Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announced today the cast of its new production of Philip Barry’s Holiday, a classic romantic comedy about the haves, have-nots, and pursuing a life worth living. The 1928 Broadway hit play was famously adapted into a 1938 motion picture directed by George Cukor and starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn.
Written by Philip Barry (The Joyous Season, The Philadelphia Story), Holiday follows Johnny Case, an up-and-coming Wall Street lawyer from a working-class family who aspires to quit work and enjoy life once he’s made enough money to do so. This prospect doesn’t thrill his wealthy, well-born fiancée Julia, but excites her more unconventional sister Linda. Can his dreams survive his soon-to-be bride’s narrow view of affluence?
Arena’s own Director of Community Engagement/Senior Artistic Advisor Anita Maynard-Losh (Catch Me If You Can, Disney’s Newsies) will direct the in-the-round production on Arena’s Fichandler Stage. “I fell in love with Holiday when I was 15 years old, and still have the copy I bought from a used bookstore in San Francisco at the time,” says Maynard-Losh. “I am delighted that Molly Smith asked me to direct it here at Arena Stage so many years later!”
Though nearly a century old, Holiday remains a timely commentary on opposing societal hierarchies, differing views of success, and ultimately, how to pursue a life worth living.
“At its heart, I think it asks the questions, ‘What is our responsibility to ourselves to follow our dreams and create the life we want to live? And what are we willing to sacrifice in order to be true to ourselves?’,” explains Maynard-Losh. “In a way it’s a subversive anti-capitalist play in the trappings of a romantic comedy — although it definitely is a comedy, and it is romantic, Holiday also has a message about the freedom to decide how to live one’s best life, and whether money is a tool or a trophy.”
Holiday will run October 7 – November 6, 2022, in the iconic in-the-round Fichandler Stage, continuing Arena Stage’s 2022/23 Season, which is driven by the theme of “surviving and thriving.” Press Night for Holiday will be held on Thursday, October 13 at 8 p.m.
Returning to Arena Stage are cast members John Austin (Right to Be Forgotten, Kleptocracy), Rachel Felstein (Right to Be Forgotten), Todd Scofield (The City of Conversation, Sovereignty), and Jamie Smithson (Disney’s Newsies, Fiddler on the Roof).
Joining the cast in their Arena Stage debuts are Regina Aquino (Kennedy Center’s Where Words Once Were), Claire Blackwelder (Shakespeare Theatre’s The Merchant of Venice), Peter Boyer (Metro Stage’s A Broadway Christmas Carol), Baize Buzan (Broadway’s To Kill a Mockingbird), Bowen Fox (Studio Theatre’s John Proctor is the Villain), Olivia Hebert (Lincoln Center’s The Hard Problem), Ahmad Kamal (Marin Theatre’s Hotter Than Egypt), Emily King Brown (Classic Stage’s Antony and Cleopatra), Andrés F. Roa (Silver Spring Stage’s Sweat), and Sean Wiberg (Victory Gardens’ Truth and Reconciliation).
The creative team for Holiday also includes Set Designer Misha Kachman, Costume Designer Ivania Stack, Lighting Designer Pablo Santiago, Sound Designer Daniel Erdberg, Original Music by Daniel Erdberg and Ursula Kwong-Brown, Hair and Wig Designer Charles G. LaPointe, Voice and Dialect Coach Lisa Nathans, Dramaturg Otis Ramsey-Zöe, Casting Director Joseph Pinzon, New York Casting JZ Casting/Geoff Josselson, C.S.A. and Katja Zarolinski, C.S.A., Stage Manager Christi B. Spann, and Assistant Stage Managers Emily Ann Mellon and Leigh Robinette.
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Holiday
By Philip Barry
Directed by Anita Maynard-Losh
In the Fichandler Stage I October 7 – November 6, 2022
PLAN YOUR VISIT
TICKETS: Tickets for Holiday are $56-$95, subject to change and based on availability, plus applicable fees. For information on savings programs, such as pay-your-age tickets, student discounts, Southwest Nights, and heroes discounts, visit arenastage.org/savings-
Tickets may be purchased online at arenastage.org, by phone at 202-488-3300 (Tuesday – Sunday, 12:00-8:00 p.m.), or in person at the Sales Office at 1101 Sixth Street, SW, D.C. (only on performance days, and only starting 90 minutes prior until curtain).
Sales Office/Subscriptions: 202-488-3300
Group Sales Hotline for 10+ Tickets: 202-488-4380
PERFORMANCE DATES:
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Weekday matinees at noon on Wednesday, October 19; Thursday, October 27; and Wednesday, November 2
Early Curtain: Sunday, October 23 at 6:00 p.m.
Southwest Nights: Tuesday, October 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, October 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Closed Captioning: GalaPro begins Friday, October 14
Full Calendar: arenastage.org/tickets/
SAFETY: Arena Stage requires that patrons, staff, and volunteers wear facial masks inside the Mead Center, unless actively eating or drinking, regardless of vaccination status. These conditions are subject to change, and Arena continues to consult with medical professionals, monitor government best practice recommendations, and engage in industry trainings to ensure the health and safety of our patrons, artists, and staff. For up-to-date information, visit arenastage.org/safety.
TRAVEL: Limited parking is available in Arena Stage’s on-site garage and the Public Parking Garage at 1101 Fourth Street, SW, one block from the Mead Center for American Theater, and ranges from $18-27. Please visit arenastage.org/transportation for information on transportation to and parking around the Mead Center, and call 202-488-3300 to purchase parking in advance.
For complete 2022/23 Season details, visit arenastage.org/season.
Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Producer Edgar Dobie, is a national center dedicated to American voices and artists. Arena Stage produces plays of all that is passionate, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit, and presents diverse and ground-breaking work from some of the best artists around the country. Arena Stage is committed to commissioning and developing new plays and impacting the lives of over 10,000 students annually through its work in community engagement. Now in its eighth decade, Arena Stage serves a diverse annual audience of more than 300,000. arenastage.org
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