CLUE to be Presented at San Francisco Playhouse in March

San Francisco Playhouse will bring the beloved board game Clue to the stage in a hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery. Murder and blackmail are on the menu as six mysterious guests arrive at Boddy Manor for an unusual dinner party. When their host turns up dead, they all become suspects and race to find the killer as the body count rises. Based on the cult-hit 1985 film which was inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, Clue was deemed "a welcome throwback to an era of physical comedy" by The New York Times. This uproarious comedy whodunit should leave both cult-fans and newcomers in stitches as they try to solve the mystery. Directed by San Francisco Playhouse Co-Founder and Producing Director Susi Damilano, Clue will perform March 9 - April 22, 2023 (opening night: March 15) at San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post Street. For tickets ($15-$100) and more information, the public may visit sfplayhouse.org or call the box office at 415-677-9596.

Director Susi Damilano (she/her) helms a starry cast of theatre talents who personify the game's iconic characters.

CAST:

Stacy Ross

Bay Area theatre veteran Stacy Ross (she/her) returns to San Francisco Playhouse as Mrs. Peacock, the batty wife of a Senator. Seen in San Francisco Playhouse productions of Bauer, Coraline, First Day of School, Coronado, and The Smell of the Kill, Ross has also starred in productions at other Bay Area's leading theatres including American Conservatory Theater, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, California Shakespeare Theater, Magic Theatre, San Jose Repertory Theatre, and Aurora Theatre Company.

Michael Gene Sullivan

Bay Area theatre veteran Michael Gene Sullivan (he/him) returns to San Francisco Playhouse as Professor Plum, an academic Casanova. Recently seen in As You Like It, his previous appearances at the Playhouse include Twelfth Night, Groundhog Day, She Loves Me, Stage Kiss, and Dogfight. Other acting credits include American Conservatory Theater, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, California Shakespeare Company, Denver Center Theatre Company, Marin Theatre Company, Aurora Theatre Company, African-American Shakespeare Company, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, and Magic Theatre, among many others. He has also been an actor, playwright, director, and Collective Member of the Tony award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe, where he has written, acted in, and/or directed over thirty productions over the past 30 years.

Courtney Walsh

Returning to the Playhouse where she was seen in Seared and Jerusalem, Courtney Walsh (she/her) will play Miss Scarlet, a madam who is privy to plenty of secrets. Walsh has performed in ten countries around the globe. Her Bay Area appearances include Marin Theatre Company, Cutting Ball Theater, We Players, New Conservatory Theatre Center, Z Space, 3Girls Theatre, and Stanford Repertory Theater. She has won Theatre Bay Area Awards for Outstanding Performance, Production, Directing, and Ensemble. Mother Lear, a work she co-created, will be released soon as a film, and she will be seen as the Wicked Witch in American Conservatory Theater's The Wizard of Oz this Summer.

Michael Ray Wisely

Last seen at the Playhouse in Ideation, Michael Ray Wisely (he/ him) returns to San Francisco Playhouse as Colonel Mustard, a pompous military man. Wisely has performed at theatres including 59E59 Theaters (NYC), Teatro Santa Ana, Aurora Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, Center Repertory Company, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Marin Shakespeare Company, Sierra Repertory Theatre, Shotgun Players, San Jose Stage Company, and African-American Shakespeare Company.

Renee Rogoff

Recently seen in San Francisco Playhouse's As You Like It, Renee Rogoff (she/ her) returns as Mrs. White, a tragic woman who may or may not have murdered her five ex-husbands. Her appearances include roles at Custom Made Theatre Company, Cutting Ball Theater, Central Works Theater Company, Roustabout Theater Company, Those Women Productions. Rogoff received a SFBATCC Award for Best Featured Actress for her performance as Hannah in When We Were Young and Unafraid at Custom Made Theatre Company. She has performed with Upright Citizens Brigade in NYC and is a standup comedian at Gotham Comedy Club and Broadway Comedy Club.

