Playhouse Theatre Group, Inc.
CO-FOUNDER/EXEC. DIRECTOR
Tracy Flater
CO-FOUNDER/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Sean Harris
CO-FOUNDER/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Darlene Zoller
presents
The World Premiere
of
WEBSTER’S BITCH
A PLAY BY JACQUELINE BIRCHER
Director VANESSA MOROSCO |
Scenic & Lighting Designer JOHANN FITZPATRICK |
Sound Designer |
Costume Designer RAVEN ONG |
Props Master ERIN SAGNELLI |
Stage Manager ANNA BROSOWSKY |
CAST (in order of introduction)
Gwen • Mia Wurgaft
Ellie • Isabel Monk Cade
Nick • HanJie Chow
Joyce • Veanne Cox*
Frank • Peter Simon Hilton*
*The Actor appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association,
the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
This show runs approximately 100 minutes with no intermission.
Any video and/or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.
WEBSTER’S Dictionary.
Stamford, Connecticut.
Thursday, 5:32pm.
Print is dying, careers are on the line, but words still need to be defined.
“Language isn’t fair. It’s a made-up human puzzle that is constantly changing.”
When I first came to this play, I would have boldly considered myself a ‘word nerd’. When I hear a new or unfamiliar word I need to discover its meaning, etymology, and usage. But while I may love the language of Shakespeare and solve the NYT crossword puzzle daily, it turns out that the word nerd spectrum is more expansive than I ever imagined. Lexicographers, those who show up to work every day to define words to be included in dictionaries, are the real rockstar word nerds of us all. A lexicographer’s job is not to prescribe how we use language, but to describe how we use it. No matter what dialect we speak, whether native or learned, whether we prefer ‘standardized’ English or urban slang, we are all active contributors. That means you, and the person sitting next to you, play an equal role in shaping our shared language. And as we grow and change, our language does too. While the lexicographic world of this play, like all U.S. workplaces, navigates the myriad of complex issues (gender bias, power harassment, generational conflict, style clash, psychological safety – just to name a few) that are evolving in the conversations of our country today, it also invites a joy and curiosity that leads to hope and change. Our language changes and we hope for our future. By the time you read this, I’m not sure what the ‘word of the day’ will be, but I am curious to be in conversation with you about it, and maybe together we can collaborate on the word of tomorrow.
VANESSA MOROSCO
When most people think about the dictionary, they definitely don't think about comedy. That was certainly the case for me before I started writing Webster's Bitch. In my home growing up, the dictionary was an intimidating, unabridged tome, big and heavy enough to both scare and excite a little word nerd in training. But all these years later, as I began to immerse myself in the weird, wild, wonderful world of lexicography, I quickly realized that the dictionary is more subjective, emotional, and interesting than I ever could have anticipated. Language is constantly changing; it is a reflection of ourselves and our culture, however patriarchal, regional, intersectional, and/or chronically online that culture might be. And the dictionary, as a result, contains all of those multitudes within its pages.
But, a dictionary is still a workplace, and every workplace is, in its own way, dramatic. With Webster's Bitch, I particularly wanted to explore the idea that in a post "Me Too" era, not every man (or woman) in corporate power has nefarious motives that aim to devalue or take advantage of their employees. But, that doesn’t mean that a more subtle game of office politics isn’t at play. And while the dictionary may not seem the most obvious setting for these discussions, its specificity offers a unique vantage point for us to take a hard look at universal themes like intergenerational conflicts, technological advancements, gender equity in the workplace, the power of words, and so much more.
This play has been a joy to write, develop, and finally see come to life in this world premiere production, especially since the bulk of its development from first draft to final happened virtually during the pandemic. It aims to leave you with more questions than answers, but these questions are critical to our examination of how we treat each other and how we step into our future. Thank you so much for supporting live theater and new work here at Playhouse on Park, and I hope you enjoy the show!
JACQUELINE BIRCHER
Director Vanessa Morosco
Scenic Designer Johann Fitzpatrick
Costume Designer Raven Ong
Lighting Designer Johann Fitzpatrick
Sound Designer Jeffrey Salerno
Props Master/Set Dresser Erin Sagnelli
Stage Manager Anna Brosowsky
Assistant Stage Manager Vintage Kovel
Production Manager David Addis
Technical Director Scott Bartley
Scenic Carpenters Brian McGuire
Electrics Crew Patrick Blair, Brian McGuire, Tara Hightower, Kyla Madore
Scenic Charge Daniela Weiser
Scenic Painter Mikayla Carr
Dramaturg Liv Fassanella
Covid Compliance Officer Vintage Kovel
Lobby Design Darlene Zoller, Eileen Oconnor
Production Photographer Meredith Longo
Program Design Liv Fassanella
Program Printing Budget Printers
Poster/Postcard Design Dornenburg | Kallenbach
Advertising Webmaster Rick Fountain
E-Newsletter Lisa Steier
To view the dramaturgical casebook for this production. click here.
To view the Hartford Courant feature on Webster's bitch, click here.
We are grateful to the following people and businesses
who made special contributions to this production
of Webster’s Bitch.