THEATERWORKS HARTFORD PRESENTS SANDRA BY DAVID CALE WITH MUSIC BY MATTHEW DEAN MARSH MAY 30–JUNE 23, 2024
Felicia Curry Stars in One-Woman Psychological Thriller Directed by Two-Time Obie-Winner Jared Mezzocchi
May 14, 2024 | TheaterWorks Hartford, under the leadership of Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero and Managing Director Jeff Griffin, closes its 2023–2024 season with Sandra by David Cale (Harry Clake with Billy Crudup) with original music by Matthew Dean Marsh. Directed by two-time Obie-winner Jared Mezzocchi (Russian Troll Farm), this one-woman physiological thriller stars Emmy-nominee Felicia Curry and features creative content and video design by Camilla Tassi. Running May 30–June 23, 2024, tickets are now on sale at www.twhartford.org.
Sandra’s closest friend has mysteriously disappeared on a trip to Mexico. On a desperate search to find him, Sandra is propelled into a psychologically thrilling adventure filled with mysterious strangers and a highly-charged love affair. In this new and boldly innovative production, Sandra’s search for answers ultimately leads her into increasingly dangerous territory and to places she could never have imagined.
Director Jared Mezzocchi remarked, “In this production, we are creating a multimedia landscape that aims to be the second character in the show. Sandra is a play about psychological reframing of a past journey, and we are using the technology to make the journey feel – truly – that we are in real-time. The visuals will never turn off, and will feel as though we are intimately attached to Sandra’s journey. The visuals won’t just create backdrops, but – like an orchestra following a maestro – will traverse a cinematic/immersive/up-close-and-personal landscape that connects with every word Sandra is speaking. As if climbing into Sandra’s mind and seeing not only what she saw, but how she saw it and how she felt when she saw it.”
Producing Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero said, “One person shows are always a challenge. What excites me is the opportunity to tell a really great and engaging story, with high entertainment value, while exploring more innovative tools. Typically a one person show is simple story telling, but with this project I am interested in combining image, video and sound in a way that deeply engages the audience. I’m excited to find out what will happen if we push the boundaries of traditional stage storytelling into something perhaps more cinematic.
The additional creative team for Sandra includes Marcelo Martínez García (set design), Sarita Fellows (costume design), Amith Chandrashaker (co-lighting design), Alex Fetchko (co-lighting design), Evdoxia Ragkou (sound design), Rob Ruggiero (producing artistic director), Mike Lenaghan (director of production), and Tom Kosis (production stage manager).
Performances of Sandra will take place May 30–June 23, 2024 at TheaterWorks Hartford’s historic home, located at 233 Pearl Street, Hartford, CT. Critics are welcome starting Wednesday, June 5, for an opening on Friday, June 7.
The performance schedule is Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2:30pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 2:30pm. The running time is 85 minutes with no intermission.
Tickets are priced at $25–$70. All tickets can be purchased online at www.twhartford.org or by calling 860.527.7838.
Please visit www.twhartford.org for more information.
About the Artists
David Cale (playwright) is an award-winning performance artist, playwright, songwriter and actor based in New York City. His solo play Harry Clarke, starring Billy Crudup, premiered at the Vineyard Theatre and transferred to Audible at Minetta Lane Theatre where it won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Show. It then ran at Berkeley Rep, before transferring to London’s West End where it just completed a nine-week, sold out run at the Ambassadors Theatre. His follow-up solo play, Sandra, also premiered at the Vineyard Theatre. His works as both writer and performer include We’re Only Alive for A Short Amount of Time, for which he wrote the book, lyrics and co-composed the music with Matthew Dean Marsh (Obie Award, Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Solo Performance, Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Outstanding Solo Show, Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance, with Cale and Marsh receiving the Jeff Award for New Musical); The History of Kisses; Palomino; A Likely Story; Lillian (Obie Award); Deep in a Dream of You (Bessie Award). He wrote the book, lyrics, co-composed the music for and starred in the musical Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky (Outer Critics Circle Award nomination) inspired by his experience portraying Floyd Duffner in Alex and Andrew Smith’s film, The Slaughter Rule. His songwriting credits include composing the songs for 600 Highwaymen’s Employee of the Year (Bessie Award nomination).
