Playbill

P L A Y I N G
T H E
MARCH 21 THROUGH APRIL 26
FROM THE P LAYWRIGHT
This play began with an obituary. In the summer of 2010,
I came across the death notice of former NFL safety
Jack Tatum. The name alone evoked my youth and early
football fanaticism. As a kid I’d been a Steelers fan and
had a great fondness for my home team, the Eagles,
too. Still, I knew Tatum, who’d played for the notorious
Oakland Raiders, by reputation. In the 1970s, he was
known as the league’s hardest hitter—a steam engine of
a man.
The obituary headline, though, reminded me of
something else. It read, “Jack Tatum, Whose Tackle
Paralyzed Player, Dies at 61”. During a 1978 pre-season
game, Tatum put a hit on New England Patriots’ wide
receiver Darryl Stingley. The play looked routine, but
Stingley never got up; he was permanently paralyzed
from the neck down. For the next thirty years, the two
men never spoke. Stingley died in 2007. The incident and
its aftermath trailed Tatum like a hellhound for the rest
of his life, and in death that’s how his time on earth was
summed up in print: as a man who had destroyed the life
of someone else. That was his tragic legacy.
In the days after reading Tatum’s obituary I imagined a
meeting in a hotel decades after a catastrophic collision
like the one between Tatum and Stingley. I changed the
names and many of the details, but I wondered what
might happen if a Tatum-like character tried to make
one last ditch effort to reconcile with the man he injured.
During the course of the play, my two characters, Lewis
and Frank, confront each other, lie to one another, and
attempt to face their demons. In doing so, they reveal
their true natures and come face-to-face with who and
what they are. They also hope against hope that what
happens between them will change their lives, even
redeem them, before it’s too late.
- David Robson
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P L A Y I N G
BY
T H E
DAVID ROBSON
DIRECTED BY
JOE BRANCATO †
CAST
EZRA KNIGHT*
GARRETT LEE HENDRICKS*
Set Designer
Costume Designer
Lighting Designer
Sound Designer
Fight Choreographer
Casting
BRIAN PRATHER
CHARLOTTE PALMER-LANE
ED McCARTHY
EMILY AUCIELLO
RON PIRETTI
CINDI RUSH CASTING
Production Manager
Stage Manager
C. NIKKI MILLS
KATE J. CUDWORTH*
Design by WondriskaRusso
Photo by Ron Riesterer
PLAYING THE ASSASSIN
had its world premiere at Penguin Rep Theatre in Stony Point, NY
(Joe Brancato, Artistic Director, and Andrew Horn, Executive Director)
Originally produced in a substantially different version under the title “ASSASSIN”
by InterAct Theatre Company (Philadelphia, PA) and Act II Playhouse (Ambler, PA)
† Member of SDC, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, Union of Professional Actors
and Stage Managers in the U.S.
TheaterWorks is a non-profit, professional theater
company founded in 1985 by Steve Campo.
Like us on Facebook (TheaterworksHartford) or follow
us on Twitter (@TheaterworksCT).
TheaterWorks • 233 Pearl Street • Hartford, CT 06103 • 2015
WHO
E ZR A K NI GH T (Frank) is making his
TheaterWorks debut. Ezra is pleased to
reprise his role of The Assassin and return
to his first love, the Theatre. He was last
seen on TV in The Following, The Blacklist,
Orange is the New Black (S1). Broadway:
Cymbeline, Lincoln Center; Festen, Music
Box. Off-Broadway: Merchant of Venice
(RSC), Oroonoko, Jew of Malta, TFANA; Julius Caesar, King
Lear; NYSF/Public Theatre. Regional includes title roles
of Othello, The Acting Company; Hamlet, Shakespeare in
Santa Fe; Augustus Newcastle in the World Premier of The
Darker Face of the Earth, Oregon Shakespeare Festival/
Crossroads/JFKennedy Center. Films include: Final, Table
One, One Tough Cop, and upcoming Straight Outa Tomkins
and ADDicted. Ezra’s voice can be heard on numerous TV
& radio commercials and digital audiobook titles. His blind
side is covered by Elenni, Julia, & Leyla. Regards to All
former College & NFL Players & their families battling CTE.
