating with students in high schools, juvenile detention facilities, senior centers, and hospitals with arts-in-education organizations throughout New York City—including The New York Theatre Workshop.
(As of January 2016)
David Bishins made his Studio Theatre debut in Between Riverside and Crazy. A native of Washington, D.C. David returned home in June of 2014 after nearly 30 years living and working in NYC. Here in D.C. David has played at Shakespeare Theatre Company in The Tempest and The Winter’s Tale, at Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Appropriate, and later this season you can catch David as Robert McNamara in Arena Stage’s production of All The Way. While in NYC David appeared in numerous Off-Broadway productions. A select few are: The Glass House (The Clurman); Incident at Vichy (TACT);Sympathetic Magic (2nd Stage); The Nest (Tectonic Theatre Project); and Boys in the Band (WPA & The Lucille Lortel).
In Regional Theatre David recently he reprised his role in Appropriate for The Mark Taper Forum. Other Regional credits include: The Old Globe; Intiman; Long Wharf; Barrington Stage; Vermont Stage; Wilma; Pittsburgh Public; and Hartford Stage.
In film, you can see David in the upcoming A Cure For Wellness directed by Gore Verbinsky. Other film credits include: SALT, The Adjustment Bureau, Sorry, Haters!, and The War Within,among others. David recently finished shooting a recurring role as the Secretary of Homeland Security on House of Cards for NETFLIX. Other television credits include Homeland; Blue Bloods; Fringe; and the entire canon of Law & Order shows. David is a proud member of AEA and a graduate of The Juilliard School. David has enjoyed a supportive relationship with his agents at Abrams Artists Agency since 1989.
(As of January 2016)
Emily Townley has appeared at Studio Theatre in Between Riverside and Crazy, Laugh, Skin Tight, Rock ‘n’ Roll, and The Bright and Bold Design. She is a Company Member at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, where she has performed in multiple productions; her favorite roles there include Penny Easter in The Totalitarians (2015 Helen Hayes nomination for Best Actress), Mary in Detroit, Pauline in A Bright New Boise, Lizzie in Mary Stuart, Heidi in Fuddy Meers, and Marilyn in Watbanaland. Locally and regionally, she has appeared in numerous productions for the Folger Theatre, Everyman Theatre, Rep Stage, MetroStage, Washington Stage Guild, Source Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Round House Theatre, and Gulfshore Playhouse. She was most recently seen in Bad Dog at Olney Theatre Center and will next perform as Lucinda in the DC premiere of The Mystery of Love & Sex at Signature Theatre. Ms. Townley is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.
(As of January 2016)
Cristina Frias made her Studio debut in Between Riverside and Crazy. She was most recently seen in Real Women Have Curves at Pasadena Playhouse. Other theatre credits include The Motherfucker with the Hat at South Coast Repertory, Pericles at Independent Shakespeare Company, Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare Center LA, and Hamlet at LA Women’s Shakespeare Company. Ms. Frias originated the role of Sparky in PLACAS at Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, and Dolores in Luis Alfaro’s celebrated Black Butterfly at Mark Taper Forum/Kennedy Center/Smithsonian. She also appeared in the Music of Antonin Dvorak at Walt Disney Concert Hall; Sunstone at Getty Villa; Camino Real at Theatre@Boston Court; Broken Hearts (Best Ensemble Garland Award) at Cornerstone Theatre Company, Independent Female at San Francisco Mime Troupe, and Close Encounters with Culture Clash and Latina Theatre Lab. Ms. Frias toured her solo work All Aboard (Highways Emerging Artist Award and CTG’s Latino Theatre Lab Commission) in Europe and East Africa and is the recipient of multiple Artists-in-Residence Awards from the L.A. Department of Cultural Affairs. She recently starred in the film The Parting Shot (2015 Milan International Film Festival Selection). She holds an MFA in Acting from the Institute of CalArts and a BA from UC Berkeley.
