The Children
by Lucy Kirkwood
A small cottage on the east coast of England.
A summer’s evening.
The sound of the sea.
This is the setting for Lucy Kirkwood’s The Children. It is the makeshift home of Robin and Hazel, retired nuclear physicists, their children grown and moved on, who had hoped to live out their days together as dairy farmers on their small farm. A disaster at the nearby nuclear plant, their former place of employment, has forced them to abandon the farm and seek shelter outside the exclusion zone, where they wait for their world to return to normal.
Without warning, Rose, a former friend and co-worker, appears on their doorstep after an absence of 38 years. Her arrival causes all three of them to re-evaluate themselves, their relationships, their past, and their uncertain future.
The Children was written by Lucy Kirkwood and was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 2016 with Francesca Annis, Deborah Findlay, and Ron Cook. It premiered on Broadway produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club with the original cast. It received two Tony Award nominations for Best Play and Best Featured Actress (Findlay.)
Production Staff:
Director - Bill Zarriello
Stage Manager - Maureen Gaynor
Movement - Lori Russo-Ocampo
Set and Lighting - Julie McKinney
Lighting Techs - Johnny Moniz, David Fox
Costumes - Gail Russell
Properties - Martha Omiyo Kight
Carpenters/Scenic Artists - Christy Crichlow, Daniel Root
Publicity - Nisa Davis Hayden
House Manager - Mariam Helalian-DeGaxiola
Production dates: March 11 – April 10, 2022
Meet the cast
Janis Stevens (member AEA)
Rose
Janis received her Master of Fine Arts degree from the Professional Actor Training Program at Ohio University. After apprenticing with the Old Globe Shakespeare Festival, she spent the first 10 years of her professional career working with the English-speaking theatres in Vienna, Austria. Regional and local credits: Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, American Stage in St. Petersburg, Florida, Idaho Shakes, Lost Nation Theatre in Vermont, TheatreWorks of Palo Alto, Sierra Repertory Theatre, California Stage, B Street Theatre, Capital Stage and Sacramento Theatre Company. She is a member of the Resident Company of the Theater at Monmouth in Maine where she has acted and directed nearly every summer over the past 20 years. Janis is a 2006 Drama Desk Award Nominee for “Outstanding Solo Performance” for her portrayal of Vivien Leigh in Rick Foster’s Vivien off-off-Broadway. Local Elly Awards include Best Dramatic Actress in 2006 for Becoming Julia Morgan and in 2019 for Dorothea Puente Tells All. A proud member of Actors Equity, Janis is absolutely thrilled to be appearing with Adrienne and Tom for Black Point Theatre.
Adrienne Sher
Hazel
Adrienne holds a BA in Drama and English Literature from Stanford University, studied acting at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and graduated from the Neighborhood Playhouse Acting School in NYC. She worked extensively in theatres in Palo Alto, New York and Key West before moving to Sacramento 30 plus years ago, where she immediately found a home at The Show Below. Sacramento audiences have seen her perform many times on that stage, as well as at the B Street Theatre, Sacramento Theatre Company, The Delta King Theatre, Garbeau’s Dinner Theatre and the Thistle Dew Dessert Theatre. Her acting credits include Visitors, The God of Carnage, The Shadow Box (directed by Bill Zarriello, for which she won an Elly Award), Lear, The Memory of Water, Misery, Measure for Measure, A Chekhov Quartet, Shadowlands, Strange Snow and The Lady and the Clarinet. Adrienne was a founding member of The League of Sacramento Theatres and served on its board. She is crazy excited to be appearing in this wonderful play with this exceptional cast and director.
Tom Rhatigan (member AEA)
Robin
Tom made his acting debut in 1981 in Key West in a production of Sweet Bird of Youth, supervised by Tennessee Williams. He then studied at HB Studios in NYC with William Hickey. He has been a journeyman actor since then working on many shows in many places. In Sacramento, Tom was most recently seen as Bull McCabe in Black Point Theatre’s production of The Field. He played Dr. Chebutkin in Three Sisters at Sacramento City College, which was directed by Adrienne Sher. At Falcon’s Eye Theatre Tom won an Elly Award for his portrayal of Giles Corey in The Crucible and also appeared as Clive/Cathy in Cloud Nine. For the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival Tom appeared as Senior Gremio in The Taming of the Shrew. Elsewhere, some of Tom’s favorite roles have been Paul in The Lady and the Clarinet, Norman in The Boys Next Door and Hal in Loot (all in Key West acting opposite Adrienne Sher!), Bobby in American Buffalo at The Actor’s Playhouse in New York City, Treat in Orphans, Louie in Lost in Yonkers, Edward in Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, and Megs in Strange Snow. Tom is very proud to be co-founder of Black Point Theatre and also a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. Tom is very excited to be working with Adrienne again, and with Janis and Bill for the first time.
Production Gallery
