White Guy on the Bus a Curious Theatre Company Regional premiere
White Guy on the Bus by Bruce Graham closes out the 15-16 Season at Curious Theatre
directed by Chip Walton, the company's Producing Artistic Director
“When we chose this play last year, I lamented not being able to produce it right away,” said Walton. “With the events of Cleveland, Ferguson, and Charleston in the foreground of our national consciousness, it seemed the right time to push the conversation forward through theatre as well. Sadly, the play feels even more resonant today, with the national dialogue on race taking turns that none of us could have imagined a mere 12 months ago.”
"Ray" the title character played here by Sam Gregory (making his Curious Theatre Company debut) is "a Numbers Guy" who longs to be seen as more. We join him and his inner city school teacher wife "Roz" in their comfortable suburban home. Through discussions with each other and their surrogate son and his wife they acknowledge their privilege. Unlike the younger pair Ray and Roz seem to accept it without much examination or guilt, perhaps they have come to peace with it.
As we follow Ray along on the bus we meet Shatique played by Curious Company member Jada Dixon.
AS the two begin talking we still can't see what an incendiary turn the story will take, and I won't spoil it here.
Curious Theatre Company's slogan "No Guts, No Story" is carried by each of the artists on stage and behind the scenes... it's also true for the audience for many of their productions... including this one.
We talked about it all the way home... and continued to the next morning...
- Rachel Bouchard (Molly) - making her Curious Theatre Company debut. Her Denver area roles include W in Cock (The Edge Theatre Company), Laura in The Glass Menagerie (Cherry Creek Theatre), and Ruth in Sweet Storm (Miner’s Alley Playhouse), for which she received a Westword Best of Denver recognition. Some other regional companies with whom Rachel has worked are Backstage Theatre, Creede Repertory Theatre, Spotlight Theatre, and Vintage Theatre. She has also both performed and directed in Chicago. Rachel received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre from the University of Southern Mississippi.
- Dee Covington (Roz) - an Artistic Company Member and founding member of Curious Theatre Company, last seen as Sara in Lucky Me. Other recent Curious acting credits include Margaret in Good People, Mel in After the Revolution, Veronica in God of Carnage, Bev/Kathy in Clybourne Park (Denver Post Ovation Nominee, Supporting
- Jada Dixon (Shatique) - an Artistic Company Member at Curious, last seen as Oba in Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet. Other Curious credits include Mama Mojo/Nia/Women Who Reminds You in In The Red and Brown Water, Cadence in House with No Walls and Delores in Paris on the Platte. Other theatre credits: Metamorphoses (Nursemaid), The Color Purple (Darlene), A Christmas Carol (Mrs. Crachit), and Crumbs from the Table of Joy (Sister Lily Ann Green) Aurora Fox Arts Center; Black Odyssey (Aunt Tina/Scylla/Alsendra Sabine /Circe /Carib’dis /Calypso /understudy), Fences (Rose/understudy), Gem of the Ocean (Black Mary/understudy) Denver Center Theatre Company; One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Nurse Ratchet), The Edge Theatre Company, Two Trains Runnin’ (Risa), Waitin’ 2 End Hell (Diane), and Macbeth (Lady Macbeth), Shadow Theatre Company; Doubt (Mrs. Mueller), Off Square Theatre Company.
- Sam Gregory (Ray) - making his debut with Curious. Locally: Denver Center for the Performing Arts Theatre Company (45 productions), Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company, and Paragon Theatre. Regional Credits: multiple seasons for the Colorado, California, and Alabama Shakespeare Festivals. Also, The Seattle Rep, Milwaukee Rep, San Jose Rep, Cleveland Playhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse, American Players Theatre, Eureka Theatre Company, George Street Playhouse, Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, New Playwrights Festival, Chautauqua Theatre Company, TheatreWorks, Two River Theatre Company and Northern Stage Company. New York Theatre: The Actor’s Theatre Company and the Director’s Company. TV/Film Credits: NY Undercover, One Life to Live, As The World Turns.
- Andy Waldschmidt (Christopher) - previously seen in Curious Theatre Company’s Clybourne Park and Maple & Vine (U.S.); Reason with Maya Productions. New York credits include: Subjective Theatre Co.’s Parallax, Tell, and Party Discipline: A Politcal Transformation Seminar (co-writer), 7 Blowjobs, Victims of Duty, and White Plague; QED’s Mad Forest; NY Classical Theatre’s Taming of the Shrew in Central Park; AMFM in the First Degree and Holiday with the Gallery Players. Off-Broadway – Pearl Theatre: (U.S.) Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, She Stoops to Conquer, others. Regional: Walnut Street Theatre (PA), Black Hills Playhouse (SD). Film: Save the Forest, The Deafening Silence of a Very Bright Light, various shorts. Graduate of Temple University’s Acting MFA Program.