Directed by Julie Beckman
June 16th ~ July 9th
In The Bullitt Cabaret at ACT in downtown Seattle ~ 700 Union Street
Thursday – Saturdays at 8pm
Sundays at 2pm
RUN TIME: 1 hour and 50 minutes total (includes a 10 minute intermission)
*PWYC Preview Wednesday June 14th
**Special Industry Night Tuesday June 27th at 8pm (All Tickets $15)
What happens when a brilliant lost soul comes to stay in his sister’s basement and refuses to leave? And if the menacing brother-in-law doesn’t approve? In a dog-eat-dog world, these siblings find a haven of sorts in an unfinished basement as they attempt to make sense of the past and negotiate how to move forward into the future. Unusual relationships, power plays, and surprising humor abound in Theresa Rebeck’s compelling new play which explores the nature of family, of memory, and of sanity.
Read more about playwright Theresa Rebeck HERE.
Learn more about Downstairs on the Seattle Channel’s ARTZONE with Nancy Guppy and Director Julie Beckman:
Click HERE.
Photo credit: MR Toomey Photograpy
THE CAST AND CREW…
Christine Marie Brown (Irene) is thrilled to make her Theatre22 debut. She has performed on and off Broadway and regionally, her work includes leading roles at The Guthrie, The Old Globe, South Coast Rep, Baltimore Centerstage, Shakespeare & Company, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, American Shakespeare Center and Kansas City Rep. Locally, her work has been seen at Seattle Rep, Seattle Shakespeare, Village Theatre, Book-It Rep, Taproot Theatre, 14/48 Projects, Engaged Theatre Program, 5th Avenue NextFest, Sandbox Radio, SOAPFest and ESTP. In addition, she has taught at SPU, SU, Cornish, Jack Straw Productions, Seattle World School and is a member of the core faculty at Freehold. MFA, Old Globe. Member: AEA & SAG-AFTRA.
Brandon Ryan (Teddy) was honored with both a Seattle Times Footlight Award and a TPS Gregory Award nomination for Outstanding Actor for his performance in Maria/Stuart at Theater Schmeater in 2009. Previous roles include Ed in Soft Click of a Switch, {Footlight Award for Best Fringe Production} Mervyn in A Behanding in Spokane, Gunnar in Vincent Delaney’s Three Screams, Bionedello in Seattle Shake’s Tamining of the Shrew, Mozart in SecondStory Rep’s production of Amadeus, and Harvey in The Art of Bad Men, directed by Kelly Kitchens. He is also the founder/artistic director of MAP Theatre, which he runs with his gal Friday, Peggy Gannon.
John Q. Smith (Gerry) is a Northwest native and received his BFA in Acting from Cornish College of the Arts. From running his own theater company to performing on stages all over the Northwest, John has been active in the Seattle theater scene for over Twenty years. John is a two-time Gregory Award recipient. Most recently awarded for his portrayal of Ulysses in Theatre22’s production of Annapurna. John’s first Gregory was for his portrayal of Uncle Charlie in Balagan’s production of August Osage County for which he was also awarded a Gypsy Rose Lee award by local critics. Other notable roles include: Charliein The Bells at Strawshop, Eddie in Torso at Printers Devil, Brian in These Streets at ACT/Central Heating Lab. Currently John is enjoying his role as “Charles” the stoner turned filmmaker in the web series Grow-op
Margaret Toomey (Costume Designer) works nationally as a scenic and costume designer. Her most recent Seattle-area designs include scenery for The Pride (Theatre22) and costumes for The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Sound Theatre). Other Seattle-area credits include [title of show] and Hair at Bainbridge Performing Arts and South Pacific at SMT. Prior to returning to Seattle, Margaret was honored with three (of five) nominations for excellence in costume design at the inaugural Theatre Bay Area Awards in 2014 for her designs of The Color Purple (Hillbarn Theatre), Dreamgirls (Broadway By the Bay), and In the Heights (Broadway By the Bay). Margaret’s work has also been seen at Triad Stage (North Carolina), WaterTower Theatre (Texas), and Portland Stage (Maine). Margaret is the chair of Sound Theatre’s Social Justice League and a co-founder of With Interesting People. Margaret received her MFA in Scenography from UNC Greensboro and BA in Theatre from Grinnell College in Iowa.