Matthew Dean Marsh (original music) has collaborated with David Cale over the past five years, their anthology of songs growing extensively during this time. Most notably, We’re Only Alive for A Short Amount of Time, the autobiographical one-man musical with Cale as the starring role, featured music written by the duo and arranged by Marsh. For We’re Only Alive for A Short Amount of Time, Cale and Marsh received the 2019 Jeff Award for New Musical and a 2020 Lucille Lortel Award nomination. Matthew music directed Clubbed Thumb’s revival of Tumacho, directed by Leigh Silverman, in early 2020. His compositions have sounded at Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center, Radio City Music Hall, Lincoln Center, Tribeca Film Festival, The Public Theater, MassMOCA, and The Goodman Theater in Chicago.
Jared Mezzocchi (director) is a two-time Obie award winning director and multimedia designer, playwright, and actor. Sandra marks his third production with TheaterWorks Hartford following the success of Russian Troll Farm and Someone Else House during the pandemic. Mezzocchi’s work spans the United States at notable theaters such as: The Kennedy Center, Geffen Playhouse, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (company member), Vineyard Theater, En Garde Arts, Manhattan Theater Club, Cornerstone Theater Company, Arena Stage, Portland Center Stage at The Armory, South Coast Repertory, and HERE Arts Center. In 2016, he received his first Obie, the Lucille Lortel and Henry Hewes Award for his work in Qui Nguyen’s Vietgone at the Manhattan Theatre Club. In December of 2020, The New York Times highlighted Jared on a list of the top 5 national artists making an impact during the pandemic. His directorial work on Sarah Gancher’s live-digital production “Russian Troll Farm” (2020) was also celebrated as a New York Times critic pick, praised for being one of the first digitally native successes for virtual theater, and earned Mezzocchi his second OBIE award. In Spring 2021, Jared wrote and starred in Someone Else’s House, directed by Margot Bordelon, a ghost story centered around actual events with his family. This production was an 11 week run, performed live online each night to audiences all over the world. His book, A Multimedia Designer’s Method to Theatrical Storytelling, will be released through Routledge Publishers. He is a two-time MacDowell Artist Fellow, a Princess Grace Award winner, and is an Associate Professor at The University of Maryland, where he created the curriculum for the multimedia track within the MFA Design program. Mezzocchi has a BA in theater and film from Fairfield University, and an MFA in Performance and Interactive Media Arts from Brooklyn College. He is in his 10th year as Producing Artistic Director of Andy’s Summer Playhouse, in Wilton, NH, an innovative children’s theater producing original work by professional artists from across the country.
Felicia Curry (Sandra) is making her TheaterWorks Hartford debut. She is the Emmy-nominated host of WETA Arts on WETA/PBS. Felicia was in the Tony-nominated Broadway revival and national tour of Into the Woods. OffBroadway, she recently reopened the iconic Billie Holiday Theater as Undine in Lynn Nottage’s Fabulation and received an AUDELCO nomination for the solo show Queen’s Girl in the World at Abingdon Theatre Company. Felicia is a Helen Hayes Award winner for Lela & Co., an RTCC Award winner for The Color Purple, a Berkshire Theatre Critics Award winner for Nina Simone: Four Women and a recipient of the Anderson Hopkins Award for Excellence in Theatre Arts. She is an Artistic Associate at Ford’s Theatre and Resident Company Member at Factory 449 and Everyman Theatre. Up next: Broadway in the Park at Wolf Trap. @thefeliciacurry
About TheaterWorks Hartford Celebrating its 39th season, TheaterWorks Hartford (TWH) produces high quality, contemporary theater and is committed to the power of storytelling in creating community. Founded in 1985, TWH has produced nearly 200 plays and presents approximately 150 performances per season. TWH also owns and manages the historic property at 233 Pearl Street, known as City Arts on Pearl. For updates on TheaterWorks Hartford, visit twhartford.org. Follow on Instagram, Facebook, or Youtube. Press Contact: John Wyszniewski, Everyman Agency, john@everymanagency.com, 347-416-3881.