Written by Nora and Delia Ephron
Directed by Robin Schwartz
Produced by Jason Vaughan
Performance Dates:
July 9 - 25, 2021
Run time: 1h 40m
(no intermission)

"Love, Loss and What I Wore" follows a collection of stories about the nostalgic power of women’s clothing. A diverse cast of women tell funny, wistful and universal memories about their families and loved ones through the prism of their closets. The throughline is narrated by Gingy, a wise older woman who reminisces about what she wore at milestones in her life. Like a long heart-to-heart with your best friend over coffee, the conversation meanders from odes to black clothing to cowboy boots and outfits that make mothers cringe. "Love, Loss and What I Wore" is a reflection on the joys and challenges of our common female experience.

 

About the Playwright

Love, Loss, and What I Wore is a play written by Nora and Delia Ephron based on the 1995 book of the same name by Ilene Beckerman. It is organized as a series of monologues and uses a rotating cast of five principal women. The subject matter of the monologues includes women's relationships and wardrobes and at times the interaction of the two, using the female wardrobe as a time capsule of a woman's life.

The show was initially presented as a part of the 2008 summer series at Guild Hall in East Hampton, New York, and then as a benefit series at the DR2 Theatre in New York in early 2009. Later the same year, the show was produced Off-Broadway as an ongoing commercial theatrical production at the Westside Theatre in New York, where it continues to run as the second-longest running show in the theatre's history. The production and its cast received positive critical attention. The production won the 2010 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience as well as the 2010 Broadway.com Audience Award for Favorite New Off-Broadway Play.

 

About the Director

Robin Schwartz is still in disbelief that she is making her directorial debut on The Colonial Players’ mainstage. After graduating from Goucher College with a BA in Theatre, she directed and produced plays at Red Branch Theatre Company and Drama Learning Center. In past years, Robin directed Mugger in The Park as well as Bismarck Comes Back for CP's short play festivals. She was last seen on the CP stage as Ruth Hoch in Book of Days. Favorite credits include Dawn in The Universal Language (Outstanding Performance from the Maryland Community Theatre Festival), Thea Elvsted in Hedda Gabler, Margaret Leavitt in Silent Sky, and Joan Dellamond in The Babylon Line. “Special thanks to my husband Daniel for supporting me tirelessly and unconditionally, to my sons J and H for being Mommy's cheerleaders, and to family and friends for their loving encouragement. So much gratitude to the whole CP team for the opportunity to create theater with some truly amazing people.”

 

Director's Notes

Open your closet ... Start rummaging through the dresses, pants (the ones that you'll fit into “someday” but you won't let go of), uniforms, blouses, and your Madonna costume from Halloween six years ago. The scents, the textures, the colors; they evoke such vivid memories from your past. Who can remember shopping for their first bra? Agonizing over your prom or wedding outfit? Being made to feel ashamed of how you look because something about you is “wrong”? Feeling unstoppable because you found that absolutely perfect outfit for the interview? Our production is seen through Gingy’s eyes as she develops her book. She remembers stories from her own life and also listens as other women tell their stories and create their characters right in front of us. Gingy’s mind is littered with voices, colors, and illustrations as she shapes the narrative. Each of these characters validates personal experiences we have as women navigating this society together. This process has been something incredibly special. We laughed and cried together as we uncovered deeper meaning in the text. We shared our stories with one another. We worked side by side as Covid restrictions were lifted and learned how to exist in this post-pandemic time (so wonderful and so strange). We built trust, supported one another, and created an experience that I hope you won’t soon forget. I can’t express how thankful I am to the entire team that you shared your hearts, minds, and incredible talents with us. And of course, extremely grateful to The Colonial Players for the opportunity to direct such an amazing piece. And now, for the phrase we have been anxiously awaiting to hear: “Places, please. It’s time for the show to begin.”

