For Immediate Release
July 30, 2025
Press Contact: Michael Kyrioglou
michael.kyrioglou@gmail.com
Washington Stage Guild Opens 40th Season with U.S. Premiere of Joe Bravaco’s Irish-Set Play THE ONE GOOD THING – or “Are ya’ Patrick Swayze?” on September 25
Directed by WSG Associate Artistic Director Steven Carpenter
Washington, DC –- The One Good Thing – or “Are ya’ Patrick Swayze?” by U.S.-based playwright Joe Bravaco opens The Washington Stage Guild’s 2025-2026 Season – its 40th season of producing in the Nation’s Capital. This will be the play’s first U.S. production following its recent premiere earlier this year and features Ryan Michael Neely and Chris Stinson, directed by Associate Artistic Director Steven Carpenter. Performances run September 25 to October 19, 2025, with four Pay-What-You-Can previews September 25-27 at The Washington Stage Guild’s home, The Undercroft Theatre in the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Avenue, NW. Opening/Press performance is September 28, 2025 at 2:30pm.
SYNOPSIS
Heaven may not always be what you’d expect!
Brothers Jamie and Tommy share a small cottage overlooking the sea in Southern Ireland. One morning, after a violent storm, Jamie announces that he is dead…he is a ghost. Disbelieving this ridiculous claim, Tommy is convinced his brother’s delusion is simply the aftereffects of grief he suffered following their mother’s death. With wit and pathos, American playwright Joe Bravaco explores the emotional depths of these Irish siblings as they grapple with love, grief, forgiveness – and the afterlife. U.S. Premiere.
“UNEXPECTED, COMPELLING & DRAMATICALLY SATISFYING…there’s something decidedly Conor McPherson about this gentle yet emotional tale of brotherly love and grief.” – British Theatre Guide
FROM DIRECTOR STEVEN CARPENTER
“It’s an absolute honor to work on the U.S. premiere of this lovely play, crafted with great care by the gifted Joe Bravaco. The relationship between these brothers as they negotiate the difficulties of this world (and beyond!) is funny, thought-provoking, and touching. I expect audiences will continue to think about the ideas Joe investigates long after the curtain falls.”
FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT
“As we age, we start to lose family and friends. No one escapes these losses, and for me, these losses instigated a wonder, or maybe hope, that something beautiful lies beyond our human grief, guilt, and love.”
“When the characters started speaking, I instinctively heard them speaking with Irish accents and pictured them in a rural cottage on the remote cliffs of a faraway sea. Also, the Irish have a distinct tradition of believing in fairies who can interact with humans, changing their fortunes. This whimsical belief is deeply rooted in Irish culture, as is the play’s religious undertones, its humor, and its melancholy. Much of the charm and emotional depth might be lost in an American setting. The Irishness of the story is not just a backdrop—it’s a vital part of its soul.”
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Joe Bravaco, a former teacher of language arts, drama and journalism, is the co-librettist of the musical Sundown, which has been produced at Barter Theatre, VA; Adobe Theater, NM; and Lyric Stage, TX, where it was nominated for Best New Play or Musical by the Dallas Drama League. His play The Almost True and Truly Remarkable Adventures of Israel Potter, based on a novel by Herman Melville, and written in collaboration with Larry Rosler, has been seen at Oldcastle Theatre, VT; Winnipesaukee Playhouse, NH; and Bluff City Theater, MO. It was a New Play Showcase Finalist at Throughline Theatre, PA. The One Good Thing premiered this past April at the East Riding Theatre Company in Ireland.
ABOUT THE TEAM
The cast of The One Good Thing includes Ryan Michael Neely and Chris Stinson.
