— 2013 – 2014 SEASON --
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New Play Festival
May 3, 2014 The Cabaret Theatre at the Temple of Music & Art Readings of four new plays with breaks for talkbacks and complementary cookies (home-made by Winding Road's Glen Coffman) and, if you arrive (or stay) late enough, a little wine. |
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I and You
by Lauren Gunderson Performing at 1:30 pm A story of two intelligent kids whose journey of self discovery unfolds beside a similar journey expressed by one of America's finest poets over 150 years ago. |
My Life in Sports
by Bill Epstein Performing at 4:00 pm A play about a boy, baseball, friendship among men, and finding the great love of your life. |
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The Great Divide
by Alan Berks Performing at 7:00 pm A brilliant exploration of what really divides the Left and the Right. |
The Worst Person In the Whole Entire World of All Time Ever
by Larry Kunofsky Performing at 10:00 pm An utterly unique comedy that asks the questions, "What's it take for a lesbian couple to be happy?" and "Any chance their Moms could help?" |
– AWARDS –
2014 Mac Awards
NOMINEE
Best Actress, Drama
I and You
Lucille Petty
Best Actress, Drama
I and You
Lucille Petty
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Burn This
by Lanford Wilson Mar 13 – 30, 2014 The Cabaret Theatre at the Temple of Music & Art It all begins after the funeral of Robbie, a young gay dancer who drowned in a boating accident. Robbie's roommates: his sensitive dance partner and choreographer, Anna, and confident gay ad man Larry are soon joined by Robbie's lower-Manhattan loft by screenwriter Burton (Anna's longtime lover), and Pale (Robbie's coke-snorting, hyperactive restaurant manager brother). In the face of their shared tragedy, the quartet attempts to make sense of their lives and reconsider their own identities and relationships. |
This production is directed by Glen Coffman, and features Patrick Baum, Emilee Foster, Christopher Johnson, and Steve Wood.
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Gruesome Playground Injuries
by Rajiv Joseph Jan 23 – Feb 9, 2014 The Cabaret Theatre at the Temple of Music & Art In this Tucson premiere, over the course of 30 years, the lives of Kayleen and Doug intersect at the most bizarre intervals, leading the two childhood friends to compare scars and the physical calamities that keep drawing them together. |
This production is directed by Evan Werner, and features Christopher Johnson and Dallas Thomas.
"We believe the love/hate relationship, the injuries, the suffering. Johnson's jitteriness, Thomas' aloofness, thinly disguised his angst, her hunger. Both are painfully isolated. There bring this Rajiv Joseph play to life... there's something about this production that keeps audiences right there. And there is this: it takes mountains of courage to get on stage to act; even more to act in a play that is new and strange and not necessarily 'audience friendly.' That Winding Road has the guts to stage such works, and stage them well, is impressive. And worthy of our attention—and attendance."
– Kathleen Allen, AZ Daily Star –
– Kathleen Allen, AZ Daily Star –
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boom
by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb Jan 23 – Feb 9, 2014 The Cabaret Theatre at the Temple of Music & Art "Sex to Change the Course of the World"—In this Tucson premiere, A grad student's online personal ad lures a journalism student to his subterranean research lab under the pretense of an evening of "no strings" sex. But when a major global catastrophic event strikes the planet, their date takes on evolutionary significance and the fate of humanity hangs in the balance. |
This production is directed by Christopher Johnson, and features Dani Dryer, Avis Judd, and Evan Werner.