— ROBIN SCHWARTZ

 

The Cast

Darice Clewell (Gingy) – Celebrating 35 years as a member of The Colonial Players, Darice has been privileged to wear a variety of costumes. Where else but the theater does someone build a garment especially for you and your character? Some costumers have a knack for finding the perfect item to define that character. As Sharon in Book of Days, a funeral dress nailed the sedate, pious character. In Rumors, a scrumptious black formal with a thigh-high slit edged all-way-round with black feathers gave Claire self-centered sophistication. For Lettice and Lovage, the dull Lotte modeled a procession of ever-more-dowdy suits. Lottie in Enchanted April blossomed from a despondent dowager in brown wool to a freespirited vacationer in a 1930s swim costume complete with bloomers, a middy over-dress and black stockings. And for this show, just know that Gingy and Darice both love this outfit. Other favorite roles—with equally memorable attire— include Sonia in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, M’Lynn in Steel Magnolias, Olive in Women of Lockerbie, Elizabeth in The Crucible, Marie in Calendar Girls, Latrelle in Sordid Lives, and multiple roles in The Vagina Monologues. After 50 years in community theaters, Darice’s costume list is as extensive as the happy memories each brings. Outside of the theater, she relies on her resident wardrobe master and husband Jim to answer that age-old question: Does this make me look too (whatever)???

Aleiha Direnzo (Ensemble) – Aleiha is incredibly grateful to be a part of her first Colonial Players production with such a creative director and amazing, diverse cast. Auditions felt like coming home after 15 years of “retirement” from theater. She looks forward to more productions in the future, in any capacity CP will have her! “Special thanks to my husband for his encouragement to return to theater, to my friends for their support, and especially my mom, dad, sister, and brother for traveling from New Mexico to watch me return to the stage (and babysit, run lines, and everything else in between).”

Mary Macleod (Ensemble) – Mary MacLeod is so very excited to be part of the cast of Love, Loss and What I Wore. She has acted in many theater productions in the DC/Annapolis area over the years, but some of her favorite roles include the aging British rocker in VVVC Productions' Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll, Sister Aloysius in Dignity Players’ production of Doubt, and at Colonial Players: Hazel in The Children, Eileen Osbourne in The Cripple of Inishmaan, Terry Glimmer in Side Man (DC Metro Theater Arts 2015 List of Best Performances in Community Theater-Actress in a Play), Lady Boyle in Superior Donuts (WATCH Award NomineeCameo), Lettice Douffet in Lettice and Lovage, Nancy Shirley in Frozen (WATCH Award Nominee Lead Actress), and Marjorie Taub in The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife. As always, she thanks her husband Alan and her daughter Carter for all their patience and support.

Kristen Page-Kirby (Ensemble) – Kristen Page-Kirby is thrilled to be making her Colonial Players debut after working in various community theaters all over the area for nearly 20 years, mainly concentrating on musicals. Favorite roles have included Diana in Next to Normal, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, the Baker's Wife in Into the Woods, and Abigail Adams in 1776. She has twice been nominated for WATCH awards for acting and won the Outstanding Performance Award in the 2015 Maryland Community Theater One-Act Festival.

Aricia Skidmore-Williams (Ensemble) – Aricia is excited to return to The Colonial Players stage after a seven-year hiatus! Her past credits with CP include These Shining Lives and In the Next Room. She likes to think she'd have more to add to that list if she hadn't decided to trek west for Los Angeles, where she's been living for the past six years. Some say she returned home because of COVID, others say the pull of CP can only be ignored for so long. Whatever the cause, she's happy to be back on stage with an intimidatingly talented group of women. When she's not panic-memorizing her lines and swearing to everyone that she's “pretty much fully off book… basically,” Aricia can be heard hosting the award-winning weekly podcast Even the Rich and the daily podcast Rich and Daily, both from Wondery. Aricia would like to thank her family for their constant support; it means more to her than she could ever properly articulate.

Joanna Tobin (Ensemble) – Joanna is thrilled to be back on stage and a part of this fabulous, talented cast and crew, working with such a wonderful director. She was last seen at The Colonial Players as Lady Tresillian in Towards Zero in 2019 and Emma in last summer’s first CP pandemic Zoom production: Over the Hill and Through the Woods. Some long (very long) past roles include Cecily in The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Therese in Therese Raquin. To Steve, Diana and my mom, I love you and thank you for allowing me to be a part of the best ensemble.

