Whistler in the Dark: Mary's Wedding

November 14th-29th, 2008
Rehearsal Hall A at the Calderwood Pavilion at
The Boston Center for the Arts
527-551 Tremont Street
South End, Boston MA

"...the simplicity of the staging lets us focus on these two people in love; the larger meaning of their story is there for us to contemplate, if we will, but it is not forced on us. Two people fall in love, and one must go off to war. It's an old story, to be sure, but here it is also, as it must be every time there is another Mary and another Charlie, a story that is once again told anew." - The Boston Globe

A young bride-to-be dreams one last time of love and war. When Mary and Charlie find each other seeking shelter in a barn during a summer thunderstorm, a tentative love is born. But the year is 1914, the world is about to fall under the dark clouds of the Great War. An exhilarating story of first love, as well as a profound and riveting tale of war, remembrance and the sacrifice made by soldiers at home and in the battlefield.

the company
	Samson Kohanski holds a B.A. in Theater Arts and Music Composition from Brandeis University. This will be his first show with Whistler and he is excited to be onboard. Other credits in Boston: Lockwood, History Boys (Speakeasy Stage Company); Forester/Musician, As You Like It (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company); Third Man, The Baltimore Waltz (Holland Productions). He would like to thank his father and mother for being inspiration.
	Jennifer O'Connor holds a B.F.A. in theatre performance from Salem State. Joining Whistler for their inaugural production of The Possibilities, she has been with the company ever since. For three seasons she was the company manager and an acting member of imaginary beasts. Other Boston area collaborations include Chelsea Theatre Zone (now Apollinaire Theatre) and Insomouth Productions.
the playwright
	Stephen Massicotte's award winning plays Looking After Eden, A Farewell to Kings, Pervert, The Emperor of Atlantis and the popular Star Wars inspired Boy’s Own Jedi Handbook series have played for audiences throughout Canada. In 2002, his play Mary’s Wedding premiered at Alberta Theatre Projects’ annual playRites Festival and was the winner of the 2000 Alberta Playwriting Competition, the 2002 Betty Mitchell Award for Best New Play and the 2003 Alberta Book Award for Drama. Mary’s Wedding has played across the U.S. including The Wesport Country Playhouse, The Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, San Jose Repertory Theatre with several new productions slated for this season including The Delaware Theatre Company. It continues to be produced in English and French throughout Canada and the U.K. Stephen’s latest play, The Oxford Roof Climber’s Rebellion, garnered rave reviews (including the NY Times) in its U.S. debut at Manhattan’s Urban Stages. It was commissioned by Canada’s National Art Centre and in June of 2007 received the Canadian Author’s Association Award for Best English Language Play. Currently, besides working on new plays, Stephen is writing his first novel. He has a BFA in Drama from the University of Calgary and a black lab names Agnes. For more info: www.stephenmassicotte.com
the artistic team
	Nick Dika (Sound Designer) is a Boston-based sound designer and music producer. His past experience has encompassed everything from to producing dance music for German record labels, to overseeing sound design for an iPhone application, iZotope iDrum. This is his first foray into sound design for stage, and he welcomed the challenge of working with Whistler in the Dark on Mary's Wedding.
	Ariana Goterch (Stage Manager/Assistant to the Director) is working for the first time with Whistler in the Dark. She graduated from Roger William's University in 2007 with a BA in theater and moved to Boston soon after. She has stage managed for the Brown/Trinity Consortium in Providence, Island Moving Company in Newport, Star Players in Taunton and imaginary beasts in Boston. She is excited to find her niche here and to be a part of such a dynamic play.
	John Herndon (dramaturg) holds an MFA in Dramaturgy from the American Repertory Theatre/Moscow Art Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University. Productions there included Island of Slaves and Three Sisters during the 2005-2006 season. Previously with Whistler, he has served as dramaturg for All This Flying, All This Tumbling Down and Vampire. He lives in Somerville.
	Emily Nichols (Scenic Designer) is a third year scenic design graduate student at Brandeis University. Recent Brandeis Theatre Company credits include scenic designer for Hecuba (2009) and Three Musketeers and scenic charge for Saturday Night. Recently Emily designed for the Barnstormers Theatre and the Monomoy Theatre. Before coming to Brandeis, Emily worked as a scenic artist.
	Melissa Smith (Assistant Stage Manager/Assistant to the Director) is a graduate of SUNY Potsdam where she earned a BA in Drama with an Acting Minor. While her love lies with acting, her history of working with meager budgets has had her wearing many hats. In 2001 Melissa co-founded The Bunbury Theatre Company in Jamestown, NY, where she filled the roles of actor, Production Manager, Artistic Director, designer, carpenter and general Jill of all trades. She's thrilled to once again be working with Whistler in the Dark.
	Meg Taintor holds a B.A. in Theatre and Women & Gender Studies from Middlebury College. For Whistler, she has directed Vampire, All This Flying, All This Tumbling Down, The B File, and The Possibilities (Eliot Norton nomination for "Outstanding Production by a Local Fringe Company") and performed in Howard Barker's A Hard Heart, Don't Exaggerate (FeverFest 06), and in The Psyche Project (FeverFest 07). Some of her regional theatre credits include the National Players, Rorschach Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, the Potomac Theatre Project and Washington Shakespeare Company.