As part of their 2015 Fresh Takes Play Reading Series, WAM Theatre will present my play, Noms de Guerre on Sunday, June 14 at 3:00 p.m. Directed by Jayne Atkinson-Gill, the cast includes Shanae Rebecca Burch, James Gaudreau, Christina Gordon, Concetta Russo, Erica Tryon, and Kevin Craig West. Click here to learn more about the play and here to purchase tickets.

Mira is a rising star in the Republican Party, but her campaign against reproductive rights puts her at odds with her best friend, Jude, an award-winning journalist. When Jude discovers that Mira’s war hero husband Douglas is linked to a massacre of Afghan civilians, Mira is thrown into a whirlwind of political intrigue and must decide whether to hold on to her career or save her husband. Noms de Guerre is a haunting, lyrical and passionate story about friendship, love, war, and politics.

The reading will take place at at No. Six Depot Roastery and Café, 6 Depot Street in West Stockbridge, MA and is part of the inaugural event in this year's Lift Ev'ry Voice Festival, which celebrates African-American Culture and Heritage in the Berkshires. This year the Festival is celebrating the 150th anniversary of the passage of the 13th Amendment, which ended slavery in the United States. 


Please enjoy these wonderful rehearsal photos!

JACQUELINE E. LAWTON: WAM Theatre Debut. Her plays include Anna K; Blood-bound and Tongue-tied; Deep Belly Beautiful; The Devil’s Sweet Water; The Hampton Years; Love Brothers Serenade; Mad Breed; Noms de Guerre; and Our Man Beverly Snow. She received her MFA in Playwriting from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was a James A. Michener Fellow.  www.jacquelinelawton.com

JAYNE ATKINSON: WAM advisory board member and host of the WAM Theatre 2013 Benefit Claiming Her Place. Berkshire favorite Jayne Atkinson is an English-born film, theatre and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles on House of Cards, Criminal Minds and 24 as well as her Tony Award-nominated roles in The Rainmaker and Enchanted April.  Website: www.jayne-atkinson.com

As part of their 2015 Fresh Takes Play Reading Series, WAM Theatre presents my play, Noms de Guerre, under the direction of Jayne Atkinson. The reading will take place on Sunday, June 14 at 3:00 p.m. at No. Six Depot Roastery and Café, 6 Depot Street in West Stockbridge, MA. Click here to learn more about the play and here to purchase tickets.

The reading of Noms de Guerre will be the inaugural event in this year's Lift Ev'ry Voice Festival, which celebrates African-American Culture and Heritage in the Berkshires. This year the Festival is celebrating the 150th anniversary of the passage of the 13th Amendment, which ended slavery in the United States. 

Monday night's reading and post show discussion of Noms de Guerre was powerful, rich, and engaging! Our audience--a diverse mix of students, theatre folks, and friends-was fully captivated and charged by the plot, characters, and themes. During the post show discussion, there was a great appreciation for the strength, passion, and vulnerability of the women characters, the exploration of the lives of middle class people of color, and the way in which journalism, politics, and the military were interwoven with urgency, complexity, and nuance. I'm excited about this play and the audience response has been consistent: We need this play, now.

As I work to find a theatre home for the play, I want to thank everyone at Rep Stage, and also Jocelyn Clark and the lovely folks Arena Stage's Playwrights Arena and Seema Sueko, Diane Rodriguez, and our fabulous company at Pasadena Playhouse's HotHouse series for supporting the growth and development of this play. Now, please enjoy these photos from our rehearsal and reading.

Rep Stage, a professional regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College, is celebrating its 22nd season. The company is a member of the League of Washington Theatre, the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance and Theatre Communications Group. Rep Stage is recognized by Theatre Washington as professional DC Metro area theatre company and is eligible to be nominated for the Helen Hayes Awards. Performances are made possible by Howard Arts Council, Howard County Government, and the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the Stage of Maryland and National Endowment of the Arts, as well as through generous individual contributions. Rep Stage is proud to be a partner of Howard County Tourism and promotion. Rep Stage’s Artistic Leadership is helmed by Co-Producing Artistic Directors Suzanne Beal and Joseph Ritsch.