Meg Venton (Ensemble) – Meg Venton is grateful to be doing this show with such a bunch of spirited, talented ladies, to The Colonial Players for opening up in such a well-thought-out way after the pandemic, and to our director Robin Schwartz for her kindness, talent, and overall joie de vivre! Most of Meg’s credits, and a BFA in theatre from Adelphi University, are in the distant past, but she's hoping to remedy that. Most recently, she played Rose in CP's The Children and Cecelia in CP's Shiloh Rules. Love to Jack and Percy.

 

The Production Staff

Megan Henderson (Stage Manager) Megan is excited to work with The Colonial Players for the first time! She is a teaching artist, actor, director, stage manager, and wardrobe assistant. She has previously worked with Toby’s Dinner Theatre, Signature Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, Drama Learning Center, and Liberty High School. Professional acting credits include: Maurice in Madagascar, Gilda in The Happy Elf, Thea in Spring Awakening, Princess Léonide u/s in Triumph of Love (Red Branch Theatre Company). Other roles include: Jo March in Little Women and Woman 1 in Edges. Megan holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Seton Hill University. Many thanks to Robin and the team! For Molly.

Lindsey Miller (Costume Designer) Lindsey feels blessed to be involved with live theater again! This is her third production with CP. Previously she was seen on stage in the 2016 production of A Christmas Carol as Mrs. Cratchit and as Midge Braverman in The Babylon Line. Lindsey previously designed costumes for PTC’s You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. Her favorite piece of clothing is a Ravenclaw zip up hoodie she’s had since college, and she has enjoyed dressing these incredibly talented women in a show about our sometimes complicated relationships with clothing. Much love to Joe for his support in making it possible for me to get back out into the world again and to Robin for bringing me along for the ride!

Laurie Nolan (Set Designer) Laurie has been painting the stage here at CP for (yikes!) decades. Some recent sets include: The Secret Garden, Casa Valentina, and The Children. Her painter's apron tells the story of many past sets, identifiable by color smudges in multiple layers. Many thanks to Robin and the cast for their contributions to the memory journal/sketchbook content of the floor. It’s great to be back in our theater space!

John Purnell (Lighting Designer) John was pleased to be asked to light Love, Loss and What I Wore for Robin. The show presents a variety of intriguing lighting challenges. John has designed lighting for Maytag Virgin, Quartet, The Babylon Line and A New Brain (WATCH nominated) for CP over the last five years. In the 1990’s John lit about a dozen CP shows. He also designs for Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre (Mamma Mia, Altar Boyz, Light Up the Stars and the 50th Anniversary Show), MC3, and Severna Park Middle School. John also performed onstage in Rumors, If Men Played Cards as Woman Do, and Clue at CP and Bullets Over Broadway at ASGT. John owns Inspired Data Solutions and has enjoyed living in Annapolis with his beautiful wife, Claire, for the last 31 years.

Diana Tobin (Costume Assistant) Diana is thrilled to be working on another show at Colonial Players. She previously worked as a production assistant and has acted in various shows with the Annapolis High Drama Company and in Colonial's A Christmas Carol as a beggar. She recently worked on costumes for the spring play and dance concert at the College of Wooster, where she is a rising sophomore. She would like to thank all her friends and family for their support and particularly her mom who she's so excited to work with on this show.

Jason Vaughan (Producer) This is Jason’s second time serving as a producer for a CP show. No stranger to CP, he has appeared on stage in numerous shows, most recently in Book of Days and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Jason is delighted to be in some way part of the amazing cast and crew of Love, Loss and What I Wore, and thanks everyone for their patience as he waded into a new job right at the same time the show was moving into production. Thanks to Scott for all his love and support.

Sarah Wade (Sound Designer) Sarah is so pleased to be at the theater again! Favorite CP roles include Elaine in Arsenic and Old Lace, Honey in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Cecily Cardew in Ernest in Love, and Catherine Donohue in These Shining Lives. She also designed sound for Sex with Strangers, Calendar Girls, Side Man, and Watch on the Rhine. She directed 2018's production of A Christmas Carol, and will be directing it in 2021 as well. Thanks to Robin for inviting me to this fun party!