(As of January 2016)
Bryant Bentley made his DC debut at Studio Theatre in Between Riverside and Crazy. His regional work includes Gabriel in August Wilson’s Fences directed by Clinton Turner Davis at Everyman Theater, Walter Lee in A Raisin In The Sun at Wright State University, Jackie Robinson in Most Valuable Player as well as The Color of Justice and Huckleberry Finn at Indiana Repertory Theater, Willie in Master Harold and The Boys at Clarence Brown Theater, and Lank in Dominique Morisseau’s Detroit ’67 at Ensemble Theater of Cincinnati, as well as appearances in Gem of the Ocean, The Color of Justice, The Exonerated, A Soldier’s Play, Topdog/Underdog, Blues For an Alabama Sky, Jitney, Greater Tuna, Five Guys Named Moe, Cinderella, Comfort Zone, and The Crucible around the country. He is the recipient of the Theater Roundtable Best Actor Award for his portrayal of Simon in Matthew Lopez’s The Whipping Man at Gallery Players Theater and of the Central Ohio Theatre Critics Circle Best Actor Award for his portrayal of Boy Willie in August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson at CATCO Theater. He was nominated for the Tampa Bay Theatre Award for Actor in a Leading role twice: for his portrayals of Sterling Johnson in August Wilson’s Two Trains Running and of Boy Willie in The Piano Lesson, both at American Stage Theater.
(As of January 2016)
Eric Shimelonis' Studio Theatre productions include Between Riverside and Crazy,The Year of Magical Thinking, Stoop Stories, In the Red and Brown Water, An Iliad, Time Stands Still, The Motherfucker with the Hat, and Torch Song Trilogy. Other recent productions include The Night Alive at Round House Theatre, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at Folger Theatre, and Marie Antoinette at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company for which he received a 2015 Helen Hayes Award nomination. Mr. Shimelonis is the recipient of a 2014 Helen Hayes Award for outstanding sound design for his work on Never the Sinner at 1st Stage.
(As of January 2016)
Lee Savage designed the set for Between Riverside and Crazy. His New York credits include Muscles In Our Toes, Sunset Baby, and Thinner Than Water at Labyrinth; Collapse at the Women’s Project; All-American at LCT3; The Dream of the Burning Boy and Ordinary Days at Roundabout; Oohrah! at the Atlantic Theater Company; The Bereaved with Partial Comfort; and punkplay at Clubbed Thumb. His area credits include productions at Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington National Opera, Ford’s Theatre, and Signature Theatre. Regionally, his work has been seen at Asolo Repertory Theatre, Chautauqua Theater Company, Dallas Theater Center, Glimmerglass Festival, Goodman Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Westport Country Playhouse, Wilma Theater, Yale Repertory Theatre, and others. International credits include A Streetcar Named Desire at The Gate and The Jammer at Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Mr. Savage received a Helen Hayes Award for his work on Much Ado About Nothing and nominations for A Midsummer Night's Dream and Richard III at Shakespeare Theatre Company, as well as a Connecticut Critics Circle Award for The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow at Yale Rep. He is a Member of Wingspace Theatrical Design and a contributing editor for Chance Magazine. He received his BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and MFA from the Yale School of Drama, where he is currently on faculty.
(As of January 2016)
Dede Ayite makes her Studio Theatre debut with Between Riverside and Crazy. Locally, her work has been seen in The Blood Quilt and Five Guys Named Moe at Arena Stage (the latter in co-production with the Cleveland Playhouse.) Her recent design credits include Ugly Lies the Bone at Roundabout Theatre Company, ToasT at The Public Theater, Marie Antoinette at Steppenwolf Theatre (Jeff Award), Stagger Lee at Dallas Theater Center, The C.A. Lyons Project at Alliance Theatre, brownsville song (b-side for tray) at LCT3. She designed sets and costumes for Urban Retreat and Manahatta at The Public Theater and designed sets for Raisin in the Sun at CalShakes and The Piano Lesson at Yale Repertory Theatre. Other costume designs include The Music Man in Concert at Two Rivers and NJPAC, Last Laugh at the soloNOVA Festival, Mary Stuart at NYU, June’s Blood and Fried Chicken & Latkes with the National Black Theatre, Holding it Down at Harlem Stage, Vassa with the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, and Illmatic at Urban Stages. Her television work includes design for Kurt Metzger on Comedy Central, Fox Shortcoms on the FOX Network, and COPPER Project with Improv Everywhere/BBC America. Ms. Ayite’s upcoming projects include The Royale at Lincoln Center Theater, Washer/Dryer at Ma-Yi Theater Company, and The Wiz at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She holds an MFA from the Yale School of Drama.
