Written by Frances Poet
Commissioned by the National Theatre of Scotland. Produced by the Travers Theatre in association with the National Theatre of Scotland and first performed on 24 April 2018
This is the U.S. Premiere production of Gut, brought into being as the dream project of Danielle Krivinchuk and produced by the artists under the name Krivsky Productions.
WARNING: This production includes the verbal description of child abuse and the depiction of post-partum anxiety. No physical depiction of child abuse is portrayed.
Follow Us:
Director's Note
My son's first word was "Hi". It sounded more like "I" but it happened every time a new person entered the room. He would grin up at them and bounce up and down and say "I". As a Mom, I was so afraid of messing up. I wondered constantly if the daycare I could afford was safe enough, if the babysitter we chose was treating him well, if the after school program would keep him safe. These days he's heading off to college, but I still wonder if he'll be safe in his dorm room, or if strangers will take away his right to healthcare or even his right to exist in the world just as he is. And so when Dani (Danielle Krivinchuk) brought me this script, each scene resonated, even though I didn't follow my fears down Maddy's out of control anxiety spiral. You don't have to be a mother to appreciate this woman-centered psychological thriller.
When we began producing this play, we didn't know the Epstein files would be bringing child abuse to the forefront, or that ICE raids would be causing us to evaluate each day which strangers we could trust and which were actively trying to bring harm to our community. Even though the story takes place in Scotland, this psychological thriller couldn't be more timely for us in the Twin Cities as we continue to balance our fears with trusting our guts and we have no choice but to hold onto each other or spiral out of control.
Cast
Creative Team
Frances Poet
Julie K. Phillips
Jennifer Long
Gillian C. Rosewell
Greg Vanselow
Shannon Elliott
Bronson Talcott
Meet the Company
Danielle Krivinchuk
(She/Her) Danielle has a Master's in Classical and Contemporary Text (Acting) From the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. While there she created and performed a one-woman show, Shades of Living about Crisis Intervention and mental health. She has also co-created original works Afterlife and The League with Sparkle Theatricals. Representative Credits Include: Grief, It's What's for Dinner (Fringe 2026) Radiant Vermin(Lyric Arts), Silent Sky (Theatre Pro Rata (2020), and Lyric Arts (2017)), The Penelopiad (Theatre Unbound), The Drowning Girls (Freshwater Theatre) among others. She has also worked on short films with MCTC students, and for the 48 hour Film Fest and Z-Fest. She is a Crisis Intervention Actor, Coach and Trainer, and Teaching Artist. Danielle is forever grateful for her husband Nick - without his grad school support she wouldn't have known this play existed - and for Varya, who made her a mum.
Nick Wolf
(He/Him) Nick Wolf is thrilled to be part of GUT. A former company member of Umbrella Collective, he's collaborated with History Theatre, TC Horror Fest, Transatlantic Love Affair, Market Garden Theatre, and MN Actors Theater. Screen credits include the short film Collette. Special Thanks to Erin and Eliza for their support and inspiration.
Elizabeth Desotelle
(She/Her) A lifelong performer, Beth finds deep joy in sharing the human experience through storytelling. And she is absolutely thrilled to be a part of this production of Gut!
Favorite theater credits include: For Peter Pan On Her 70th Birthday, & Little Wars (Prime Productions), On Golden Pond and Dixie Swim Club (Old Log Theatre), 42nd Street and Crazy for You (Chanhassen Dinner Theatres), and Guys and Dolls (Minnesota Festival Theatre).
Offstage, Beth has been a certified massage therapist for over 28 years and works as an Intimacy Director with several Twin Cities theaters and schools, helping foster safe, respectful rehearsal environments that support creativity, connection, and trust.
Beth is forever grateful for her beautiful family and their endless support and enthusiasm for her work in the performing arts. For more information go to https://bethdesotelle.com/
Sean Dillon
(He/Him) Sean Dillon is a Twin Cities actor, improviser, and all-round theater-maker. He has appeared locally with companies such as The History Theatre, The Playwrights Center, Walking Shadow Theatre Co, Theatre Pro Rata, and others. He founded dark theater company Oncoming Productions and co-founded of the award-winning Improv Movement Project with Mark Benzel. He can next be seen in IMP’s new, original production Silent Movie! at the MN Fringe Festival in August.
Frances Poet
Frances Poet is a WGGB Award-winning playwright and screenwriter living in Glasgow. Frances has written two episodes of ANNIKA starring Nicola Walker for Black Camel/UKTV/BBC and she adapted her play ADAM for BBC Scotland as a single film, for which she won a Scottish BAFTA. She is currently working on a number of stage plays with Citizens Theatre, National Theatre of Scotland and Traverse Theatre. Her play SMALL ACTS OF LOVE has been shortlisted for this year’s Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and her play MAGGIE MAY was also shortlisted for the same prize in 2021.
Julie K. Phillips
(She/Her) Julie began directing professionally right around the time she became a Mom. Directing Credits: (Theatre Pro Rata) No Sisters, (AD) 46 Plays for America’s First Ladies, (Northern Starz Penguin Players) Oklahoma Youth Edition. Footloose Youth Edition, Mary Poppins Jr., (Eden Prairie Players) The Little Mermaid , (Theatre Unbound) The Penelopiad, A Gertrude Stein Christmas, Motherhood Outloud, Measure for Measure (AD), (Richmond Shakespeare) As You Like it, Dr. Faustus, The Tempest. Youth Theatre Directing with Providence Academy, Fox Theatrix, and Richmond Shakespeare.
