“Coriolanus”
Intimacy Choreographer + Asst. Director at Silver Spring Stage
Director Jae K. Gee, Stage Manager Beth Rendeley, Asst. Stage Manager + Intimacy Captain Jen Kochaver
“In the second half, after Coriolanus has defected to the Volscian side, they share what can fairly be called a Heated Rivalry moment, making explicit the already evident homoerotic subtext in their lines in the scene. There being no implicit gendered hierarchy between them adds credibility to the relationship. Their mutual passion adds a dimension to Aufidius’ ultimate decision to kill Coriolanus, after seeing Coriolanus yield to her wife’s and mother’s pleas to make a peace that spares Rome from a Volscian victory. In this production, it is a decision as much personal as political.”
“Aufidius accepts Coriolanus as both a general and a lover, creating a love triangle that layers on complications in the final scene when Coriolanus’s mother and wife (Tara Scully) beg Coriolanus not to lead the Volscian forces to sack Rome. (…) The masterful technical elements, the commitment from the cast, and the creative staging make this a production worth seeing.”
“At any given time, a Shakespeare play is probably onstage in the D.C. metro region, but it’s rarely ‘Coriolanus.’ And perhaps that’s a mistake. The production of ‘Coriolanus’ at Silver Spring Stage takes advantage of the opportunity to ask timeless questions about power, truth and leadership. Director Jae K. Gee injects further relevance to today’s political environment with casting that upends the play’s all-male Roman military power structure.”
CAST & PRODUCTION TEAM
Brianna Goode as “Caia Marcius Coriolanus”
with Tara Scully as “Virgilia” and Erin Nealer as “Tullus Aufidius”
Courtney Sumlin as “Coriolanus u/s” | Rebecca Grutz as “Volumnia” | Alan Gonzalez Bisnes as “Menenius Agrippa” | Kenneth A. Edwards as “Sicinius Velutus” | Margaret Condon as “Junius Brutus” | Michael McClary as “Cominius” | Ariana Kretz as “Nicanor” | Elijah Rakha-Sheketoff as “Adrian” | Bryan McNamara as “Titus Lartius, Menenius u/s” | Olivia Cholewczynski as “Second Citizen, Volscian Lieutenant” | Helen Cheng Mao as “Citizen Ensemble, First Lord, Volumnia u/s” | Daniel Riker as “Ensemble, Titus u/s”
Production Team: Jae K. Gee (Director), Fiona H.R. Murphey (Intimacy Choreographer + Asst. Director), Beth Rendeley (Stage Manager), Jen Kochaver (Asst. Stage Manager), Caitlin Valleskey (Producer), Kate Zuckerman (Set Designer), Jillian Skara (Costume Designer), Connor Lugo-Harris (Sound Designer), Molly Jane Brennan (Lighting Designer), Adaiheoma Tasie Tasie (Props Designer), Kiefer Cure (Fight Dir. + Original Music), Alexander Weiss (Master Carpenter + Scenic Charge), Hannah DiGiovanni (Assoc. Costume Designer), Clarissa Briasco-Stewart (Asst. Lighting Designer), Joseph Coracle (Set Painter), Colette Mrozek (Set Painter)