#GiveToCTE Research
GARRETT LEE HENDRICKS (Lewis) is
making his TheaterWorks debut. He could
not be prouder and more excited to be a
part of this play and its current incarnation.
Before PLAYING THE ASSASSIN, he was seen
onstage as Caleb in the critically acclaimed
Red Fern production of Miss Evers’ Boys. He’s
been seen on screen in Graduation, Uncaged,
and The Burning Bride. He’s been seen on TV in Nurse Jackie,
Law & Order, The Americans, and White Collar, to name a few.
Love to his friends and family, hi-fives to Ezra and Joe, and
special thanks to his amazing wife Nikoa and lovely daughter
Zuri, the raison for his etre.
DAV I D RO BSON (Playwright) will premier his latest play,
Priceless at Penguin Rep this September. Other plays include
Playing Leni (co-written with John Stanton, Madhouse
Theater Company), A Few Small Repairs (Theater Catalyst),
Man Measures Man (InterAct Theatre Company, Barrymore
Nomination), After Denmark (Yellow Taxi Productions), and
Out of Place (Julie Harris Playwriting Award Finalist). He is
the recipient of the Hotel Obligado Audience Choice Award
for New Work and two playwriting fellowships and two grants
from the Delaware Division of the Arts. Play development:
Bated Breath Theatre (Hartford), Lark (NYC), White
Pines Productions (Philadelphia), City Theater Company
(Wilmington), Great Plains Theatre Conference (Omaha),
Last Frontier Theatre Conference (Valdez, Alaska), and New
Theatre (Coral Gables, FL). David’s plays and monologues are
published by Smith and Kraus and Original Works Publishing.
He is a member of the Dramatists’ Guild and a former
playwright in residence at the Lark Play Development Center
in New York City.
J O E BR ANC ATO (Director) is happy to
return to TheaterWorks where he last directed
Tryst in 2012. Cited by The New York Times as
“one of America’s most insightful directors”,
Joe directed the premier of PLAYING THE
ASSASSIN at Penguin Rep this past fall. Joe’s
Off-Broadway credits include the critically
acclaimed sold-out production of Erasmus
Fenn’s Drop Dead Perfect at Theatre at St. Clements; The
Devil’s Music: The Life & Blues of Bessie Smith (Drama
Desk, Lucille Lortel, Off-Broadway Alliance and Audleco
Award nominee) which he also staged at the Montreal Jazz
Festival; Miracle on South Division Street, Fall to Earth
and Freed (Audelco Award nominee); Tryst (Outer Critics
nomination for Best Play); Cobb (Drama Desk winner)
produced by Kevin Spacey and Melting Pot in NYC and
LA; From Door To Door; One Shot, One Kill; Santa Claus is
Coming Out; Two and a Half Jews; My Italy Story; Ricky Ian
Gordon’s The Matter of Minutes; Escape from Happiness
(starring Marsha Mason), The Big Swing (starring Madeline
Kahn, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Marisa
Tomei) and Dr. Valentine’s Waltz (starring John Turturro,
Laura Linney, Gina Gershon, Jane Alexander); Hold the
Wedding, produced by Joseph Papp. Regional credits:
George Street Playhouse, Seattle Rep, Cleveland Play House,
Williamstown Theatre Festival, Houston’s Alley Theatre,
Hartford Stage Company, Westport Playhouse, Capital
Rep, Boston’s New Rep, The Cape Playhouse, Passage
Theatre and Florida Stage. As founding artistic director
of Penguin Rep, Joe has directed premieres by Arthur
Laurents, Lanie Robertson, William Mastrosimone, James
Sherman, Steven Dietz, Richard Vetere and Tom Dudzick.
