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| Chad L. Coleman |
Weird Sisters announced today that they will present SAUGERTIES, a new play by Susan Eve Haar and directed by Abigail Zealey Bess. The production will star Chad L. Coleman who is best known for playing “Tyreese” in the Golden Globe® nominated series The Walking Dead and as the reformed criminal “Dennis ‘Cutty’ Wise” the Emmy® award nominated HBO drama series The Wire and Beau Garrett who recently starred as “Jessica Preston” in Season 1 of the ABC series The Good Doctor and currently can be seen as “Phoebe” on Bravo’s critically acclaimed series Girlfriends Guide to Divorce. Produced by Sharon Levy/Dovetail Productions, SAUGERTIES plays a limited engagement from August 18 through September 8, at 7 p.m., at the Hudson Guild Theatre (6539 Santa Monica Blvd.) in Hollywood. Tickets are now on sale at OnStage411.com.
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| Beau Garrett |
Set in a remote B&B in the not too distant future, SAUGERTIES tells the story of Jen (Garrett) and Rog (Coleman), who are celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary. She’s broken-hearted over infertility, desperate to escape her life and Rog will do whatever it takes to make her happy. Twenty years later a couple not so different from the first return to the same B&B. There to scatter her mother’s ashes, they struggle with their relationship. Games become dangerous and they are forced to reveal secrets that may destroy them both.
SAUGERTIES inhabits the space between what is now possible and our understanding of its significance. As science outstrips what we recognize and the landmarks disappear, one begins to question who we are to one another. This play, which tackles the ethics of new reproductive technologies, explores what it means to be human and grapples with what it means to love.
“I’m drawn to mystery and fascinated by the gap between what we are able to do and what it means. Science tumbles ahead of our understanding now at a rate that is both terrifying and exhilarating. I love that. I am particularly drawn to the rapidly proliferating reproductive technologies. IVF is behind us, seen in the rear window, we are in a brave new world where there are already babies with three parents, and just around the bend are babies who can be grown from skin cells, babies who are cloned. Who will decide how the future is shaped,” said playwright Susan Eve Haar. She added, “The arts are a place to give pause, to explore, to question what it means, to dwell in possibility. To me, that’s the domain of theater and where I want to be.”
Director Abigail Zealy Bess said, “It was essential to find actors who could embody the highly complex and passionate relationship of Rog and Jen. Chad was a gift. He connected to the play on a deeply personal level. Finding Beau gave us that necessary combination of vulnerability and sensuality so necessary for the chemistry between these two actors. In working on this play it has been inspiring to delve into what drives these two people. There is a fluidity to this material that inspires the very core of human emotion, what we will do for the people we love.”
In addition to Coleman’s lead roles on The Walking Dead and The Wire, he currently stars in Seth MacFarlane’s hour-long, HULU’s comedy-drama series The Orvilleplaying the role of “Klyden,” a Moclan civilian living aboard the USS Orville with his mate Second Officer Bortus (Peter Macon) and their son Topa. Coleman also currently has a recurring role in CW’s hit series All American playing “Corey James.”
Nothing has slowed down for The Walking Deadstar since his inevitable and shocking departure from the hit series. He had a recurring role for several seasons as “Colonel Frederick Lucius Johnson” in Syfy’s space drama The Expansealongside Thomas Jane and Steven Trait and appeared as the villainous “Tobias Church” in season 5 of CW’s Arrow. Coleman is also widely recognized for his comedic turn as “Gary Miller,” the ex-husband of “Nikki Miller” and father of manipulative daughter “Mackenzie” (Aisha Dee) in the FOX television comedy I Hate My Teenage Daughter and for his recurring role as “Z” in the comedy It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Additional TV and film projects include the recent remake of the 1977 miniseries Roots, The Good Wife, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Green Hornet and Horrible Bosses, to name a few.
Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Coleman was placed in the foster care system with his two older brothers and two older sisters when he was only 11 months old but eventually returned living with his grandmother at the age of 14. Coleman’s passion for acting was inspired after joining an after-school program where he acted in their production of “Wonderful Town.” Coleman spent 4 years serving in the Army as a video cameraman stationed at the Pentagon in DC. After gaining much experience working on and off camera, Coleman made his way to New York where he starred in a number of Broadway projects including the critically-acclaimed August Wilson production “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” on Broadway.
Coleman commented on returning to the stage in SAUGERTIES, “Theater is a sacred space to me; to share intimate life experiences to help nurture us all. And hopefully, learn and grow to become better people. This play is a rollercoaster ride in existential acrobatics wrapped in a relationship drama – very True West like and it’s very exciting to peel back the layers.”
In addition to The Good Doctor and the Girlfriends Guide to Divorce, Beau can be seen next in the Discovery Channel MOW Capsized as the female lead opposite Josh Duhamel. Last year, Beau played a recurring role in the Netflix series Longmire. Previously, she was also a co-lead opposite Forest Whitaker on the CBS drama Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior.
In the feature film space, Beau is known for her roles in Walt Disney’s Tron Legacy, Sony Pictures’ Made of Honor, and 20th Century Fox’s Fantastic 4: Rise of The Silver Surfer. She has also appeared in Turistas, Knight of Cups and Freelancers opposite Robert DeNiro.
Beau has been the face of multiple campaigns including Revlon and Gap.
Beau Garrett shared, “What I am most looking forward to about SAUGERTIES is tackling two different women, seemingly from one shared story. Bringing these words of pain, desperation, fear, uncertainty, and truth alive will be one of the biggest professional challenges I have had to date.”
The SAUGERTIES creative team also includes Scenic Design by Joseph Jin; Lighting Design by Pei-Yu Lai; Production Stage Manager, Corey Womack; and Casting Director, Caroline Sinclair.
SAUGERTIES will play at the Hudson Guild Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90038 from August 18 – September 8, 2019, with the official press opening on Sunday, August 18 at 7 p.m. The regular performance schedule is Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. Performance schedule notes: There will be no matinee performances on Sunday, August 17 and Saturday, August 31. All tickets are $30. Tickets are available online at OnStage411.com. Valet and street parking are available. For more information visit OnStage411.com.
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