Ryan Michael Neely (Jamie) is thrilled to be making his Washington Stage Guild debut. His D.C. credits include the world premiere of Ken Ludwig’s Death on the Nile at Arena Stage; King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing, Our Town, and The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare Theatre Company). Other regional credits include the title role in Hamlet (StoryTellers Theater); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival); East of Heart Mountain (Dir. Giovanna Sardelli); House for Sale and Twelfth Night (Shakespeare’s Globe, UK), among others. New York credits include Hamlet (L+F), Romeo and Juliet (Secret Theater), and The Book of Z… (Manhattan Rep). TV credits include One Life to Live, Monumental Mysteries, The Heiress Strikes Back, and A Day Late & Ten Pounds Overweight (Winner: Top Indie Film Awards). BFA Rutgers, Mason Gross. MFA GW/STC Academy. Chris Stinson (Tommy) is delighted to be back at The Washington Stage Guild for the third time, having previously appeared in Memoirs of a Forgotten Man and Pen. His D.C. area credits include A Christmas Carol and One Destiny at Ford’s Theatre; Shear Madness and Digging Up Dessa at The Kennedy Center; Another Way Home at Theater J; The Diary of Anne Frank at Olney Theatre Center; Failure: A Love Story (Helen Hayes Award nom.) at The Hub Theatre; The Lieutenant of Inishmore at Constellation Theatre Company; This Lime Tree Bower and Port Authority at Quotidian Theatre; and many others.TV credits include Legends & Lies; CopyCat Killers; Evil Kin. Chris’s voice can also be heard in numerous audiobook titles by Graphic Audio.
The One Good Thing is directed by WSG Associate Artistic Director Steven Carpenter. Steven’s WSG directing credits include last season’s Faithless, as well as An Unbuilt Life, Major Barbara, Sam & Dede, Resolving Hedda, Red Herring, Opus, and The Underpants, among others. Other area productions include God of Carnage at Compass Rose, The Cripple of Inishmaan at 1st Stage, The Price, and ART at Bay Theatre, Barrymore, Hysteria, and Trumbo for Rep Stage, and The Chosen at Theater J. He received a Helen Hayes Award nomination for his production of Thief River at Theatre Alliance and was a recipient of the Mary Goldwater Award for Directing. Steven has appeared on stage at WSG as the men in Escape from the Asylum and The Victorian Ladies’ Detective Collective, as well as Memoirs of a Forgotten Man, Bloomsday, Hard Times, Pygmalion, and The Philanderer (Helen Hayes nomination) along with numerous others. A third Helen Hayes nomination came for providing the onstage sound effects for the Guild’s It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.
The production team includes Brandon Roak (Scenic Design), Marianne Meadows (Resident Lighting Design), Lily Komorow (Costume Design), David Bryan Jackson (Sound Designer), Bill Largess (Dramaturg), David Elias (Production Stage Manager), and Luca Maggs (Assistant Stage Manager).
DATES & TICKETS
The One Good Thing by Joe Bravaco runs September 25 to October 19, 2025, with performances Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2:30pm & 8pm, and Sunday at 2:30pm.
The run begins with four Pay-What-You-Can performances Thursday, September 25 at 7:30pm, Friday, September 26 at 8pm, and Saturday, September 27 at 2:30pm & 8pm (Pay What You Can tickets can be purchased for any cash price at the door beginning one hour prior to curtain). Opening/Press performance is Sunday, September 28, 2025 at 2:30pm.
All tickets are General Admission and are $60. Student Admission is half-price with a valid Student ID. Senior Citizens 65 years and up get $10 OFF General Admission Prices. Groups of 10 or more get half-price tickets.
NEW:
Special “Sweet 16” Discounted Tickets – Stage Guild is offering a limited amount of 16 tickets at a discounted price of $16 for each performance from Sun, Sept. 28 thru Sun, Sept. 19. Use the code SWEET16 (Pay-What-You-Can previews excluded as they are already discounted). Purchase at https://stageguild.org/buy-tickets/
ABOUT THE THEATRE
Founded in 1986 by a professional company of theatre artists dedicated to producing literate, challenging works in a collegial and supportive atmosphere, The Washington Stage Guild quickly established itself as an indispensable component of the D.C. area theatre scene; recognized as early as the end of the first season (1987) by The Washington Post. The ensemble theatre company’s acclaimed repertoire of neglected classics, unfamiliar works by familiar playwrights, and stimulating new plays from around the world is presented in a style that is the Guild’s own—direct and clear, with a strong commitment to adhering to the author’s intent.
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