He commissioned and directed the play The Man Who Was
Peter Pan, which was the basis for the Oscar-nominated film
Finding Neverland by Allan Knee starring Johnny Depp. Joe
was named Best Director by L.A. Scene for Santa Claus is
Coming Out and received two Rockland County Executive
Awards for artistic excellence. His staging of Tryst at
Merrimack Repertory Theatre garnered New England’s IRNE
Award nominations for Best Director and Best Production.
www.joebrancato.com
RO B R U GGI E R O (Producing Artistic
Director) has been a part of TheaterWorks
artistic leadership for 22 years. He has
directed over 50 shows, including recent
productions of Christmas on the Rocks,
Annapurna, The Other Place and Time
Stands Still. Rob has earned national
recognition for his work on plays and
musicals. His Broadway credits include Looped (starring
Valerie Harper in a Tony-nominated performance) and High
(starring Kathleen Turner). Off-Broadway, he conceived
and directed the original musical revue entitled Make Me a
Song: The Music of William Finn (Nominated for the Drama
Desk and the Outer Critics Circle Awards). Rob conceived
and directed the world premiere musical portrait of Ella
Fitzgerald entitled Ella, which was seen on more than 24
regional theater stages from 2005-2010 before beginning
a National Tour. His work has received multiple awards and
recognition here in Connecticut, as well as in other cities
around the United States. Last summer, Rob returned to
Goodspeed Musicals to direct the critically acclaimed
50th Anniversary revival of Fiddler on the Roof. This was
his eighth collaboration with Goodspeed where he also
directed highly successful productions of The Most Happy
Fella (Connecticut Critic’s Circle Award for Best Direction),
Carousel (Broadway World Award), Annie Get Your Gun,
Camelot, Big River, 1776 and a new adaptation of Show
Boat (Connecticut Critic’s Circle Award for Best Direction).
This new version is now being licensed by the Rodgers &
Hammerstein Organization. www.robruggiero.com
W HO
B RI A N P RAT HE R (Set Design) is excited to return to
TheaterWorks where he has designed Dancing Lessons,
Shakespeare’s R&J, The Exonerated, No Child…, The Year
of Magical Thinking, among others. He is also excited to
return to the team of PLAYING THE ASSASSIN from Penguin
Rep. Recent Off-Broadway work includes: A Christmas
Carol, Becoming Dr. Ruth, The Memory Show, Freud’s Last
Session, Nymph Errant, The Burnt Part Boys. International:
Chung-mu Hall (South Korea). Regional and other: Alley
Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, Barrington Stage Co.,
Virginia Rep., Broad Stage (LA), Mercury Theatre (Chicago),
Delaware Theatre Co., Shakespeare on the Sound, Hangar
Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre. See Brian’s work at www.
brianprather.com
C H A RLOT T E PAL ME R - L ANE (Costume Design) is
making her TheaterWorks debut. Charlotte is originally
from the UK. While there she worked for the BBC as a
Costume Designer and assistant. Credits include The
Chronicles of Narnia, Miss Marple, Dr Who, and She’s Been
Away, directed by Sir Peter Hall. US film credits include,
Guarding Tess and Quiz Show. Recent design credits
include, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Twelfth Night,
Pericles, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, King Lear, The Three
Musketeers, The Liar and Othello Rutherford and Son; Mint
Theatre, Sirens, The How and The Why, Drop Dead Perfect,
the Fabulous Lipitones and PLAYING THE ASSASSIN
for Penguin Rep; Family Reunion and The God Game for
Hudson Stage. Is He Dead, Love/Sick, It’s a Wonderful life
for Half Moon Theatre, The Seagull and Way of the World for
Worlds End Theatre.