Greg Ayers

Last seen in San Francisco Playhouse's Significant Other, Greg Ayers (he/him) will perform the role of Mr. Green, a timid and klutzy rule follower. He was also seen in the Playhouse's Our Town, in a word, and Noises Off. Ayers is a company member at Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company, where he won the Theatre Bay Area award for Outstanding Performance for Two Mile Hollow. Other theatrical credits include roles with New Conservatory Theatre Center and Aurora Theatre Company.

Dorian Lockett

Seen in last season's Water by the Spoonful, Dorian Lockett (he/him) returns to the Playhouse as Wadsworth, Boddy Manor's butler. His voice can be heard in Disney and Pixar's Soul, and his film/TV credits also include "13 Reasons Why," The Ride, and Under a Black Cloud. He has appeared onstage throughout the Bay Area in productions by Center Repertory Company, Oakland Theater Project (Ubuntu Theater), Word for Word, Altarena Playhouse, and Boxcar Theatre. Margherita Ventura (she/her) makes her Playhouse debut as Yvette, the maid. A native of Florence, Italy, Ventura has been a member of Oakland Theater Project since 2018, and has performed with African-American Shakespeare Company and Shotgun Players.

Will Springhorn, Jr. and Eiko Yamamoto

Will Springhorn, Jr. (he/him) and Eiko Yamamoto (she/they) return to the Playhouse, playing a variety of characters as the ensemble. Recently seen as Duke Frederick in As You Like It and Andy in the World Premiere of An Entomologist's Love Story, Will in Coronado, and Ernst in Cabaret (2008 and 2019), Will Springhorn, Jr. has also performed with Berkeley Repertory Theatre, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Center Repertory Company, San Jose Stage Company, 42nd Street Moon, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Pacific Repertory Theatre, Hillbarn Theatre, Magic Theatre, and Theatre Rhinoceros. Recent film credits include Academy Award winner Mark Andrews' Circle of Stone and Drive All Night. Last seen the Playhouse's production of Follies, Eiko Yamamoto has also performed with Presidio Theatre, Sierra Repertory Theatre, Palo Alto Players, Z Space, PlayGround,, Marin Shakespeare Company, African-American Shakespeare Company, The Ground Floor at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, AlterLab, Hillbarn Theatre, The Pear Theatre, and Silicon Valley Shakespeare. They will play Jack's Mother in Mountain Play Association's Into the Woods.

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Clue features choreography by Nicole Helfer, scenic design by Heather Kenyon, lighting design by Derek Duarte, sound design by Dan Holland, props design by Michaela Creedon, costume design by Alice Ruiz, and intimacy direction by Maya Herbsman. Sarah Marie Selig serves as stage manager, with Ada May as assistant stage manager.

CREATIVE TEAM:

Sandy Rustin (Writer) is an actress and award winning playwright. Her comedy The Cottage was recently presented by Manhattan Theatre Club with Jason Alexander directing, and is in development for an upcoming commercial production in New York. Her sketch comedy musical, Rated P ... For Parenthood opened Off-Broadway at The Westside Theatre and was optioned for TV development with ABC Studios, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. Rustin's play Struck enjoyed two recent critically acclaimed productions at NJ REP and Theatre Raleigh. Her play Houston is the recipient of the New American Musical Award and after a recent workshop in NYC is currently in development for production. Rustin's newest comedy Elijah was presented as part of Midtown Direct Rep's 2017 "Theatre in the Parlor" Reading Series and is also in development. She created, developed, wrote, and starred in her own show for Nickelodeon (Nick Mom) called "Overbooked." Her webseries "It's Complicated," was acquired by Stage 17 TV. Rustin has two screenplays and two television pilots in development. As an actress, Rustin guest starred on Comedy Central's "Inside Amy Schumer" and regularly appears at New York's The Upright Citizen's Brigade in "Gravid Water." She has worked with Loopers Unlimited for over 15 years as a voiceover actress, heard in hundreds of TV shows and films. She is the Founding Co-Artistic Director of Midtown Direct Rep.

