During a recent focus group that was a part of our marketing research, I was surprised to hear a Broadway Under the Stars subscriber say that she always went to BUTS (that’s the acronym, sorry) and never to Barksdale because she liked knowing that “all the BUTS actors were on Broadway last week, and the Barksdale actors are local amateurs.” Her comment, of course, could not be further from the truth. Many of the BUTS tours featured not a single Broadway actor; many of them were non-Equity tours produced in Maryland. On the other hand, Barksdale’s Signature Season features many of our nation’s top professional talents, veterans of Broadway, Hollywood and America’s leading regional theatres.
The acting company of
Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage is a perfect example. This wonderful show is up next in our Signature Season at Willow Lawn, and it features an amazingly talented cast of professional actors working at the top of their game. We’re proud to include each of them in our Barksdale family.
Intimate Apparel is written by Lynn Nottage, one of the most popular playwrights working in our country today. It's the latest show in our Women's Theatre Project. Richmond theatre lovers of both genders would be crazy to miss it.
Adanma Onyedike plays the leading role of Esther. She last appeared at Barksdale in
To Kill a Mockingbird. She is a brilliant actor at the beginning of her professional career; her performance in
Intimate Apparel will uplift your heart. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the U.S.A. Adanma’s other stage credits include
Luminosity at UVA,
The Tempest with the Richmond Shakespeare Festival,
Northstar Light with the Carpenter Science Theatre, and
Tribute 9/11 with Sycamore Rouge. Adanma is now an MFA Theatre Pedagogy candidate at VCU, where she teaches Black Theatre. She also teaches at the Henrico High School Center for the Arts.
Chris Lindsay plays her love interest, George. Chris is making his Barksdale debut after just starring in the national tour of
I Have a Dream – The Life and Times of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., produced by Theatre IV. Chris is also a member of AEA. Based in Florida, Chris played Valentine in
Twelfth Night, the Apothecary in
The Imaginary Invalid, and Shere Khan in
The Jungle Book—all for the Orlando Shakespeare Festival.
Tawnya Pettiford-Wates is also making her Barksdale debut as Mrs. Dickson, but she brings to our stage the wealth of experience she has gained during a stellar international career. Dr. T, as she is known by her students, is the Head of Performance on the faculty of the VCU Theatre Department. She appeared on Broadway in
For Colored Girls … before moving to the West Coast to appear on stage at Seattle Rep, the Intiman Theatre, and ACT, and on film in David Lynch’s
Twin Peaks,
Life or Something Like It with Angelina Jolie, and
Under One Roof with James Earl Jones.
Jennifer Massey returns to Barksdale in the role of Mrs. Van Buren, after starring with us previously in
Fifth of July and
Light Up the Sky. Jennifer’s other regional stage credits include performances with The Alliance Theatre (Atlanta), Flat Rock Playhouse (NC), and for the new playwright’s project at Arena Stage (Washington D. C.). In Los Angeles, she appeared in numerous productions with the acclaimed Deaf West Theatre. Her extensive film and TV credits include
The Wedding Crashers,
One Tree Hill,
The Practice,
7th Heaven, and
Melrose Place. Since moving to Richmond, she has also appeared with the Firehouse Theatre Project in
Dinner with Friends and
The Secret of Madame Bonnard’s Bath.
Andy Nagraj is pleased to be playing the Jewish fabric merchant, Mr. Marks. A graduate of the University of Richmond and the Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s Professional School in Chicago, Andy has performed in concert in France, Italy, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and, most recently, Spain. Previous Virginia credits include one of the titular roles in
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at Theatre IV,
Forever Plaid at Swift Creek Mill, and
A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Virginia Shakespeare Festival in Williamsburg.
Last in this cast listing, but near and dear to our hearts, Katrinah Carol Lewis returns to Barksdale after starring as the Girl in our smash hit production of
Crowns. A BFA performance grad from VCU, Katrinah also studied at the Levine School of Music in Washington, D. C. She was a featured soloist at the opening of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain with the Children of the Gospel Mass Choir. With the same group, she sang at the Kennedy Center and at the Inauguration of President William Jefferson Clinton. This summer, she will be singing with Barksdale again in
Into the Woods.
In an upcoming blog entry, I’ll discuss the non-actor members of our award-winning company of
Intimate Apparel. Please support Barksdale Theatre and our wonderfully talented professional cast by buying your tickets today. You’ll be glad you did.
As a courtesy to our patrons who are not able to attend our wildly popular Coffee & Conversations series, sponsored by Rostov Coffee & Tea, we will begin providing links to audio recordings of highlights from these intriguing dialogues, recorded live from the lobby stage of Barksdale Willow Lawn.
-Russell Rowland