ED M cC A RT HY (Lighting Design) is making his
TheaterWorks debut. Ed lit PLAYING THE ASSASSIN at
Penguin Rep, and is thrilled to be returning with the same
great team. Regional: Southern Comfort at Barrington
Stage Co., Drop Dead Perfect at Penguin Rep. Broadway:
Adaptation of Coram Boy (2007 Tony nomination for Best
Lighting of a Play); the BC/EFA Benefit of Once on This
Island. Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. Over
70 Off-Bway and regional shows, including 17 for Rattlestick
Playwright’s Theater. Concerts: Florence Henderson, Judy
Collins, Marvin Hamlisch. Guest Artist, University of Iowa
2005-14, Associate Lighting Designer for all companies
of Mamma Mia! in the Western Hemisphere; and many
others. Television: Peter Pan Live, The Sound of Music Live,
7 Grammy Awards, 13 Kennedy Center Honors, the last 14
Tony Awards (Emmy nomination 2014) and more. Lincoln
Memorial Inaugural Concert, 20 years of Live from Lincoln
Center, A Prairie Home Companion Cinemacast; HBO
telecast of Thurgood.
EM I LY AUC I EL LO (Sound Design) is making her
TheaterWorks debut. Select New York: Signature Theatre,
HERE Arts Center, Ensemble Studio Theatre, New Ohio,
JACK, Dixon Place, NY Fringe. Select Regional: Two River
Theater Company, Penguin Rep, Central Square Theater,
Berkshire Fringe, Surflight Theatre. Love to Alex.
R ON P I RE T T I (Fight Choreographer) Ron is happy to be
returning to TheaterWorks. On Broadway: The Last Ship,
West Side Story, In the Heights, The Miracle Worker, Bengal
Tiger at the Bagdad Zoo and The Performers. He has worked
as a fight director at Goodspeed Opera House, Dallas
Theatre Center and other regional theatres. As an actor Ron
appeared as Officer Krupke in the most recent Broadway
production of West Side Story; regionally, in such roles as a
Clown in 39 Steps as well as appearing in film and TV. He has
taught acting and/or stage combat for the Actors Studio at
Pace University, Marymount Manhattan College and Wagner
College. He currently teaches acting at The Barrow Group
in NYC. He attended Trinity University in San Antonio and
received his MFA from the Goodman School of Drama.
C IN D I RUSH C AST I NG (Casting) NY: Disenchanted, Drop
Dead Perfect, Under My Skin, Silence!, Rooms, Jacques Brel,
Urinetown. Many Regional Theaters including Triad Stage,
Hudson Stage, Penguin Rep, Pittsburgh Public, Charleston
Stage Co. Film: The Grief of Others, Runoff (L.A Film
Fest 2014), The Woman (Sundance 2012), Ghoul, Theresa
is a Mother, Jugface (Slamdance 2013), In The Family
(Independent Spirit 2012) Consultant for NYU Graduate
Musical Theatre Writing Program (1999-Present).
C . NI KKI M I L L S (Production Manager) Nikki is enjoying
her first season with TheaterWorks and the unique
challenges the intimate space offers. A native of Houston,
Texas, Nikki came to Connecticut to pursue her MFA in
Technical Design and Production at Yale School of Drama.
She is a member of the United States Institute of Theatre
Technology and recipient of their 2014 KM Fabrics Technical
Production Award. After hopping around the country
working on productions at La Jolla Playhouse, Denver Center
Theatre Company, Saint Louis Opera, Wolf Trap Foundation,
Chautauqua Theater Company and others in between, she is
excited to be putting down roots in the Nutmeg State with
her husband, Mikey. When she is not managing schedules
and budgets, you will find Nikki creating chotskies for her
mother’s craft store.
KAT E J. C UDWO R T H (Production Stage Manager)
TheaterWorks: Dancing Lessons, Christmas on the Rocks
’14, Annapurna, Woody Sez, LOVE/SICK, The Other Place,
Freud’s Last Session, Christmas on the Rocks ‘13, Mrs.
Mannerly, Time Stands Still, Becoming Dr. Ruth. OffBroadway: Freud’s Last Session, [title of show]. NY/Regional:
Barrington Stage Company (8 seasons including Freud’s
Last Session; Dr. Ruth, All The Way; Joe Iconis’ The Black
Suits), Atlantic Stage Company, Hartford Stage, Manhattan
School of Music (4 seasons including Cosi fan tutte; Thais;
Mahagonny), Yale Opera, York Theatre Company, Bronx
Opera Company, Fringe NYC, NYMF.
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STAFF
Producing Artistic Director
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