Tomorrow, Rep Stage will present a “one-night-only” staged reading of my play Noms de Guerre. Under the direction of Otis Cortez Ramsey-Zoe and featuring Nora Achrati, James J. Johnson, Lolita Marie, Jon Hudson Odom, Natalie Graves Tucker, and Dawn Ursula. Friday's rehearsal of Noms de Guerre was so rich and full. I'm continuing to learn about these characters and about how this play works. We began discussing the initial inspiration of the play ... 

Originally, this was meant to be a play about the War on Women and our ever-changing role in society. I wanted to write about a conservative Black woman whose political decisions hindered women’s reproductive rights. Ultimately, I write to make sense of the world.  In the wake of what’s been happening to women around the world and in the U.S., I wanted to understand what could possibly drive a woman, a politician, to do this to other women. The play was to follow the evolution of a friendship between two women, Mira and Jude. Over the course of seventeen years, we would have seen certain events play out in their lives that addressed these larger issues. But I quickly lost interest in that play and instead, this other story, this story of war … about how a broken soldier returns home and disrupts the lives of his ambitious wife and her career-driven best friend, needed to be the driving force. And in the most haunting, exquisite, and terrifying way, these other issues have come through, but now on more personal and deeply intimate levels. This play also explores the lives of middle class people of color, which we don't often see explored on our stages. 

From there, we did a table read of the script and had quite a passionate discussion. It''s wonderful to have actors who have been a part of the process from the beginning and others who are completely new to the script. We go back into rehearsal tomorrow in preparation for our reading at 7:00pm. For those interested in attending, click here to learn more and here for directions to The Monteabaro Recital Hall at the Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center. For now, please enjoy these photos from our rehearsal!

Rep Stage, a professional regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College, is celebrating its 22nd season. The company is a member of the League of Washington Theatre, the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance and Theatre Communications Group. Rep Stage is recognized by Theatre Washington as professional DC Metro area theatre company and is eligible to be nominated for the Helen Hayes Awards. Performances are made possible by Howard Arts Council, Howard County Government, and the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the Stage of Maryland and National Endowment of the Arts, as well as through generous individual contributions. Rep Stage is proud to be a partner of Howard County Tourism and promotion. Rep Stage’s Artistic Leadership is helmed by Co-Producing Artistic Directors Suzanne Beal and Joseph Ritsch.

In preparation for Rep Stage's upcoming reading of NOMS DE GUERRE as part of their commemoration of the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, I connected with our company about their careers in the theatre and the relevant themes of the play. Click here to learn more about the reading and please enjoy this wonderful interview with cast member Nora Achrati.

JACQUELINE LAWTON: To begin, why did you decide to get into theater? Was there someone or a particular show that inspired you?
NORA ACHRATI: I’ve loved acting since I was a kid – my parents enrolled me in summer camps, and I loved the ones that emphasized drama the most. I’d hang out with friends and put on different accents, and playing dress-up was probably my favorite thing ever. But I didn’t go in for it professionally until I was in my late 20s – I was working a job I didn’t like and needed to make a change. One of my best friends from college was a working actress, and I’d enjoyed seeing her work and getting to peek in on the process of theatre-making, so I enrolled in classes (at her suggestion) and things took off from there. Now I act, I do voice work, I teach, and I love it.

JL: NOMS DE GUERRE is a socio-political drama that addresses the U.S. military policy and the damaging impact of PTSD on veterans and their family. Why do you feel this play is relevant to today’s audiences?
NA: Today’s audiences are made up of generations who’ve had to deal with PTSD in its different incarnations – shell-shocked WWII and Korea vets, people who grew up with loved ones who survived Vietnam, parents and friends and sons and daughters who’ve served in the Gulf Wars and Afghanistan. There isn’t a generation alive that hasn’t felt its effects.

JL: NOMS DE GUERRE also addresses women’s rights and recent restrictions places on health care for women. It’s been 50 years since the Women’s Liberation Movement swept the nation, where do you feel we are in terms of gender relations in the U.S.?
NA: Oh Lord. I love this country, but when I see and hear the way reproductive choice is talked about in some very loud, very prominent circles, I want to bite something. But it’s deeper than that – there seems to be this fundamental chasm between the genders (writ large) that keeps getting reinforced by every element of popular culture. I’ve been reading a lot lately about Gamergate, and it’s just putrid. I don’t consider myself a “gamer,” but I feel viscerally offended – enraged – by the way these women have been attacked – there’s so much ferocity, so much toxic anger coming out that it makes me afraid. And angry back.