(As of January 2016)
Jen Schriever makes her Studio Theatre debut with Between Riverside and Crazy. In the DC area, she has designed Marie Antoinette at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company; Sunday in the Park with George and A Second Chance at Signature Theatre; Romeo And Juliet, The Conference of the Birds, and Taming of the Shrew at Folger Theatre; and Carousel at Olney Theatre Center. In New York, Ms. Schriever has designed lights for John Leguizamo’s Ghetto Klown on Broadway (also filmed for HBO), and she will be designing Danai Gurira’s Eclipsed on Broadway in the spring. Her opera credits include Les Pêcheurs de Perles and Die Fledermaus at the Metropolitan Opera; and La Traviata, Faust and A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Mariinsky in Russia. Off Broadway and regionally, Ms. Schriever has worked at The Public Theater, Signature Theatre Company, Abrons Arts Center, Women’s Project, Second Stage, Labyrinth, Soho Playhouse, New World Stages, Union Square, Town Hall, Goodman Theatre, Goodspeed Opera House, Papermill Playhouse, Center Stage, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and People’s Light. She is an adjunct professor at Purchase College and a member of Wingspace.
(As of January 2016)
Lauren Halvorsen is in her ninth season as Studio’s Associate Literary Director. Her dramaturgy credits here include Doubt, P.Y.G. or the Mis-Edumacation of Dorian Belle, Admissions, Kings, If I Forget, Vietgone, The Wolves, Skeleton Crew, The Father, Three Sisters, The Hard Problem, Hand to God, Moment, Between Riverside and Crazy, Chimerica, The Wolfe Twins, Belleville, Water by the Spoonful, Tribes, The Real Thing, The Motherfucker with the Hat, The Aliens, Bachelorette, The Big Meal, and Time Stands Still. Previously, Lauren spent three seasons as Literary Manager of The Alley Theatre. She was the Artistic Associate of the WordBRIDGE Playwrights Laboratory for six years and has worked in various artistic capacities for The Kennedy Center, City Theatre Company, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, First Person Arts Festival, and The Wilma Theater. Lauren is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College.
(As of December 2019)
Anthony O. Bullock returns to Studio Theatre after previously being the Resident Stage Manager for two seasons. Prior Studio credits include The Hard Problem, Cloud 9, Hedda Gabler, Moment, Between Riverside and Crazy, Chimerica, Jumpers for Goalposts, and Laugh. Additional DC area credits include Signature Theatre, Arena Stage, Baltimore Center Stage, and Theater J, where he will be their new Resident Stage Manager for the 2019-2020 season. Other regional credits include McCarter Theatre Center, Barrington Stage Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Passage Theatre, and Shakespeare & Company, among others. He toured with The White Snake by Mary Zimmerman in association with the Goodman Theatre, as part of the Wuzhen Theatre Festival in Wuzhen, China. Anthony received his BFA from Oklahoma City University. He is also on the board of The Stage Managers’ Association as the Eastern Regional Director. He is a proud member of AEA.
(As of April 2019)
Sivan Battat is Studio Theatre’s 2015–2016 Artistic Apprentice, where she serves as the resident assistant director. This season, she has assistant directed Moment, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Apple Family Plays, and Chimerica. Outside of Studio, Ms. Battat has worked with a number of artists including Kim Weild, Lily Whitsitt, Faye Driscoll, Yuri Kordonsky, and Rinde Eckert. She has worked at the Cape Cod Theatre Project, as well as New Haven-based companies Elm Shakespeare and Collective Consciousness Theatre. She most recently worked with the Doris Duke Building Bridges Grant to develop a new commission with Leila Buck for the Muslim Women’s Voices Series at Wesleyan University. She has spent time working with various peace-based groups abroad including the Arab-Hebrew Theatre of Jaffa in South Tel Aviv, and a young artists’ festival in Sderot, Israel. Ms. Battat spent a semester training at the Moscow Art Theatre School and is a graduate of Wesleyan University, where she received her BA in Theater and Social, Cultural, and Critical Theory.
(As of April 2016)
