In Quietness

Written by Anna Ouyang Moench
Directed by Ensemble Member dado
Featuring Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald

Performance Dates: January 11-March 3, 2024 EXTENDED through March 10!

Showtimes: Thursdays & Fridays at 7PM | Saturdays at 3PM & 7PM | Sundays at 3PM
***Note: evening shows have moved to 7PM!***

Press Performances: January 20, 2024 at 3PM & 7PM

Open-Captioned Performances: Friday, January 26 at 7PM and Sunday, February 18 at 3PM

Midwest Premiere!

A former consultant follows her born-again husband to a Southern Baptist seminary. There, she enrolls as a student at the Homemaking House, the nation’s premier training ground for future homemakers and a place where marital bliss means never having to say thank you for cleaning the toilet.  In Quietness asks us all to consider how fidelity to self, family, community, and faith coexist as we work to manifest our futures. 

Category:
 

Description

WRITTEN BY
Anna Ouyang Moench

DIRECTED BY
Ensemble Member dado

PERFORMANCE RUN
January 11-March 10, 2024 

SEASON
Season 31

Midwest Premiere!

A former consultant follows her born-again husband to a Southern Baptist seminary. There, she enrolls as a student at the Homemaking House, the nation’s premier training ground for future homemakers and a place where marital bliss means never having to say thank you for cleaning the toilet. In Quietness asks us all to consider how fidelity to self, family, community, and faith coexist as we work to manifest our futures. 

CAST
Paul | Joe Edward Metcalfe
Max | Brittany Burch
Terri | Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald*
Beth | Alexandra Chopson
Dusty | Adam Shalzi

U/S Paul | Will Burdin
U/S Max | Halie Robinson
U/S Beth | Jin Park
U/S Dusty | Jasper Johnson

CREATIVE TEAM
Playwright | Anna Ouyang Moench
Director | Ensemble Member dado
Scenic Design | Ensemble Member Grant Sabin^
Costume Design | Kotryna Hilko
Lighting Design | Heather Gilbert^
Assistant Lighting | Amina Gilbert
Sound Design | Jeffrey Levin^
Props Design | Rowan Doe
Fight/Intimacy Choreographer | Christina Gorman
Technical Director | Tom Daniel
Master Electrician | Hannah Bolstad
Stage Manager | Lauren Lassus*
Assistant Stage Manager | Josh Fitch
Production Manager | Patrick Starner
Dramaturg | Brady Johnson
Casting Assistant | Kyle Stoffers

*denotes member of Actors Equity Association, Union of Professional Actors & Stage Managers
^ Member of United Scenic Artists-Local USA 829-IATSE

Jeff Recommended!

“Through late plot twists that shatter the tranquility of a Homemaking House luncheon, Moench upends assumptions about each of the characters and their motivations… These are imperfect people trying to fulfill their deepest needs and desires within systems that hem them in—whether religious, societal, or marital. There is no neat resolution for anyone, as there so rarely is in life, but there’s compassion to be found in their messy stories.” -Emily McClanathan, Chicago Reader (Reader Recommended!)

“Director dado’s acute ear for finding humanity in absurdity is invaluable here, as she sends audiences down a twisted vortex where gender roles and relationships are governed by the Bible, as it is interpreted by an insular, seemingly isolated clan of Southern Baptists. ” -Catey Sullivan, Chicago Sun-Times (3 out of 4 stars!)

“Director Dado, who seems of late to be masterfully exploring layered and not very comfortable domesticity, here strips bare the troublesome compromises and perilous re-calibrations needed to stay in relationship to others…. This is a subtly remarkable evening.” -Angela Allyn, Chicago Stage & Screen (Highly Recommended!)

Moench and director dado have cast this provocative and often hilarious play without villains, and instead chosen to tease out the suppressed motivations and traumas that its characters at times try to sweep quietly under the rug.” -Pete Hempstead, TheaterMania

“Directed by AROT’s resident genius dado…I found that this deep dive into the Southern Baptist mindset continually fascinated me.” -Karen Topham, Chicago On Stage

“Moench’s play, skillfully directed by A Red Orchid ensemble member, Dado, makes excellent use of her talented cast, as well as the theater’s intimate space. Grant Sabin’s sleek, stylish scenic design, accented by Heather Gilbert’s area lighting, allows for quick and easy changes in locale. The talented cast is led by two great Chicago actresses… With thoughtful direction and sound performances, A Red Orchid’s first production of 2024 is humorous and certainly thought-provoking. Anna Ouyang Moench’s play is an entertaining comic drama that raises a whole lot of questions.” -Colin Douglas, Chicago Theatre Review

Sensory/atmospheric content warnings for In Quietness: 

None

Emotive content warnings for In Quietness: 

Onstage depictions of: loss/grief, profanity or strong language, sexism, misogyny, sexual coercion, emotional/psychological abuse 

Verbal references to: severe injury, sexual coercion, stalking, divorce 

A Red Orchid Theatre recognizes that sensitivities vary from person to person. If you have questions about the content, age-appropriateness, or stage effects of a show, please ask a Front-of-House staff member, email us at audience@aredorchidtheatre.org, or call 312-943-8722. 

Season 31 Sponsors: