Shaw and friends (Wendy Hiller on the right)▼
Playwright George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950),
was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. He wrote more than sixty plays, among them Pygmalion, Man & Superman, and Mrs. Warren’s Profession. With a range incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the most famous dramatist of his generation.
After the production of Saint Joan in 1925, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Pygmalion was turned into a film (an Oscar for Shaw’s screenplay) in 1938 and the musical My Fair Lady in 1964.
Directed by Laura Giannarelli
A fresh look at three of GB Shaw’s most delicious one-act plays, first produced by Stage Guild in 2007. In O’Flaherty VC, the winner of the Victoria Cross for outstanding bravery, is confronted by his Irish-to-the-core Catholic mother, incensed to discover he’s been fighting for the British. In the imaginative The Dark Lady of the Sonnets, Will Shakespeare goes to the palace to meet his Dark Lady to whom he addressed sonnets of love, only to find Her Majesty the Queen instead – followed by the Dark Lady herself who lambasts them both! Plus, The Interlude at the Playhouse, a comic curtain-raiser in which a nervous theater owner must give a big speech at a gala opening, but his wife may have to save the day.
Players
Patricia Hurley (Woman 1) returns to WSG following the season’s opening production of Faithless and has performed in numerous productions with Olney Theatre Center, including Mary Poppins, A Comedy of Tenors, Misalliance, Camelot, Triumph of Love, Doubt, Elf, Annie, Sweeney Todd, Peter Pan, and The Heiress. At Studio Theatre, she was part of the cast of Love, Love, Love, and at 1st Stage, the cast of Quilters (2024 Helen Hayes Award-nominated ensemble). Her other area credits include Nate the Great, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Seussical: The Musical, One Hundred Dresses (Imagination Stage), Merrily We Roll Along (Signature Theatre), and Lady Windermere’s Fan (Shakespeare Theatre Company). She has a BM in Musical Theatre from The Catholic University’s Benjamin T. Rome School of Music.
Thomas Daniels (Man 2) is thrilled to be returning to the Stage Guild after his turn as Sergius in last year’s Arms and the Man. Born and raised in Northern VA, he now calls NYC home. NYC credits include The Metropolitan Playhouse (State of the Union, The Jewish King Lear) and Hudson Classical Theater Company (The Trojan Women). Selected regional theatre credits include the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (A Child’s Christmas in Wales), Theatre SilCo (Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure), Playhouse on Park (Peter and the Starcatcher, A Moon for the Misbegotten), Camden Shakespeare Festival (Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet) and The Winnipesaukee Playhouse (Richard III, Sleuth), among others. You can hear his voice on the podcast Murder, We Spoke. He earned his BFA in Theatre and BA in Political Science from Marietta College and his MFA in Acting from Ohio University. Thanks to Sharon Romano for her love and patience, thanks to the whole fam for their support! www.thomasrdaniels.com.
Morgan Duncan (Man 1) has had a long and fruitful connection to the Washington Stage Guild. From his Stage Guild debut in Figaro’s Marriage, back in 1988 (he was Count Almaviva to director Laura Giannarelli’s Countess) to last season’s production of Victorian Ladies’ Detective Collective, which he directed, Mr. Duncan has been a frequent guest of the Guild. He has, also, been associated with a few other DC institutions; he holds a BFA from Howard University, has performed often with The Washington Revels, and he was a member of the late, great Capitol Steps for a couple of decades. Not all Morgan’s work has been local, though. He has performed in 49 of the 50 states, having spent time at The Attic Theater in Detroit, Mixed Blood and The Guthrie Theaters in Minneapolis and The Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon.
Leah Packer (Woman 2) is honored to be making her Washington Stage Guild debut! She was last seen in Wannabe (Mel) at the Capital Fringe Festival, which won “Best of Fest 2024.” Recent credits include Monsters of Seahorse Island with InterACT Story Theatre (Hydrillis/Mayor), Dua: The Monster’s Story with Kennedy Center Local Theatre Festival & Theatre Prometheus (Athena), The Fisherman and his Wife with Adventure Theatre MTC (Maura), and The Day Nothing Happened with Encore Stage & Studio (Robin/Cindy). Proud graduate of University of Maryland-College Park. Current member of the AJT (Alliance for Jewish Theatre) Theatremachers. For Poppy, the true “No.1 Actor,” music man, and dreamer of impossible dreams. Website: www.leahpacker.com, Instagram: @leahpacker.
Production Team
Jonathan Dahm Robertson (Scenic Design), Marianne Meadows (Resident Lighting Design), Emily Vallozzi (Costume Design), David Jackson (Sound Designer), Libby Russler (Production Stage Manager), Bill Largess (Dramaturg).
SHAW SPECIAL EVENT “Shaw’s Other Island: GBS and the Politics of Ireland”
On Dec. 8th we had Christopher Griffin for a post-show talk back!
