Our first season focused on great divides:
the moral, historical, and geographical distances that come between us.

We presented three full productions and our first reading series.

Ada, Soon

A new play on artificial intelligence & the apocalypse, interwoven with The Tempest.

Written and directed by Lelaina Vogel
Premiered in Boston after a successful run at the Providence Fringe Festival

September 8 and 9, 2017
The Space Studio at Auspicious Phoenix
438 Somerville Ave, Somerville, MA

Cast:
ADA - Olivia Caputo
GAIA - Madeline Sosnowski
KAREL - Adam Preston

Staff:
Writer and Director - Lelaina Vogel
Voice and Text Coach - Daniel Thomas Blackwell
Sound Design - Joshua Garcia

Season One Reading Series

Underlings followed its first production with a reading series at the Arts at the Armory in Somerville. We had the delight of presenting three original plays by Boston-area playwrights. 

The Earth Room 
by Marge Buckley
directed by Sarah Batista-Pereira
George and Jitterbug raise their two daughters on Mars, replacing Earth with a perfect VR simulation.

The Uninvited Guest
by Maryanne Truax
directed by Lelaina Vogel
A classic dinner party farce with love triangles, surprises, and lobster bisque galore. 

Fruit in Winter 
by Emily Helen Atkinson
directed by Peter V. Secrest
A contemporary retelling of Doctor Faustus, imagining Faust as we all do: a queer feminist grad student. 

November 15, November 29, and December 13, 2017
Arts at the Armory Cafe
191 Highland Ave
Somerville, MA

Romeo & Juliet

Underlings presented this classic tale of star-crossed lovers divided by their families' hatred with two special twists. The show was performed in its original pronunciation, a recreation of the dialect Shakespeare and his contemporaries used. We set the action in a 1980s high school, inspired by films like Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Heathers.

Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Lelaina Vogel
Text and Dialect Coaching by Daniel Blackwell

February 23rd through March 3rd
The Blackbox at the Chelsea Theatre Works
189 Winnisimmet Street, Chelsea, MA

Cast: 
PRINCE, NURSE - Kody Grassett
MERCUTIO - Marge Buckley
SAMPSON, PETER, FRIAR JOHN - Duncan Kennedy
GREGORY, FRIAR LAWRENCE - Tony Dangerfield
BENVOLIO - Sophia Castuera
TYBALT, PARIS - Dominic Carter
LORD CAPULET - Cristhian Mancinas-García
LADY CAPULET - Olivia Gould
LADY MONTAGUE - Christine Williamson
ROMEO - Johnny Le
JULIET - Chelsea Evered

Staff:
Stage Manager - Laura Danek
Scenic Designer - Christine Williamson
Costume Designer - Rachael Linker
Lighting Designer - Evyn Newton
Sound Designer - Joshua Garcia
Fight Choreographer - Matt Dray
Dance Choreographer - Alison Kerr

Photos, including banner photo, by Julian Goetz

The Tour

Two people, a tour guide and a pilgrim, visiting ancient ruins in the Middle East. Then an army approaches on the horizon. 

Underlings is proud to present the U.S. premiere of this incisive drama, which asks, "who has the right to speak for whom?" 

Written by Alice Abracen
Directed by Lelaina Vogel

May 4th through May 12th, 2018
The Blackbox Theatre at the Chelsea Theatre Works
189 Winnisimmet Street, Chelsea, MA

Cast:
THE GUIDE: Zaven Ovian*
THE PILGRIM: Sylvia Sword
*appeared courtesy of Actors' Equity

Staff:
Stage & Production Manager - Laura Danek
Scenic Design - Duncan Kennedy
Costume Design - Evelyn Quinn
Sound Design - Brittany Lawrence
Lighting Design - Kat Zhou
Fight Choreography - Matt Dray
Dialect Coaching - Daniel Blackwell