Jonathan Lynn (screenplay for the film Clue) has directed 10 feature films including the cult classics Clue and Nuns on the Run (for which he also wrote the screenplays), My Cousin Vinny, The Distinguished Gentleman, Sgt. Bilko, Greedy, Trial And Error, The Whole Nine Yards, The Fighting Temptations, and most recently, Wild Target. His first produced screenplay was The Internecine Project (1974) starring James Coburn. For television, Lynn's writing credits include dozens of episodes of various comedy series but he is best known for the phenomenally successful, multi-award-winning BBC series "Yes Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister," co-written and created with Antony Jay. Lynn authored the bestselling books The Complete Yes, Minister and The Complete Yes, Prime Minister, which cumulatively sold more than a million copies in hardback and have been translated into numerous languages and are still in print nearly 30 years later. His novel Mayday is being re-published by Endeavour Press and his latest books Comedy Rules (Faber and Faber) and Samaritans (Endeavour) both received rave reviews. Lynn made his first professional appearance on Broadway in the revue Cambridge Circus, his television debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show," and his West End theatre debut in the original London cast of Fiddler on the Roof. His subsequent London directing credits include: The Glass Menagerie; Songbook (Best Musical, Olivier Award, and Evening Standard Award); Anna Christie (RSC, Stratford, and the Donmar); Joe Orton's Loot; Pass The Butler, Arms And The Man, and The Gingerbread Man (Old Vic). At The National Theatre, he directed A Little Hotel on the Side and Three Men on A Horse (Olivier Award, Best Comedy). As Artistic Director of the Cambridge Theatre Company, he directed 20 productions, producing 20 others, nine of which transferred to the West End. His numerous awards include the BAFTA Writers Award, Writers Guild, Broadcasting Press Guild, NAACP Image Award, Environmental Media Award, Ace Award for Best Comedy Series on US cable, and a Special Award from the Campaign for Freedom of Information.

Michael Holland (Original Music) is a multi-talented artist with work across the musical spectrum. His orchestration and vocal arrangement work can be heard on the 2011 Godspell revival cast recording (co-producer). As a composer and lyricist, he has written Horizon Line (Theatre Latté Da, Minneapolis), Hurricane (NYMF), and Believe in Me... a Bigfoot musical (fringeNYC). He has written incidental music for various theatre companies including Playwrights Horizons, The Alley Theatre, The Old Globe, Dallas Theater Center, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Juilliard, and NYU Tisch. As a performer/arranger/music director he created the multi-award winning alt-cabaret favorite Gashole! (2001-2013). His orchestrations include Emma! A Pop musical (Stageworks), Disco Party and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Playscripts). Recordings include four solo CDs of original music, as well as the world premiere of "Another Day in the Modern World" on The Maury Yeston Songbook.

Hunter Foster (Additional Materials) is an Artistic Associate at the Bucks County Playhouse where he has directed: Clue: On Stage (World Premiere), Guys and Dolls, Company, Ain't Misbehavin', The Buddy Holly Story (2016 and 2017), National Pastime, The Rocky Horror Show (2013 - 2017), Summer of '42, and It's a Wonderful Life. Other directing credits include: The Foreigner, Cabaret, My Fair Lady (Cape Playhouse), Grease (North Carolina Theatre), Spamalot (Casa Manana), as well as Million Dollar Quartet for the Paper Mill Playhouse, Geva Theatre, Ogunquit Playhouse, Gateway Playhouse, and the Westchester Broadway Theatre. As a writer, he contributed to the stage adaptation of the movie, Clue, and has written the books to two off-broadway musicals: Jasper in Deadland - which had its world premiere at the Prospect Theater Company in NYC, followed by a successful run at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in Seattle - and Summer of '42 which made its West Coast premiere at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley and later opened at the Variety Arts Theatre in New York City, where it was nominated for an Outer Critic Award for best new Off-Broadway musical. Other recent book writing credits include The Circus in Winter (Goodspeed Musicals), Clyde and Bonnie: A Folktale (New York Musical Theatre Festival, Aurora Theatre), The Hollow (Signature Theatre) and Blue Ridge Sky. As an actor, he has appeared on Broadway in The Bridges of Madison County, Hands on a Hardbody, Million Dollar Quartet, The Producers, Little Shop of Horrors (Tony nomination), Urinetown, Les Misérables, Footloose, Grease, and King David.