In addition to directing, Julie is an actor, educator, and co-founder of the Justice Theatre Consortium. Julie earned her MFA at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2007 and is a proud Associate Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. She’d like to offer a huge thank you to Michael and Theo for making all of that possible. You can see her work next directing 12 Angry Men at Lyric Arts.
Jennifer Long
(She/Her) Jennifer Long has staged managed for Theatre Unbound's productions of A Gertrude Stein Christmas, Babe: An Olympic Musical, A Staged Reading/Concert, Frankenstein Incarnate: The Passions of Mary Shelley, The Anastasia Trials in the Court of Women, Women! Live on Stage!, Girl's Got Pluck. She has also worked with Three Saints Theatre Company (One in the Chamber), Bedlam Studio (The Hole in the Bottom of the Holiday), MN Jewish Theatre (Modern Orthodox, Shadows of the Valley), E.S.C (Gangster No. 1), 3 AM Productions (Songs of Love and War). Jeni graduated with a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of Minnesota, Morris in 2003.
Gillian C. Rosewell
(She/Her) Gillian C. Rosewell is pleased as punch to be working with such a lovely group of artists on this powerful show. A dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia, Gillian made the Twin Cities her home in 2017 and pursued the study of accent and dialect acquisition through Knight Thompson Speechwork. Since then, she has worked with various TC theaters including Theater Latté Da, Frank Theatre, Lyric Arts, Pro Rata, BARd Shakes, The Birth Play Project, Hypnic Jerk, Fearless Comedy, Park Square, St. Croix Festival, Lakeshore Players, and more. As her day job, Gillian is the Development Associate and Access Coordinator at Theater Latté Da. UPCOMING: My Àntonia at Theater Latté Da, Come From Away at Guthrie Theater.
Greg Vanselow
(He/They). Lyric Arts Main Street Stage: 9 to 5, Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley, It's a Wonderful Life, The Last Five Years, Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberley, The Mouse Trap, Music Man, A Nice Family Christmas, Our Town, The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley. Theatre in the Round: A Murder is Announced, The Book Club Play, Fools, Grand Opening, Great Expectations, King Lear, Little Women, Shivaree. Andover High School Theatre: Anything Goes, Arsenic and Old Lace, Brighton Beach Memoirs, The Crucible, Harvey, Honk!, The Importance of Being Earnest, Into the Woods, Kiss Me, Kate, The Matchmaker, Much Ado About Nothing, My Fair Lady, Pride and Prejudice, Seussical, Singin' in the Rain, Thoroughly Modern Millie, You Can't Take It With You. Additional scenic, stage management, direction, and performance with Commonweal Theatre, 4 Community Theatre, Applause Community Theatre, Hamline University Theatre, Six Points Theater, Youth Performance Company, Theatre Unbound, C.R.O.S.S. Community Players. Upcoming: The Spitfire Grill (Commonweal Theatre), Merrily We Roll Along (Lyric Arts Main Street Stage). | gregvanselow.com
Shannon Elliott
(She/Her) SHANNON ELLIOTT is a Twin Cities-based lighting designer and teaches at Minneapolis College. Recent design work includes MY FAIR LADY at Theater Latte Da, THE EFFECT at Jungle Theater, and RIDE THE CYCLONE at Lyric Arts. Upcoming: WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME at Artistry Theater. | shannonelliott.org
Bronson Talcott
(He/Him) Bronson is a professional costume designer for both film and theatre.
Photos
Photos by Molly Jay
Photos by Molly Jay
Photos by Molly Jay
Photos by Molly Jay
Photos by Molly Jay
Photos by Molly Jay
Photos by Molly Jay
Donors
| Special thanks to: |
Springboard for the Arts Dani Werner Photography Meraki Massage The Phillips Family Terry Carlson Scot and Sheree Froelich Darla Kiminski Emily Johnson Jean Borgerding Shannon and Brian Swanson Birth Play Project Six Points Theatre JoAnn Caters Villainy Alternative Dance Nimbus Theatre Twin Cities Horror Fest KUBE (Plymouth Community Center) Sean McArdle Theatre Pro Rata Theatre Latte Da Theatre in the Round Lake Monster Brewing Kiminski Family Katie Mayer Brendan Rhode Daniel Owens The Hive Collaborative Pat Doherty Jean and Paul Krivinchuk Tiffany Kiminski Samantha Kuhn Staneart Michelle Gibson The Wolf family everyone who donated through our Gut Check Fundraiser or on Give MN. |
Dramaturgical Context:
There are a few Scottish phrases or references that may sound unusual to American audiences.
"Shall I be Mother" - This phrase is used when someone is going to play host/hostess and pour tea.
1978 8" Kermit Collectible - As far as we can tell this coveted collectible mentioned in the play never actually existed. Our prop was designed after a 3" collectible Kermit, and our best guess is 3" didn't seem large enough for audiences when the play was first written.
Fireman Sam Television Program - This is an animated children's program centered around a fireman named Sam Jones and his fellow firefighters.
Maddy McCann - is a British missing person who disappeared at the age of three in 2007.
Gary Glitter/Paul Gadd - Paul Francis Gadd (Stage name Gary Glitter) is a British former singer who was convicted of child sexual abuse.
