WICA Announces 'RABBIT HOLE' Casting, Runs 4/10 - 4/25

Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, under the leadership of Executive Director Stacie Burgua, announces the cast of Rabbit Hole, by David Lindsay-Abaire. The production, directed by Chris Fisher, features Max Cole-Takanikos, Patricia Duff, Tom Harris, Jill Johnson, and
Melissa McAlerney.

Performances will begin at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, 565 Camano Avenue, on Friday, April 10 and continue through Saturday, April 25.

Tickets range in price from $12 to $16, with discounts available for students and groups, and are available from www.WICAonline.com or 360.221.8268 - 800/638.7631.

Becca (Patricia Duff) and Howie Corbett (Tom Harris) have everything a family could want, until a life-shattering accident turns their world upside down and leaves the couple drifting perilously apart. Rabbit Hole charts their bittersweet search for comfort in the darkest of places and for a path that will lead them back into the light of day.

"An intensely emotional examination of grief, laced with wit, insightfulness, compassion, and searing honesty... an uncommonly affecting and absorbing play." - Variety

Chris Fisher (Director) has been directing, acting, writing and teaching theater on ‘the other side' as faculty with Shoreline Community College, Artistic Director of The New Space Theatre, and stage director for The Other Company. She received an MFA in theater from Rutgers University. Her directing credits include Cloud Nine by Caryl Churchill, Lady from the Sea and A Doll's House by Ibsen, Travesties by Tom Stoppard, The Skin of Our Teeth and Our Town by Thornton Wilder, and The God of Hell by Sam Shepard. Her plays have been workshopped or produced at Broadway Performance Hall, New City Theater, the Seattle Rep, Princeton Rep, and the Douglas Fairbanks Theater in NYC. In the 1980s, she co-wrote and directed the musical Charley Parkhurst: One Woman's Masquerade for Life at the Clyde Theatre and is delighted to be working again at home -- Whidbey Island.

Max Cole-Takanikos (Jason) has appeared in WICA's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Rosencrantz), Sweeney Todd (Anthony) and The Good Doctor. Amongst his favorite roles are Yoshi in The Magic Fan, Humpty Dumpty in Through the Looking Glass, Major General Stanley in Pirates of Penzance, Long John Silver in Treasure Island, and Vasiliy Solyony in WICA's Three Sisters.

Patricia Duff (Becca) was last seen at WICA as the Woman in The Good Doctor, Lady Caroline Bramble in Enchanted April, Kit Kat Club dancer Texas in Cabaret, and in Seven Keys to Baldpate in the role of Mary Norton the reporter. Her experience includes ten years as a working actor in Chicago playing such roles as Perdita in The Winter's Tale, Lady Anne in Richard III, Isabel in The Razor's Edge, Rose of Lima in Richard's Cork Leg, Salem in La Turista, and Masha in The Seagull. She wrote, co-directed and acted in her play The Dimmed Heart, which won a "Best of the Fest" award at the Bailiwick Director's Festival in Chicago and went on to a six-week run there.

Tom Harris (Howie) last seen at WICA in The Good Doctor. Previous WICA productions include Art, The Laramie Project, School for Scandal, Accomplice, Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

Jill Johnson (Nat) has appeared on the WICA stage as Sister Laserian in This Child, Aunt March in Little Women, and as May Arkwright Hutton in Barnstorming. She was a guest instructor for the 2007 WICA Youth Conservatory and taught storytelling and drama in elementary, middle, and high schools. Her one woman storytelling presentation, Little, But OH My!" premiered at WICA in March 2003 and has since been performed throughout Western Washington. In 2006, a CD of the performance received an "Honors" designation from the annual national "Storytelling World" awards. Jill is a member of the National Storytelling Network's Press Committee, which has produced two books, A Beginner's Guide to Storytelling and Telling Stories to Children. Her essay about telling stories in French in Africa appeared in "Storytelling Across Language Barriers" published by Libraries Unlimited.

Melissa McAlerney (Izzy) has appeared in WICA's Three Sisters (Natasha) and Little Women (Beth). Regional credits include Steel Magnolias; The Phantom Tollbooth, Fools, Cotton Patch Gospel; and Twelfth Night.

Opening Night Reception

Friday, April 11 following the 7.30pm performance.

The Edgecliff Restaurant will host the Opening Night (post-show) reception at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts. The Edgecliff Restaurant and Lounge is Langley's first choice for tasty meals and an amazing atmosphere. The Edgecliff has a full bar and lounge that stays open late!

Post-Play Talk

Sunday, April 21, 4pm

On Sunday, April 15, the Production Team and Company will engage in a discussion following the 2pm matinee performance; the event will be free and open to the public. Additional information about the discussion, including speakers and other participants, will be announced at a later date. Patrons interested in attending only the discussion should arrive at WICA at 4pm.