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Awake in the Dark show poster

Awake in the Dark at First Unitarian Congregational Society Brooklyn

Dates: (12/14/2023 - 12/15/2023 )

Theatre:

First Unitarian Congregational Society Brooklyn


119 Pierrepont St
Brooklyn,NY 11201

New Play
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AWAKE IN THE DARK: A CONCERT THEATRE WORK, a new play from Shira Nayman and Ben Moore, adapted from Nayman’s collection of short stories, Awake in the Dark, begins an exclusive two show run on December 14 at First Unitarian Congregational Society, in Downtown Brooklyn.

Written by acclaimed author Shira Nayman and accomplished composer Ben Moore, directed by Concert Theatre Works, Inc Founder and Artistic Director, Bill Barclay, AWAKE IN THE DARK tells the story of a young woman desperate to understand the memory that haunts her and the woman she calls her mother.

Starring Merritt Janson (The Public—Richard II, A Midsummer Night's Dream; TFANA—Julius Caesar, Measure for Measure, Tamburlaine, Notes From Underground) and Juliana Sass (2023 Helen Hayes nominee for outstanding lead—John Proctor is the Villain; Helen Hayes winner best production, best ensemble; TFNA—Julius Caesar) and produced by Trey Tetreault (Holding Back the Tide, Days of Rage, Last Room) and Shira Nayman, this production will be presented as a benefit for the First Unitarian-Universalist Congregational Society within their cathedral. The show’s run dates are December 14th and 15th, with 7pm curtains. 

Interweaving theater and chamber music, this production, based on Nayman’s book,
Awake in the Dark, explores one woman’s experience of the impact of secrets and
hidden pain born of collective, historical trauma. Christiane’s mother’s last words led to
a place Christiane had fled as a child—and where truth lay concealed. As we
accompany Christiane on her journey, we glimpse the ways in which repression of historical
truth can weave into the self–and the redemptive power of reckoning with the past. With
Ben Moore’s beautiful, haunting, and inspiring music, this theater concert work is an
immersive experience that heightens the sense of our shared humanity, a message we
need more than ever in today’s troubled times.

Awake in the Dark at First Unitarian Congregational Society Brooklyn Schedule

December 14, 2023 - 7pm December 15, 2023 - 7pm

Cast and Creative team for Awake in the Dark at First Unitarian Congregational Society Brooklyn

Cast

Merritt Janson

Hilde
Merritt Janson has performed Off-Broadway at The Public (Richard II, A Midsummer Night's Dream), Theatre for a New Audience (Julius Caesar, Measure for Measure, Tamburlaine the Great, Notes From Underground), Red Bull Theater (Coriolanus), 59E59 (Built), Transport Group (House for Sale), Abingdon Theatre (The Last Will). Regionally she has worked at American Repertory Theater, Yale Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Denver Center, Two River Theater, The Wilma, Shakespeare & Company, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Her TV/film credits include series and films on Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, Showtime, NBC Universal, CBS and ABC, among others. She received her MFA from ART/MXAT at Harvard University.


Juliana Sass

Christiane
Juliana Sass recently played Shelby in the world premiere of Kimberly Belflower’s John Proctor is the Villain at Studio Theater (Helen Hayes nominated for Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play, winner for Best Production & Best Ensemble). Other theater credits include Erica Schmidt’s Mac Beth (Hunter Theater Project) and Julius Caesar (Theater for a New Audience). Selected readings/workshops at Playwrights Horizons, The New Group, New York Stage & Film, Studio Theater. Film credits include A Call to Spy, Radium Girls, and The Sisterhood of Night. Juliana graduated with a BA in Comparative Literature from Harvard University. She is represented by Aleen Keshishian and James Thompson at Lighthouse Management + Media.


Creative Team

Bill Barclay

Director
Bill Barclay (he/him) has written and directed two dozen original works of concert-theater for the world’s leading ensembles. Last season featured The National Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Music of the Baroque, Chicago Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, United Strings of Europe, Chautauqua and Caramoor Festivals, and the Harlem Chamber Players. Broadway and West End credits as Music Supervisor include Farinelli and the King, Twelfth Night, and Richard III, all starring Sir Mark Rylance.


Shira Nayman

Playwright
Shira Nayman is the author of five books: Awake in the Dark (Scribner, 2006), The Listener (Scribner, 2010), A Mind of Winter (Akashic Books, 2012), River (Guernica, 2020), and Shoreline (in-press, Guernica, 2024). She has published in magazines & journals, including The Atlantic, Georgia Review, New England Review, Psychoanalysis and Contemporary Thought, Boulevard, Columbia: A Magazine of Poetry and Prose, O Magazine, Tikkun, and Tablet Magazine. Awards include three Australia Council for the Arts Literature grants, the Cape Branch award for Women Writers, a Hadassah Brandeis literature grant, and a MacDowell fellowship. Her work has been performed on NPR, at the Brooklyn Historical Society, and at Lincoln Center (workshop).


Ben Moore

Composer
The music of American composer Ben Moore includes art song, opera, musical theater, cabaret, chamber music, choral music and comedy material. His work has been called “brilliant” and “gorgeously lyrical ” by the New York Times, while Opera News has praised the “easy tunefulness” and “romantic sweep” of his songs. Singers who have performed his work include Deborah Voigt, Susan Graham, Frederica von Stade, Isabel Leonard, Lawrence Brownlee, Robert White, Nathan Gunn and Audra McDonald.


Trey Tetreault

Producer
Trey Tetreault (he/him) s a producer, director, and creative consultant With experience in film & tv, theatre, advertising, and publishing. Film & TV Credits: Anthony Bourdain’s ‘Parts Unknown’, SNL, Holding Back the Tide (feature), The Tunnel (short), I’m Fine (web series) Theatre Credits: Love All (La Jolla), Laramie…10 years Later (TheatreLab NYC), Last Room (NYC), Awake in the Dark (NYC), Days of Rage (NY workshop). Trey likes to stay busy on a myriad of different projects. He works authentically and collaboratively, basing each project in community and shared vision. Whether directing, producing, or sometimes performing, he is always interested in story that can reflect the human experience with all its flaws and dilemmas. Through his work, he seeks to enhance different perspectives and to challenge the status quo. treytetreault.com




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