– AWARDS –
2014 Mac Awards
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NOMINEE
Best Comedy boom |
NOMINEE
Best Director, Comedy boom Christopher Johnson |
NOMINEE
Best Actor, Comedy boom Evan Werner |
NOMINEE
Best Actress, Comedy boom Dani Dryer |
"Director Christopher Johnson makes sure the dark comedy, and that the trio of actors completely commits to this wild tale... Evan Werner's Jules was deliciously awkward at the prospect of sex with a woman, and completely convincing with his message of doom. Werner doesn't get much stage time in these parts, and it's kind of a shame—he has an honesty when he acts, and sublime comedic timing... Dani Dryer, who recently finished playing Ernst in Winding Road's 'Cabaret,' gave Jo a hard edge to hide a vulnerability. It was a nicely nuanced performance. Dryer gets a lot of stage time, primarily at Winding Road, and she just keeps getting better and better. We are beginning to think she can do just about anything... Our guide through all this is Barbara, given a sort of frenzied attention by Avis Judd. Her intensity and sincerity added to the play's humor. Winding Road often stages original works and plays that don't get much airing in these parts, mostly because they are new or gutsy, and/or won't appeal to a wide audience. This kind of commitment to new theater, odd theater, exciting theater, is a big bonus for us Tucsonans. 'boom' is proof of that."
– Kathleen Allen, Arizona Daily Star –
– Kathleen Allen, Arizona Daily Star –
"The Tucson premiere of 'boom' is presented by Winding Road Theatre Ensemble, the increasingly essential troupe that most recently gave us a killer 'Cabaret.' Christopher Johnson, who played the Emcee in 'Cabaret,' is the director here and his unerring work wrings every bit of humor and pathos from what's on the page. In Johnson's hands, 'boom' has incredible forward momentum. His casting is genius, that's for sure. Werner, Dryer, and Judd sink their teeth into this remarkable play with precision, power, and intelligence. They get all of the little things right on their way to the big myth-making stuff. The ending, a wondrous bit of alchemy, sneaks up on you and hits you where it counts. The production, which benefits from a detailed production design that never gets in the way, tells hell of a story about the importance of storytelling. Winding Road, which closes its season with Lanford Wilson's 'Burn This' in March, was wise to make room for 'boom.'"
– M. Scot Skinner, the Tucson Weekly –
– M. Scot Skinner, the Tucson Weekly –
"...get into a hyper-active state of mind and go see 'boom' downtown in the Cabaret Space at the Temple of Music and Art. Ivy League playwright Peter Sinn Nachtrieb is pushing against the envelope and thinking outside the box in dreaming up this geek brain party that's given a fearless production by the Winding Road Theater Ensemble. WRTE's artistic director Christopher Johnson is at the helm, keeping the actors' intensity bumping against the redline of possibility. Theatergoers addicted to reality may find the assumptions in this story rather extreme, but that's why arriving with empty arms and an open mind are pretty much essential. Performed non-stop without intermission (there will be plenty of time for reflection later) the story suggests much more than it takes time to explain."
– Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com –
– Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com –
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Cabaret
Music by Jon Kander Lyrics by Fred Ebb Book by Joe Masteroff Dec 5 – 22, 2013 The Cabaret Theatre at the Temple of Music & Art At the dawn of the 1930s in Berlin, the Nazi Party quietly grows stronger. Set in the seedy underbelly of the infamous Kit Kat Klub, Cabaret revolves around 19-year-old English cabaret performer Sally Bowles and her relationship with a young American writer. A sub-plot involves a doomed romance between German boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider and her elderly suitor Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor. |
This production is directed by Christopher Johnson and Evan Werner, with Musical Direction by Harriet Siskin and Choreography by Mickey Nugent, and features Lauren Adkisson, Susan Arnold, Dani Dryer, Celina Flores, Tashiana Holt, Christopher Johnson, David Alexander Johnston, Ryan Kinseth, Casi Omick, Lucille Petty, Armen Sarrafian, Stephanie Tournquist, Nick Trice, and China Young.
– AWARDS –
2013 Mac Awards
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WINNER
Best Actor, Musical Cabaret Christopher Johnson |
NOMINEE
Best Musical Cabaret |
NOMINEE
Best Director, Musical Cabaret Christopher Johnson and Evan Werner |
NOMINEE
Best Actress, Musical Cabaret Dani Dryer Lucille Petty |
"Winding Road's 'Cabaret' is insightful. And disturbing. And has a terrific ensemble cast... Nick Trice's turn as the American, Clifford, was strong, and Dani Dryer's gender-bending Ernst was riveting and a brilliant piece of casting on the director's part... And it must be said: Mickey Nugent's choreography is organic, fun, ans a visual delight... it is a production that is dedicated to this musical theater piece, which carries profundity along with its tunes. Winding Road tackles it with heart, head and commitment."