Eric Price (Additional Materials) has written the lyrics and book to the musicals The Violet Hour, Radioactive, Presto Change-o, Around the World, Hello Out There, The Sixth Borough, and additional material for the stage adaptation of the film Clue. His work has been produced at theaters in New York, around the country, and in Europe. Production experience includes work at Manhattan Theatre Club, Roundabout Theatre, Goodman Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Menier Chocolate Factory, Barrington Stage, Symphony Space, Merkin Recital Hall, Minetta Lane Theatre, Audible.com, Joe's Pub, 54 Below (including solo show), Birdland, the Ravinia Festival, and more. Price's adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma was commissioned in 2015 and has had over 150 productions around the world. In addition to his career as a writer, Eric was the longtime assistant to 21-time Tony Award-winning director/producer Hal Prince and worked with him over the course of twelve years on the development of new musicals that premiered in New York, Chicago, Washington DC, London, and Tokyo. He is a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab and has degrees in Directing from Indiana University and Musical Theatre Writing from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. He has been a Dramatists Guild Fellow, a Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center finalist, and a member of Goodspeed's Johnny Mercer Writers Colony and the Rhinebeck Writers' Retreat. He is an Adjunct Professor of Musical Theatre at Pace University and Molloy College/CAP21. With his collaborator, Will Reynolds, Price won the 2018 Fred Ebb Award for Musical Theatre Writing.

Susi Damilano (Director, she/her) is co-founder and producing director of the Playhouse. She directed the West Coast premieres of Honey Brown Eyes (SFBATCC nomination), Dead Man's Cell Phone, Coronado, The Mystery Plays, and Roulette; and the world premieres of On Clover Road by Steven Dietz, From Red to Black by Rhett Rossi, and Seven Days by Daniel Heath in the Sandbox Series. Other directing credits include Playhouse productions of Groundhog Day the Musical, Cabaret, Mary Poppins, Noises Off, She Loves Me, Stage Kiss, Company, Stupid f-ing Bird, Into the Woods, A Behanding in Spokane, Den of Thieves, and Wirehead (SFBATCC nomination). She is a five-time recipient of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Excellence in Theatre Award for Principal Actress in a Play for the Playhouse productions of Abigail's Party, Harper Regan, Bug, Six Degrees of Separation, and Reckless. Damilano has also performed leading roles in the Playhouse's Yoga Play, The Effect, The Roommate, Red Velvet, Tree, Bauer, Abigail's Party, Harper Regan, Coraline, Slasher, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Landscape of the Body, First Person Shooter, Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, The Crucible, Kimberly Akimbo, Our Town, and The Smell of the Kill.

SAN FRANCISCO PLAYHOUSE:

Founded by Bill English and Susi Damilano in 2003, San Francisco Playhouse has been described by The New York Times as "a company that stages some of the most consistently high-quality work around" and deemed "ever adventurous" by The Mercury News. Located in the heart of the Union Square Theater District, San Francisco Playhouse is the city's premier Off-Broadway company, an intimate alternative to the larger more traditional Union Square theater fare. The Playhouse provides audiences the opportunity to experience professional theater with top-notch actors and world-class design in a setting where they are close to the action. The company has received multiple awards for overall productions, acting, and design, including the SF Weekly Best Theatre Award and the Bay Guardian's Best Off-Broadway Theatre Award, as well as three consecutive Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards for Best Entire Production in the Bay Area. KQED/NPR recently described the company as "one of the few theaters in the Bay Area that has a mission that actually shows up on stage. Artistic director Bill English's commitment to empathy as a guiding philosophical and aesthetic force is admirable and by living that mission, fascinating things happen onstage." The Playhouse is committed to providing a creative home and inspiring environment where actors, directors, writers, designers, and theater lovers converge to create and experience dramatic works that celebrate the human spirit.

Photo Credit: Muriel Steinke