Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Three Days of Rain: The Family Trees


Because I think it's a little bit helpful in this story that unwinds in reverse, here's a look at the players in Three Days of Rain


Ned/Walker is played by Tasi Alabastro; Lina/Nan is played by Katie O'Bryon Champlin; Theo/Pip is played by Robert Sean Campbell. And that's all I'm going to say to avoid some spoilers. Enjoy the show!

Monday, May 21, 2018

Three Days of Rain: A Word from the Director


Three Days of Rain has been on my bucket list for many years now and due to rights restrictions or other conflicts, it’s only now coming to life on the Dragon stage as my last show in my last year as the Artistic Director of Dragon. This makes it that much more special for me to be able to tell this story with three wonderfully talented and lovely actors and to present it to you, the Dragon audience. This is a beautiful story about familial disconnectedness (with which many of us are familiar), and the loneliness of intimacy. The legacy that these two young architects have created and passed down to their children – whether they wanted that burden or not – plays out in the relationships that the characters have with each other and those around them. This story allows us to understand more of our own assumptions or misunderstandings about our own parents, whether we are close with them or they were taken from us too early. It’s also so special to me as a director and for the actors because in the Act II the same performers play the parents of their Act I characters. If you know my work you’ll know I love stories that give actors the terrific challenge of playing multiple characters. Thank you for sharing this heart-warming and sometimes heart-breaking tale with me.

I give special thanks to my wonderful cast (Tasi, Robert, and Katie), my wonderful production team (Rachel, Kat, Nate, Karl, John, Jess, and Jacqueline), and the amazing support staff behind the scenes of Dragon (Kim, Taylor, Max, Alika, Josiah, Nancy, and Karen). I wouldn’t have wanted to go on this roller-coaster ride with anyone else. 

Thank you!

Meredith Hagedorn
Founding Artistic Director of Dragon Productions Theatre

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Three Days of Rain: Meet the Playwright

Richard Greenberg was born in New York in 1958. He graduated magna cum laude from Princeton with a bachelor’s degree where he studied creative writing under Joyce Carol Oates. He attended Harvard for graduate work in English and American Literature but dropped out when he was accepted to the Yale School of Drama’s prestigious playwrighting program in 1985. In 1998 his play Three Days of Rain was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. It was commissioned by the South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa, California and premiered there in 1997. It then transferred to New York for its Off-Broadway premiere in 1998 with Patricia Clarkson, Bradley Whitford, and John Slattery. It won the 1998 Obie Award for Directing and was the 1998 Drama Critic’s Circle Award Runner-Up. Mr. Greenberg is probably best known for his play, Take Me Out, because it won the 2003 Tony award for Best Play and was nominated for the 2003 Pulitzer Award for Drama.

Saturday, May 19, 2018

Three Days of Rain: Meet the Cast

Tasi Alabastro (Walker/Ned) -Tasi is grateful to return to Dragon Theatre’s stage with this stellar cast and Meredith’s final show as Artistic Director! In addition to working onstage, he is an online content creator, and photographer whose work focuses on reflecting his community and culture. He has had the honor of being the 2018 Silicon Valley Creates’ Emerging Artist Laureate and being published in CONTENT Magazine and Tayo Magazine. His last collaboration with Meredith was in The Woman in Black. Since then, he was seen in Merchant of Venice (City Lights) and Peter and the Starcatcher (Hillbarn Theatre). Previous romps onstage include Stupid F**king Bird (City Lights), Sisters Matsumoto (CenterRep), and The Libation Bearers (Dragon Theatre). Film/TV includes “Yes We’re Open” and PBS’ “Futurestates.” He is a proud member of the Red Ladder Theatre Company and is currently working with inmates in state prisons as part of the California Art’s Council’s Arts-in-Corrections program; the program re-engages participants with their creativity and imagination. Join the tribe at www.tasialabastro.com.

Katie O'Bryon Champlin (Nan/ Lina) - Katie is making her Dragon debut! Recent credits include The Miracle Worker (Annie Sullivan) at Tabard Theatre, Sweet Charity (Charity) at Sunnyvale Community Players, and Peter Pan (Peter) at Pacific Repertory Theatre. She has also been seen onstage at San Jose Stage, Foothill Music Theatre, Los Altos Stage, Pear Avenue, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, West Valley Light Opera, and City Lights Theatre. By day, she is a Performing Arts teacher for the Harker School in San Jose. She is also a proud graduate of the Dell 'Arte International School of Physical Theatre, where she learned how to fall down without hurting herself. Much love and gratitude to Michael, who encouraged her to do this show.

