PROGRESS • Prism Theatre Company

Local playwright John Wolbers began writing this play around four years ago, followed by informal readings two years later. Now, Prism Theatre Company is giving Progress a solid world premiere at the Kranzberg. Progress centers around the relationships between Queen Elizabeth I and the ladies-in-waiting who counsel, challenge and support her and each other through most of the Queen’s 44-year reign.

It’s Christmas 1562, and the attendants of Queen Elizabeth (called "Bess" by her confidantes) busy themselves with preparing her wardrobe and wigs, managing her correspondence, and are poised for assistance with makeup and hygiene. These ladies include Blanche (Nicole Angeli), Keeper of Her Majesty's Jewels and supervisor of the Queen’s daily appointments. A powerful gatekeeper of the household, she’s earnest and shrewd. Dorothy (Rachel Tibbetts) is high-strung and rushed off her feet as the Queen’s Mistress of the Robes. Bess's lavish collection of garments set trends during her reign, and she and Dorothy understand how a carefully curated image reflected status and power. Sidney (Carly Uding) is a Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber and in charge of the Queen’s makeup. She nursed the Queen through a life-threatening bout with smallpox, contracting the disease herself, and she cares much for the welfare of those in the more far-flung areas of Northern England. Kat (Margeau Steinau) was Bess’s former governess and later serves as the First Lady of the Bedchamber. Kat’s coarse and cheeky language provides many of the laughs in the play, and though she pulls no punches, she’s always ready to sooth with a platter of sweets or a calming tonic. Mary (Sarah Lantsberger) is the new girl and responsible for Bess’s wigs and hygiene. Awkward and unsure initially, she provides a good dose of lightheartedness to the group. Last but not least is Queen Elizabeth I herself (Michelle Hand). Sharp-witted and impulsive, she strategically avoids wars and marriage proposals alike, and meets with foreign ambassadors while suffering from throbbing cramps, but she’s able to bear up under the pressures of the crown with the bracing advocacy of her ladies-in-waiting.

Blanche (Nicole Angeli)
and Bess (Michelle Hand).
Photo credit: Leo Young

After the death of Elizabeth’s half-sister Mary (a name automatically followed by a chorus of “may she rot in hell” once uttered), these companions viewed Bess’s accession to the throne as a hopeful sign of a bright future for England and Ireland. When the plague ravages the country, Bess and her ladies seek refuge from the crowded streets of London in the countryside retreat of Windsor Castle. When doubts about her ability to govern settle in, Bess gets encouraging spectral visits that inspire her to carry on. When it comes to sovereign rule, it truly takes a village.

Director Trish Brown keeps the movement quite fluid, and with the black box set up as a traverse stage with the audience facing each other across the action, the engagement in Wolbers’s lively dialogue is heightened. The actors, all of whom nail the timing, are excellent. The production is further bolstered by Katherine Stepanek's scenic and lighting design, Liz Henning's array of costumes and Bryn McLaughlin's compositions and sound design.

No one really knows what conversations took place within the inner sanctum of the Queen’s Tudor court, but the irreverent exchanges and close connections between the women displayed here, no matter how improbable, sure are fun to witness. It’s playing at the Kranzberg until the 12th.

L to R: Blanche (Nicole Angeli), Mary (Sarah Lantsberger),
Bess (Michelle Hand), Dorothy (Rachel Tibbetts),
Kate (Margeau Steinau), and Sidney (Carly Uding).
Photo credit: Juno Mayer

PROGRESS

Written by John Wolbers

Directed by Trish Brown

Kranzberg Black Box Theater, 501 North Grand Blvd.

through July 12 | tickets: $15 - $25

Performances Thursday and Friday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 2pm and 7:30pm, Sundays at 2pm.

Cast (in order of appearance)

Bess: Michelle Hand*

Blanche: Nicole Angeli

Dorothy: Rachel Tibbetts

Kat: Margeau Steinau

Sidney: Carly Uding

Mary: Sarah Lantsberger

Queen Elizabeth II: Margeau Steinau

Lady Jane Grey: Sarah Lantsberger

Queen Boudica: Carly Uding

Queen Anne: Rachel Tibbetts

Queen Victoria: Nicole Angeli

Ensemble Swing: Zayana Brown

Dorothy (Rachel Tibbetts), Bess (Michelle Hand)
and Sidney (Carly Uding).
Photo credit: Juno Mayer

Crew

Co-Producers: Joy Addler & Trish Brown

Artistic Director: Trish Brown

Managing Director: Joy Addler

Assistant Director: Jenni Ryan

Production Stage Manager: Joy Addler

Assistant Stage Manager: Avery Harrison

Scenic Designer: Katherine Stepanek

Lighting Designer: Katherine Stepanek

Costume Designer: Liz Henning

Sound Designer + Composer: Bryn McLaughlin

Dramaturg: Jenni Ryan

Script Supervisor: Sarah Whitney

Technical Director: Leo Young

Graphic Designer: Katherine Stepanek

Fight Choreographer: Riley Capp

Assistant Lighting Designer: Brianna Shipley

Production Intern: Delaney Plank

Technical Crew: Francesca Bochicchio, Lydia Holterman, Reid Kellermann & Juno Mayer

* Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States