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 by John Pielmeier
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Cast
Creative Team
Zoe Lesser
Jack Hagen
Jimmy Balistreri
Nita Mendoza
Gaby Ostrove
Director's Notes
About the author
John Pielmeier was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania, the son of Louise (Blackburn) and Len Pielmeier. He was raised Catholic. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Catholic University of America in 1970 and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1978. He began his career as an actor, working with such repertory companies as Actors Theater of Louisville and the Guthrie Theater.
In 1976, Pielmeier's first play, A Chosen Room, was produced in Minneapolis. Three years later, Agnes of God, was performed in a staged reading at the O'Neill National Playwrights' Conference in Waterford, Connecticut, and won the 1979 Great American Play Contest. A full production was mounted for the Humana Festival of New American plays at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in 1980, and the Broadway production opened in March 1982 at the Music Box Theatre, where it ran for 599 performances. His screenplay for the 1985 screen adaptation earned him a nomination for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.
Other plays include The Boys of Winter, Sleight of Hand, Voices in the Dark (winner of the Edgar from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Mystery Play), Courage, Young Rube, Willi, and The Exorcist.
In 1983, Pielmeier penned the television movie Choices of the Heart, about murdered American missionaries in El Salvador, for which he received the Christopher Award, the Humanitas Award, a Writers Guild of America nomination, and an honorary Doctorate of Letters from St. Edward's University in Austin, TX. Additional TV credits include The Shell Seekers, The Stranger Within, An Inconvenient Woman, Through the Eyes of a Killer, The Last P.O.W., The Bobby Garwood Story, Flowers for Algernon, Sins of the Father, Hitler: The Rise of Evil, Sybil, The Capture of the Green River Killer, The Memory Keeper's Daughter, The Pillars of the Earth, and World Without End.
Pielmeier has been married to poet/author Irene O'Garden since October 1982. The couple lives in Garrison, New York.
About the play
The STORY: Agnes of God is a 1979 play by American playwright John Pielmeier which tells the story of a novice nun who gives birth but does not believe sh has. The child is found dead and a psychiatrist and the mother superior of the convent clash during the resulting investigation. The title is a pun on the Latin phrase Agnus Dei ("lamb of God")
After a reading at the 1979 Eugene O'Neill Playwrights' Conference, Agnes of God made its professional premiere at Actors Theatre of Louisville in March 1980. The play premiered on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre on March 30, 1982. Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, the production starred Elizabeth Ashley, Geraldine Page and Amanda Plummer, who won the 1982 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. The 1985 film adaptation, directed by Norman Jewison and starring Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft and Meg Tilly, earned three Academy Award nominations.
"Outstanding...deals intelligently with questions of religion and psychology." - The New York Times
"Unquestionably blindingly theatrical....cleverly executed blood-and-guts evening in the theatre." - New York Post
"Riveting, powerful, electrifying drama...the dialogue crackles." - New York Daily News
Meet the Company
Bunmi Famuyiwa
Bunmi Famuyiwa is an actress and writer born and raised in Los Angeles California. Since earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting for the Stage and Screen from Azusa Pacific University in 2017, Bunmi has been honing her craft, having been part of multiple short film and projects including Exceptional Beings, The Vision, and The Wake. Voiceover on national commercial spots for Ontario International Airport, ROXY, UPenn, and more. As well as Principal VO on Cartoon Network Africa’s original animated series Garbage Boy and Trash Can, the first CN animated series to be developed and produced in Africa. Her commercial credits include national spots for Overstock, US Bank, Workhuman, Midea, Buy Buy Baby and more. With a passion for telling stories that represent the marginalized individuals and communities that formed the person she is today, Bunmi is continuously eager to lend her talents to projects that have a positive impact.
Mouchette van Helsdingen
Mouchette is thrilled to be back at the Morgan Wixson Theatre in the role of Mother Miriam Ruth in Agnes of God. Previous productions include Juror #12 in Twelve Angry Jurors at the Group Rep Theatre North Hollywood, Julia Budder in It's Only a Play at Theatre 40 Beverly Hills, Hillary Saint George in Guess Who's Coming To Dinner at the Ruskin Theatre Santa
Monica, and Janine Bosco in The Niceties at the Moxie Theatre in San Diego. Originally from The Netherlands, Mouchette studied at the Academy for Small Arts in Amsterdam and at the
Drama Studio in London.