Robert Campbell (Pip/ Theo) - Robert is a graduate of The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and Santa Clara University, where he was the 2007 recipient of the William H. Leahy Award.  This is his fourth show at Dragon, three of which were directed by Artistic Director Meredith Hegedorn. Select theatre credits include: R.P. McMurphy - One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Davey/David Quinn – The Voice of the Prairie, Septimus Hodge – Arcadia, Iago - Othello, Romeo – Romeo and Juliet, Brick – Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Trofimov – The Cherry Orchard, Jake Quinn, et al – Stones in His Pockets, Merritt, et al – Eat the Runt, George Tesman – Hedda Gabler, Villars – Complete Female Stage Beauty, Joe Pitt – Angels in America Part One, George Gibbs – Our Town, Adam – The Shape of Things, Jesus – The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Young Zeke Rowen – The Kentucky Cycle, and Coriolanus – Coriolanus. Select film credits: Can't Thread a Moving NeedleS.E.R.P., and The Last Time I Saw Soap. Love to my wife Christina, daughter Londyn Aurora, and our soon to be new addition.  www.robertseancampbell.com #swansong



Thursday, May 17, 2018

Three Days of Rain: Meet the Designers


Meredith Hagedorn (Director) Meredith has been acting and directing in the Bay Area and all around the US for over 30 years. As Executive Artistic Director and Founder of Dragon Productions Theatre Company, she has been committed to finding more amazing stories to tell that aren’t being seen at other theatres around the Bay. She recently directed Airswimmingin 2017, and The Voice of the Prairie in 2015. Three Days of Rain has been truly a joy to be a part of and she is honored to call it her final Directorial opportunity before handing over the Dragon reigns to her successors. Meredith would like to thank all of you for joining us at the theatre today, the amazing support team (designers and administrators), and James for being the most loving and supportive husband anyone could ask for.

Nathanael Card (Scenic Designer/Lighting Designer) Nathanael is a theatre-craftsperson and long time lover of architectural drafting and Mid-Century Mod style, and is particularly smitten with the opportunity to design this show. At Dragon, you've seen his work before in 2nd Stages' Cirque Exotique du Monde (lights, scenic), and the Late Night event "Nattergalen" (co-producer, curator). He currently teaches Stagecraft at The College Preparatory School in Oakland, and is leading the build-out of his interactive scenic design for "Neverland," with Epic Immersive, in SF. You can follow his poorly maintained social media presence on Instagram and Pinterest: @ncardcreative #danceeveryday

Jess McGovern (Costumer Designer) Jess is excited to be working on this production of Three Days of Rain at the Dragon Theatre. Past Bay Area credits include Best of Playground 22 as part of the Festival of New Works, Real Talk at The New Conservatory Theatre Center and Ageless with Quantum Dragon Theatre. Thanks and Congratulations to the cast and crew for a wonderful production it was a pleasure working with Dragon. Finally thank you for the love and support from her East coast family and her new West coast friends!

Jonathan Covey (Sound Designer) Jonathan is an aspiring sound designer and broke musician. A perfect fit for Dragon Theatre! This is the fifth play that Jonathan has made noise for with Dragon, the other four being Miss Reardon Drinks a Little, Rich & Famous, Caeneus And Poesidon, and most recently Insignificance. Covey also did sound for Hillbarn Threatre’s production of The Elephant Man. He also worked in the stage crew for the Palo Alto Theatre Company’s productions of Zombie Prom and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, was the assistant director for Crystal Springs Player’s production of The Bible: Abridged, and even tried his hand at acting, playing Detective Sargent Trotter in Crystal Springs’ production of Agatha Christie’s The Mouse Trap. But in the end, he felt much more comfortable alone in a dark room with a microphone and a guitar then on a lit stage in front of a few too many people.


Jacqueline Moy (Properties Designer) Jackie studied Architecture at Central Saint Martins in London. She works as a Narrative Environment Designer in San Francisco, creating conceptual spaces that tell a story. Jackie has previously worked on the sets of Epic Immersive productions. She is currently working on Art Installations in Beijing, Disla, and Berlin.

Rachel Nin (Stage Manager) - Rachel is so pleased to return to Dragon, where she last served as the rehearsal stage manager for Anna Christie. She has worked as a stage manager and ASM for companies around the Bay, including Opera San Jose, Merola Opera Program, Sunnyvale Community Players, and Western Ballet, and toured children’s shows throughout California as a stage manager with California Theatre Center. She is an alumna of the Professional Training Company at Actors Theatre of Louisville, where she was stage manager for the PTC show That High Lonesome Sound in the 39 th Humana Festival of New American Plays. She holds a B.A. in Theatre and Creative Writing from Denison University in Granville, OH.

Katelyn Gyugyi (Assistant Stage Manager) Katelyn is a senior at Wilcox High School, and will be attending Johnson and Wales University in Denver, CO next year, majoring in culinary arts. Katelyn’s hair is as colorful as her personality. This is her first show working with Dragon Theatre Productions. Katelyn has acted in AnnieGreaseThe Wiz, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. She has also done various technical jobs, such as deck crew, build and paint, assistant stage manager, and running light board, during Guys and DollsThe Great GatsbyFrankenstein, and Beauty and the Beast.