Signature Theatre announces the cast and creative team for the world premiere production of The Upstairs Department, a play by Chelsea Marcantel (Airness, Everything is Wonderful), which will play in Signature’s ARK Theatre for live performances from April 26 – June 12, 2022.

Directed by Holly Twyford (Signature’s Escaped Alone, Studio Theatre’s Edgar and Annabel), The Upstairs Department stars Annie Grove (Falcon Theatre’s Dial M for Murder) as Colleen, Joy Jones (Arena Stage’s Seven Guitars, CBS’s Blue Bloods) as Shiloh, and Zach Livingston (BoHo Theatre’s Cyrano, First Folio Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet) as Luke. Understudies are Anna Shafer, Anissa Parekh, and Taylor Witt.

After a serious illness, a young man wakes up with the power to communicate with the dead (or so he believes). Desperate for guidance and to connect with their late father, he and his skeptic sister set out to test his paranormal talent at the Lily Dale Spiritualist community where their discoveries summon more than the afterlife.

“Chelsea Marcantel is a rich and gifted storyteller, and I am thrilled to bring the world premiere of her latest play to Signature” said Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner. “This is a play about transition and change, and the places we look for comfort when the world spins out of control. Her play takes all the divisiveness and tragedy of the last two years and with humor and incredible empathy she tells a remarkable and unexpected story that I believe will allow audiences to laugh, process and heal together.”

Signature’s latest Heidi Thomas Writers’ Initiative play is an enlightening tale of an unlikely psychic directed by Holly Twyford.

The Upstairs Department Director Holly Twyford said “Chelsea Marcantel has crafted a story that is both beautiful and funny and weaves together the upheaval of loss with the inevitable transformation that follows and, ultimately, hope. It is a story that is utterly timely and utterly human.”

In addition to director Holly Twyford, the creative team for The Upstairs Department includes Scenic Design by Paige Hathaway (Signature’s RENT, Escaped Alone), Costume Design by Ivania Stack (Signature’s Road Show, Midwestern Gothic), Lighting Design by Annie Wiegand (Playwright’s Horizons’ I Was Most Alive with You, Milwaukee Rep’s Eclipsed), and Sound Design by Kenny Neal (Signature’s Daphne’s Dive, Heisenberg). Chelsea Pace is Signature’s Resident Intimacy Consultant. Casting is by Kelly Crandall d’Amboise and Jorge Acevedo. Joey Blakely is the Production Stage Manager, Clancey Yovanovich is the Assistant Director, and Allison Poms is the Production Assistant.

Sponsored by The Jenna and Paul Segal Foundation
New Work at Signature Theatre is sponsored by Dan & Gloria Logan

Additional support provided by Rick Kasten
This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts

The Upstairs Department is making its world premiere as part of SigWorks: The Heidi Thomas Writers’ Initiative, a multi-year commitment to present world premieres by female playwrights with female directors in partnership with the Jenna and Paul Segal Foundation.

Twitter & Instagram: @SigTheatre

Hashtag: #SigUpstairs

EVENT LISTINGS

The Upstairs Department
World Premiere

Playwright Chelsea Marcantel (Airness, Everything is Wonderful) channels the unexpected in an ethereal journey of familial love, the limits of cynicism and how to explain the unexplainable.

After a serious illness, a young man wakes up with the power to communicate with the dead (or so he believes). Desperate for guidance and to connect with their late father, he and his skeptic sister set out to test his paranormal talent at the Lily Dale Spiritualist community where their discoveries summon more than the afterlife.

Signature’s latest Heidi Thomas Writers’ Initiative play is an enlightening tale of an unlikely psychic directed by Holly Twyford.

By Chelsea Marcantel
Directed by Holly Twyford

April 26 – June 12, 2022
Closed captions will be available for every show via the GalaPro app.
Pride Night: May 20, 2022
Post-show Discussions: May 11 & 24, 2022

Inside Signature, a discussion with The Upstairs Department playwright Chelsea Marcantel will take place Thursday, May 5 at 1PM, in Signature’s lobby. Free, no RSVP required.

Tickets and information at SigTheatre.org or 703 820 9771.

Signature requires all attendees to provide proof of vaccination and wear a mask to attend all live public performances and events at indoor venues (Policy currently in effect until April 30).

CONTACT INFORMATION

Signature Theatre • 4200 Campbell Avenue • Arlington, VA  22206
Tickets at SigTheatre.org
Box Office 703 820 9771 or [email protected]
Groups of 10 or more: 571 527 1843 or [email protected]
Signature Administration 571 527 1860 or [email protected]