Sarah Dennis
Sarah Dennis (she/her) is thrilled to be a part of this play and this team. Select theatre credits: RANT (Gianna), [title of show] (Susan), The Seagull (Masha) at Firefly Theatre Group, where she is a company member; Brooklyn Bridge (Sasha), Dance Nation (Maeve) at The Theatre School at DePaul; Romeo and Juliet (Balthazar), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Cobweb) at Seattle Shakespeare Company; Mary Poppins (Mary) at Studio East; Julius Caesar (Trebonius) at Prague Shakespeare Company. Film: Flour Girls, Dead Serious, The Last Light. Upcoming: Taking Stock (check out this link for more info: https://seedandspark.com/fund/taking-stock#story). Special thanks to Boppa for his eternal support.
Zoe Lesser
Zoe Lesser is a director and choreographer working in theater, opera, and film. Her work ranges from site-specific, intimate, moments with actors to large-scale, multidisciplinary works. Recent credits include The Nether (New Mexico Actors Lab), The Telephone (Santa Fe Opera, Touring), Bach’s Coffee Cantata (Santa Fe Pro Musica), and Congrats to Me (The Tank, Hollywood Fringe). She has worked as an assistant director with Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Opera Theatre, Court Theatre, and The Neo-Futurists. She is currently a Creative Producer for Soloway Brothers Industries where she develops new musicals and on Faculty at The Colburn School, where she teaches Tap Dance. She is a co-founder of The Exodus Ensemble, an immersive theater company in Santa Fe, NM, where created, stage managed, and performed in several immersive experiences that still run today.
Jack Hagen
Jack Hagen (He/Him) is a scenic, graphics, and experiential designer from Denver, Colorado. His work ranges across commercial, interior, and theatrical spaces and can be viewed at his website jackhagendesign.com. He would like to thank the wonderful people at the Morgan-Wixson theatre and his friends Sarah and Zoe, for trusting him with this sharp and timely play.
Jimmy Balistreri
Jimmy is excited to be designing at the Morgan-Wixson for the first time! He is from Wisconsin and worked as a lighting designer and stage manager around the state before moving to SoCal to pursue his MFA in Lighting Design at UC-Irvine. His recent credits include designs for the Great River Shakespeare Festival, Corrib Theater Company, and Golden State Ballet Company. He has also recently worked as an assistant at Utah Shakespeare Festival and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. He hopes you enjoy Agnes of God! Find more of his work at jablights.com or @jablighting on Instagram.
Nita Mendoza
Nita Mendoza is a Chicana lighting designer based out of Los Angeles, CA and is blessed to collaborate with the Agnes of God team. Recent design credits include: Water by the Spoonful (Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center), Everybody (Pomona College), Winter Lights (Discovery Cube, Orange County), Fourth Planet (Fullerton College, Fullerton), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Perseverance Theatre, Alaska), The Half Life of Marie Curie (TheatreSilco, Colorado), Sanctuary City (TheatreSquared, Arkansas), Keely and Du (CalStateLA, Los Angeles), Pericles (New Swan Shakespeare Festival, California), and Guadalupe in the Guest Room (Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs). She is also the visiting professor of lighting design at Pomona College and is a lighting design supervisor for Octopus Theatricals.
Gaby Ostrove
Gaby Ostrove is excited to be working on her first show at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre! Gaby is a theater professional based in Los Angeles. She is a Patron Services Associate at Pasadena Playhouse, the Program Coordinator for About…Productions, and the youth theater director at Temple Bat Yahm in Newport Beach. Gaby is grateful to the whole Agnes team, and especially to Zoe Lesser for the opportunity to be a part of it!
Video Filmed & Edited by Tommi Jo Mongold
Performed by Sarah Dennis
SPECIAL THANKS!!!!
Marc Antonio Pritchett
Tommi Jo Mongold
Michael Mullen
The Morgan-Wixson Theatre Board:
Michael Heimos
Samantha Barrios
Meghan Ripchik
Cori Goldberg
Ruben Gabriel Hernandez
Ariella Salinas Fiore
Jonathon Saia
Eve Keller
Ann Villella
William Wilday
Marc Ostroff
Amanda-Meade Tatum
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