I really appreciate theater and art (and science) that aims to deconstruct the very idea of this chasm – I saw The “T” Party at Forum two years ago, and I’m so glad they’re bringing it back.

JL: Which character are you playing? What, if anything, do you have in common with this character’s passions, values, intentions or belief system?
NA: I play Hasina Bahram, an Afghan-born woman who is Myra’s campaign manager. She’s very smart, an excellent coach. She’s good at strategy – she’s good at knowing what can help and what can hurt. She’s crass when it’s called for. She’s more direct than I am, but I relate to her ability to read a situation and figure out how to make the best of it. We don’t share the same politics, but she’s a great coach, and ultimately, she’s a really good friend. I relate to that.

JL: What’s next for you as an actor? Where can we follow your work?
NA: I’ll be touring with Musica Aperta next spring with a new play with music about the life of St. Teresa of Avila. And I’ll be updating my website soon: norafachrati.com

About Rep Stage
Rep Stage, a professional regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College, is celebrating its 22nd season. The company is a member of the League of Washington Theatre, the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance and Theatre Communications Group. Rep Stage is recognized by Theatre Washington as professional DC Metro area theatre company and is eligible to be nominated for the Helen Hayes Awards. Performances are made possible by Howard Arts Council, Howard County Government, and the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the Stage of Maryland and National Endowment of the Arts, as well as through generous individual contributions. Rep Stage is proud to be a partner of Howard County Tourism and promotion. Rep Stage’s Artistic Leadership is helmed by Co-Producing Artistic Directors Suzanne Beal and Joseph Ritsch.

In preparation for Rep Stage's upcoming reading of NOMS DE GUERRE as part of their commemoration of the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, I connected with our company about their careers in the theatre and the relevant themes of the play. Click here to learn more about the reading and please enjoy this wonderful interview with cast member Natalie Graves Tucker.

JACQUELINE LAWTON: To begin, why did you decide to get into theater? Was there someone or a particular show that inspired you?
NATALIE GRAVES TUCKER: I knew I had a gift of public speaking through winning 4-H competitions, but didn't think about theatre until many years later. My grandmother nurtured the cultural arts in me through piano and forming a ballet school for black children that still exists today in my hometown. She was definitely my inspiration. 

JL: NOMS DE GUERRE is a socio-political drama that addresses the U.S. military policy and the damaging impact of PTSD on veterans and their family. Why do you feel this play is relevant to today's audiences?
NT: This play is most certainly relevant today. Many people have served their country or know of someone who did and those scars are real no matter which war or conflict. It's important to hear or see someone else's story.

JL: NOMS DE GUERRE also addresses women's rights and recent restrictions places on health care for women. It's been 50 years since the Women's Liberation Movement swept the nation, where do you feel we are in terms of gender relations in the U.S.?
NT: We have made progress but we still have a ways to go. Just like the commercials out there focusing on what it means to "throw like a girl” is highlighting, at a young age, that women are strong and equal if not better to their male counterparts. It transcends into the arts, workplace and even in the home.

JL: Which character are you playing? What, if anything, do you have in common with this character's passions, values, intentions or belief system?
NT: I play Leeda Ramsey who is a former JAG Attorney and assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I love being the woman next to THE man or woman because they trust you enough to have you in the room because of your skills and you make them look good. She knows where all the bodies are buried, literally so she's trustworthy yet a force to be reckoned with. I love those qualities.

JL: What's next for you as an actor? Where can we follow your work?
NT: I just finished a voiceover for AARP's RealPad android tablet that is being sold in stores. My voice is on the tutorials to help older people learn what an app is or how to use email. You can follow me at www.natalietucker.com

In preparation for Rep Stage's upcoming reading of NOMS DE GUERRE as part of their commemoration of the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, I connected with our company about their careers in the theatre and the relevant themes of the play. Click here to learn more about the reading and please enjoy this wonderful interview with cast member James J. Johnson

JACQUELINE LAWTON: To begin, why did you decide to get into theater? Was there someone or a particular show that inspired you?
JAMES J. JOHNSON: The Cosby Show was the spark. I was in 4th grade when it premiered. Not only did I never miss an episode throughout all 8 seasons, but I started to read everything I could find on Bill Cosby. I decided I wanted to become a stand-up comedian. In high school, though, I found theatre during my junior year and, suddenly, the itch was about more than just making people laugh.