– Kathleen Allen, Arizona Daily Star –
– Kathleen Allen, Arizona Daily Star –
"You absolutely must see Christopher Johnson's spot-on gender-mangling interpretation of the Nazi musical 'Cabaret.' Toss out the sparkly enthusiasm of Liza Minnelli and the smirky Emcee Joel Grey that everyone is used to... As the sadly resigned ringmaster, Johnson with shaved head and white face paint is as great as we all knew he would be... So when Johnson comes strutting out after that clanging cymbal introduction, it's definitely time to settle back and buckle up... But it is Lucille Petty who steals the show as Sally Bowles, here creature a harrowing vision of the extremes some people can reach when they are so determined to avoid reality... Co-directors Johnson and Evan Werner are convinced you can't have too much decadence. Choreographer Mickey Nugent shares their vision, as do the seven Kit Kat Klub dancers who perform with the weary inevitability of lost souls... Standing for everything good and true is the traditional romance of Herr Schultz (David A. Johnston) and Fraulein Schneider (Susan Arnold). These fine actors catch the heart-breaking beauty of their roles...Nick Trice as the idealistic American writer Clifford adds a contrasting stability to bohemian Sally. Dani Dryer gives the foreshadowing Nazi supporter Ernst Ludwig all the menace that he needs... Though Sally and the Emcee are the point persons in this play, the production is a complete ensemble effort. Everyone is doing their part, creating unforgettable theater that people will be talking about long after the curtain drops."
– Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com –
– Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com –
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The Year of Magical Thinking
by Joan Didion, based on her memoir Aug 29 – Sep 15, 2013 The Cabaret Theatre at the Temple of Music & Art In the Arizona premiere of this dramatic adaptation of her award-winning, bestselling memoir (which The New York Times called "an indelible portrait of loss and grief ...a haunting portrait of a four-decade-long marriage), Joan Didion transforms the story of the sudden and unexpected loss of her husband and their only daughter into a stunning and powerful one-woman play. |
This production is directed by Christopher Johnson, and features Toni Press-Coffman.
"The success of this production lies with the choices of director Christopher Johnson and Press-Coffman, who simply allows Didion to speak. There's no over-reaching... There doesn't seem to be an attempt to interpret a character as much as there's a commitment to deliver her eloquence. Because this is Didion, this is enough... Johnson has chosen to use the small stage in the Cabaret Theatre, which works perfectly for this piece. The set, designed by Johnson, consists of a blue wall onto which has been attached a dining table, set for dinner and chairs so that the wall actually becomes the floor. It's a simple but powerful image of a world turned on its side, askew... Winding Road gives us a quiet experience that resonates richly. To share it with others in a theater setting makes it special."
– Sherilyn Forrester, the Tucson Weekly –
– Sherilyn Forrester, the Tucson Weekly –
"Press-Coffman's studied presentation, directed by Christopher Johnson, is a brave performance of understated complexity, both demanding and emotionally grueling. A light-hearted evening of theater this is definitely not."
– Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com –
– Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com –
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To Catch a Jaguar
by Dawn C. Sellers Aug 2 & 4, 2013 The Zuzi! Theater in the Historic Y In this Staged Reading/Workshop Production, Travel with the Moon through the Sonoran desert as a young girl grows into a wildlife biologist in order to catch a jaguar... but at what cost? Inspired by the untimely death of Macho B in 2009, at that time, Arizona's last known jaguar. Discussions with playwright, conservationists, and biologists following each performance. |
This production is directed by Christopher Johnson, with Choreography and Movement by Eva Tessler, and features Esther Almazan, Christopher Johnson, Yvonne Montoya, Sherry Mullholland, Roger Owen, Carla Turco, and China Young.