Gabrielle Strong (Lighting Designer) is a freelance lighting designer in the Seattle area and a resident stage manager at Strawberry Theatre Workshop. Her recent designs include Devil Boys From Beyond and Sidewinders (Fantastic.Z Theatre), Fatal Footlights (Theatre Schmeater), and The Memorandum (Strawberry Theatre Workshop). This will be Gabrielle’s first design with Theatre22. Gabrielle received her BFA from Cornish College of the Arts in Performance Production, specializing in Lighting Design, Stage Management, and Original Works. More information can be found at strongtheatre.com or by following her on Instagram @strongtheatre.
Kyle Thompson (Sound Designer) is thrilled to be working with Theatre22 again, having previously designed for Water by the Spoonful and Annapurna. Since 2010, he has designed sound for over 40 productions in the Seattle area, including: Treasure Island (Book-It Repertory Theatre); Love’s Labor’s Lost (Wooden O/Seattle Shakespeare Company); Mothers and Sons, 4,000 Miles (ArtsWest); The Wedding Gift (Forward Flux Productions); Marisol (The Collision Project); Terre Haute (Bridges Stage Company, ACTLab); Oedipus el Rey (eSe Teatro, ACTLab), H.P. Lovecraft: Stand-Up Comedian!, The Underneath, Undo, Kittens in a Cage (Annex Theatre). Kyle is also a trumpet player and original member of the Jazz Underground big band.
Robin Macartney (Set and Props Designer) Downstairs will mark Robin’s fifth show with Theatre22. Professional credits include design work with Seattle Shakespeare Co, Café Nordo, Youth Theatre NW, Washington Ensemble Theatre, Pork Filled Productions, Arts west Live Girls!, Annex Theatre, Book-It Repertory Theatre, New Century Theatre Company, and Bainbridge Performing Arts. She is the resident set designer/ Front of House manager at the Theatre Off Jackson as well as the Theatre Department’s Scene Shop Supervisor at the University of Puget Sound.
Alex Garnett (Larry) has been acting in Seattle off and on for the past 11 years, and is thrilled to be returning to Theatre22 four years after appearing in their inaugural production of Fifth of July. Seattle credits include 99 Ways to Fuck a Swan (Washington Ensemble Theatre), The Little Dog Laughed and The History Boys (ArtsWest), Mary Stuart (ACT), Breaking the Code (Strawberry Theatre Workshop) The Illusion (Sound Theatre Company). He has also performed with 14/48, Theatre Anonymous, Theater Schmeater, Icicle Creek Theatre Festival, Seattle Shakespeare Company, GreenStage, Live Girls!, ReAct, and many others.
Aida Leguizamon (Yaz) is honored to be making her Theatre22 debut with such an incredible team of artists! An NYC based actor, Aida was last seen around town in Scott Kasier’s Shakespeare’s Other Women at Island Shakespeare Festival. Other regional credits include Luciana in The Comedy of Errors and Horatio in Hamlet (Island Shakespeare Festival) and Chase in A Dark Sky Full of the Stars (Ashland New Plays Festival). New York credits include Olivia in Sisters-By-Law (Theatre Row), Alfred in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (Midtown International Theater Festival) and Viola in Twelfth Night (Circle in the Square-PW). Additionally, Aida had a “first life” as a principle dancer for the Chicago based Trinity Irish Dance Co., spending almost a decade touring all over the country and the world. Aida is a proud graduate of Circle in the Square. 
Michael D. Blum (Augustine) Michael has been an actor and director since childhood. Over the years he has co-founded two Latino theater companies: La Compañía De Teatro De Albuquerque, Inc. in the 1980’s, and more recently Teatro Nuevo México, where he served as Co-Artistic Director for four years. His work has been seen as far afield as Europe, Mexico and South America, including a stint with the National Theater of Venezuela. He is also an award-winning voice talent in both English and Spanish providing voices for advertising, theater, television, audio books and video games. Michael holds the position of Instructor at the Seattle Voice Institute. He occasionally regrets having chosen theater over sleep.
Tae Phoenix (Melanie Wheeler)
Gavin Douglas (Mr. Bailey/David)