JL: NOMS DE GUERRE is a socio-political drama that addresses the U.S. military policy and the damaging impact of PTSD on veterans and their family. Why do you feel this play is relevant to today’s audiences?
JJ: As Americans, we have seen war play out before our eyes for over a decade non-stop. Personally, I’ve seen friends and family members go and return from these wars. A few years ago, I reconnected with a good college buddy who joined the military and spent some time fighting overseas. He told me about his battle with PTSD after returning to the States. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t had a loved one involved in the military, in the past decade.

JL: NOMS DE GUERRE also addresses women’s rights and recent restrictions placed on health care for women. It’s been 50 years since the Women’s Liberation Movement swept the nation, where do you feel we are in terms of gender relations in the U.S.?
JJ: As with any movement—Civil Rights, Gay Rights—progress certainly creeps along. Like, I can look back and wonder, “Wow, there was a time—less than a century ago—when women couldn’t vote!” That seems so strange to me.  Then I look at today and wrack my brain as to why there are still people that don’t believe in equal pay for equal work. The hardest part is always the changing of people’s attitudes, but, in the meantime, we have to fight and reason to change the laws and policies.

JL: Which character are you playing? What, if anything, do you have in common with this character’s passions, values, intentions or belief system?
JJ: I am playing “Cooper Belizaire.” The main connection I sense is the value that Cooper puts on friendship—and relationships, in general. He does not take a friendship lightly and will do all in his power to support, yet stay honest. He is committed! He also seems to value the importance of humor. I aspire to those values, because that’s what I want, in return.

JL: What’s next for you as an actor? Where can we follow your work?
JJ: I am in a film, Nocturnal Agony, which is slated to hit stores in January. It stars Lawrence Hilton Jacobs, Vernee Watson, Hezekiah Walker, DC’s own Deidra Lawan Starnes, and many more. Directed by Shuaib Mitchell. jamesjjohnson.weebly.com/

In preparation for Rep Stage's upcoming reading of NOMS DE GUERRE as part of their commemoration of the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, I connected with our company about their careers in the theatre and the relevant themes of the play. Click here to learn more about the reading and please enjoy this wonderful interview with cast member Lolita Marie.

ACQUELINE LAWTON: To begin, why did you decide to get into theater?  Was there someone or a particular show that inspired you?
LOLITA-MARIE: In 2003 I worked with a gentleman - Tillman Figgs, that did theater part-time and he encouraged me to audition for a show he was in. After being cast, I quickly fell in love with the theater culture, process, and experience and have been acting ever since. The show that I always credit with my love for theater before ever setting foot on a stage is "Shout Up A Morning." It was the first professional theater performance that I saw as I child in the nations capital.

JL: NOMS DE GUERRE is a socio-political drama that addresses the U.S. military policy and the damaging impact of PTSD on veterans and their family. Why do you feel this play is relevant to today’s audiences? 
LM: There was a time when the old folks would refer to someone being in "the war," and based on their age you could pretty much guess which war they were referring to. Not so any more. So many wars, so many countries, so many victims. The countries recognition of the impact and reach of PTSD does not make it any easier for veterans and their families to appropriately identify and address the myriad of forms in which PTSD manifests itself.  The more publicity and knowledge that we can provide in various forms (such as the stage), the better equipped we will all be to recognize, understand, and address PTSD issues. Ultimately influencing policy makers, impacting PTSD policy, and helping in the efforts to support healthy veteran families.

JL: NOMS DE GUERRE also addresses women’s rights and recent restrictions places on health care for women. It’s been 50 years since the Women’s Liberation Movement swept the nation, where do you feel we are in terms of gender relations in the U.S.?
LM: We still have a long way to go when our country has to keep revisiting legislation regarding the reproductive rights of women with each political candidate. The disparity is further illustrated, in recent news, with the vocalized ignorance of major company CEOs in regards to equal pay for women. Though we can now fight alongside our men in wars, even play football (in those few places that actively support and encourage girls and young ladies to play), our country still struggles with how to legislatively balance, support, and protect those whom they still see primarily as the "mother." Or, at the very least, those who they see as a person with the potential-to-be-a-mother.

JL: Which character are you playing? What, if anything, do you have in common with this character’s passions, values, intentions or belief system?
LM: I play Jude Nolan-Belizaire. Like Jude, though not a journalist, I am passionate about truth in my "works"-professionally and personally. I strive to ensure that my work reflects my integrity, ethics, and drive.  I also, like her,  struggle with balancing the demands of such a quest with the needs of those I care for. For every action there's a reaction, right? For every passion there is something else that is being neglected.

JL: What’s next for you as an actor? 
LM: I will be working with Fords Theater in the winter as an understudy for the African American female characters in "The Widow Lincoln."

In preparation for Rep Stage's upcoming reading of NOMS DE GUERRE as part of their commemoration of the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, I connected with our company about their careers in the theatre and the relevant themes of the play. Click here to learn more about the reading and please enjoy this wonderful and insightful interview with our brilliant director Otis Ramsey-Zoe.

JACQUELINE LAWTON: To begin, why did you decide to get into theater? Was there someone or a particular show that inspired you?
OTIS RAMSEY-ZÖE: As an undergrad at the University of Notre Dame, I declared a major in theatre without really knowing where I fit into the field. Along the way, I collected remarkable mentors. Wendy Arons (who now teaches at Carnegie Mellon) introduced me to dramaturgy, Brecht, and guided my studies in dramatic literature and theory. Jessica Chalmers introduced me to performance studies, visual storytelling, and uses of technology in performance. As a result of their tutorage, I am the artist-scholar that I am today.

JL: What was the first play that you ever directed? What did you learn from that experience that remains with you today?
ORZ: During my first year as Literary Manager and First Look Coordinator at Centerstage, I directed a reading of Simon Levy’s What I Heard About Iraq (a cry for 5 voices). I had the most gifted cast, and I was intimidated by their brilliance. I was very young, and when I offered guidance or thoughts, I did it as if I were asking permission. I needed to work out a moment that lacked dramatic build in performance, but I was afraid of telling them what to do. After trying to let the actors come up with a solution, I finally offered my instructions in an “if it’s alright with you” phrasing. I remember Tuyet Pham declaring, “You just tell us what to do.” From that I learned that, it didn’t matter that I was the youngest person in the room, I was equipped to do the job. It also taught me that I’m responsible for making the call and affirmed my ability to do that,

JL: NOMS DE GUERRE is a socio-political drama that addresses the U.S. military policy and the damaging impact of PTSD on veterans and their family. Why do you feel this play is relevant to today’s audiences? 
ORZ: As a social problem, the impact of war on all citizens, whether military of civilian, is a matter of chief importance and is a problem that is nearly as old as human history. Untreated PTSD and mental health conditions are a grave threat to society. Trauma and traumatic breakdowns seem to be evermore common, while we tend to avoid conversations around mental health, trauma, depression and the like. In addition, on a symbolic level, the crisis reflects the tension between revelation and concealment—that which can be seen versus what is hidden and illegible to the naked eye. We are a society concerned with surfaces of things. Mira, Douglas, Jude, Cooper, Leda, and Hasina are all deeply concerned with outside appearances and must wrestle with what lies beneath and how the interior threatens to crack their worlds apart. The play brings these hidden issues to the forefront, and I hope that meaningful engagement follows, among individuals and within communities.

JL: NOMS DE GUERRE also addresses women’s rights and recent restrictions places on health care for women. It’s been 50 years since the Women’s Liberation Movement swept the nation, where do you feel we are in terms of gender relations in the U.S.?
ORZ: Gender politics in this nation reflects the tension between chronology and ideology—we live in a twenty-first century world but are married to archaic, perhaps nineteenth century or so, ideas about the place of women in our world. We even find that old binaries for gender as biologically determined are insufficient. Moreover, we can think about gender relations and politics in terms of performance. Among its many definitions, performance can mean both to do an action and to pretend to do. As a nation, we are poised between meaningful change and its appearance.  All of that serves as preface to my response to this question. I think that we need to overhaul our ideas on gender, and we need to bring practices and policies in line with our contemporary world. For fear of grandstanding or getting off topic, I’m going to cut myself off there.

JL: What do you hope audience walk away thinking about after experiencing this play?
ORZ: I want people to go away still in struggle with questions and choices from the play and its characters. I don’t go to the theatre to have all of my questions answered or to have someone else solve all of the world’s problems. Similarly, I hope that people leave engaged. I also hope that they leave feeling challenged because the people we meet in the play are not images of African Americans that we get to see a lot in the media. I hope that audiences will appreciate and reflect upon the diversity and complexity of the characters.  

JL: What's next for you as a director? Where can we keep up with your work?
ORZ: After this reading, I hang my director’s cap for a while and put on my dramaturg’s hat. In the Spring, I serve as dramaturg on Jacqueline E. Lawton’s new adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Adventure Theatre), Uncle Vanya (Round House) and The Shipment (Forum Theatre). I am also deviser/dramaturg on a Tyger, which is a part of the Mead Theatre Lab Program and produced by banished? productions.

About Rep Stage
Rep Stage, a professional regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College, is celebrating its 22nd season. The company is a member of the League of Washington Theatre, the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance and Theatre Communications Group. Rep Stage is recognized by Theatre Washington as professional DC Metro area theatre company and is eligible to be nominated for the Helen Hayes Awards. Performances are made possible by Howard Arts Council, Howard County Government, and the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the Stage of Maryland and National Endowment of the Arts, as well as through generous individual contributions. Rep Stage is proud to be a partner of Howard County Tourism and promotion. Rep Stage’s Artistic Leadership is helmed by Co-Producing Artistic Directors Suzanne Beal and Joseph Ritsch.

In preparation for the upcoming reading of NOMS DE GUERRE, I connected with Rep Stage's Literary Manager and Resident Dramaturg Lisa A. Wilde about the reading series and their programming around the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which includes Dominique Morisseau's Sunset Baby and Catherine Filloux's Selma 65. Click here to learn more about the reading and please enjoy this wonderful interview. 

We have been presenting staged readings at Rep Stage on and off for the past twelve years and as Literary Manager and Resident Dramaturg, I have been the curator for these readings. We have been fairly flexible and fluid about them, wanting to be able to respond to the specific nature and opportunities of each season, artists we are working with and the larger artistic community. We often work with artists who are involved in our current production, themes that the Arts and Humanities division at Howard Community College is focused on, or topics that seem timely. Some years we have used a resident acting company and presented a reading matched with each production ad some years, like this one our selections have been more “a la carte.” But the focus remains the same: to provide the students and our community members to experience dramatic scripts with a focus on the writing, to allow artists to hear their work in front of an audience, and to provide insight into the creative process.

This year, one of our new Co-Artistic directors, Suzanne Beal, wanted to present a series on the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. We had already programmed Dominique Morrisseau’s play Sunset Baby for the spring and had been offered the opportunity to present Catherine Filloux’s Selma 65 in the winter. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to present a staged reading in the fall of Jacqueline E. Lawton’s Noms de Guerre. Ms Lawton is someone we have been interested in working with for some time and have been looking for the right project—and the right time! The play fits beautifully in our vision of examining the legacy of racial inequality in this country. We are also looking forward to working with some new partners – director Otis Cortez Ramsey-Zoe, actors Nora Achrati, Lolita Clayton, Natalie Graves Tucker and James J. Johnson and welcoming back Dawn Ursula and Jon Hudson Odom. Most significantly, we are thrilled to have the playwright present to experience her words and to share her process with our audience of students, faculty, and community members.

About Rep Stage
Rep Stage, a professional regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College, is celebrating its 22nd season. The company is a member of the League of Washington Theatre, the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance and Theatre Communications Group. Rep Stage is recognized by Theatre Washington as professional DC Metro area theatre company and is eligible to be nominated for the Helen Hayes Awards. Performances are made possible by Howard Arts Council, Howard County Government, and the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the Stage of Maryland and National Endowment of the Arts, as well as through generous individual contributions. Rep Stage is proud to be a partner of Howard County Tourism and promotion. Rep Stage’s Artistic Leadership is helmed by Co-Producing Artistic Directors Suzanne Beal and Joseph Ritsch.