From the Pulitzer-winning playwright behind Angels in America comes a dramatic parable for our time. A Bright Room Called Day follows a group of artists and political activists struggling to preserve themselves in 1930s Berlin as the Weimar Republic surrenders to the seduction of fascism. Often exquisitely lyrical, always exhilaratingly intelligent, the poetic world of the play moves beyond the bounds of historical reality with the morally outraged outpourings of a contemporary New York woman. Her fury brings into stark relief the discomfiting similarities between then and now, and challenges us to remember that although evil may seem inevitable, it is never irresistible.
A Bright Room Called Day
Ticket Information
October 2020
4Oct - 10Oct 2020
BuyTicketsCast & Creative
Aaron Lamb
Aaron has worked in Seattle for Village Theatre, Taproot Theatre, Book-It Repertory Theatre, and Seattle Shakespeare Company and has worked regionally throughout the country. Aaron was awarded a Seattle Critics (Footlight) Award for his work as Lord Goring in An Ideal Husband at Taproot Theatre, the Memphis Critics (Ostrander) Award for Best Actor for his work as Jerry in The Full Monty at Playhouse on the Square, a Kennedy Center award for Best Actor for his work as Samuel Coleridge in Grasmere, and an OC Weekly Award for his work as Peck in How I Learned to Drive. Aaron holds an MFA in acting from California State University, Fullerton, and a BA from Washington State University.
In 15 seasons and 39 shows at Harlequin:
A Bright Room Called Day (Gottfried Swetts, Director, Sound Design) A Christmas Carol (Player 6 (Fred, others), Director, Player 4) A Doll's House (Director) August: Osage County (Director) Cabaret (Director) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Brick) Deathtrap (Director) Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Dr. Jekyll) Enchanted April (Mellersh Wilson) Every Brilliant Thing (Director) Falsettos (Musical Director, Piano and Synth) Five Women Wearing the Same Dress (Director) Hedda Gabler (Director) Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Director) Hundred Days (Director) I Am My Own Wife (Director) Love and Information (Director) Man of La Mancha (Director) Mating Dance of the Werewolf (Ken) Middletown (Director) Noises Off (Frederick Fellowes) Philadelphia Story (Macaulay Connor) Present Laughter (Garry Essendine) Ruthless (Director / Music Director, Piano 1) Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol (Director) Sweeney Todd (Director) The 1940s Radio Hour (Director / Music Director, Piano) The 39 Steps (Richard Hannay) The Highest Tide (Director) The Language Archive (George) The Last Five Years (Jamie Wellerstein / Piano, Musical Director) This Flat Earth (Director) Three Days of Rain (Director) Time Stands Still (Director) To Kill a Mockingbird (Atticus Finch)
Aaron Lamb
Aaron has worked in Seattle for Village Theatre, Taproot Theatre, Book-It Repertory Theatre, and Seattle Shakespeare Company and has worked regionally throughout the country. Aaron was awarded a Seattle Critics (Footlight) Award for his work as Lord Goring in An Ideal Husband at Taproot Theatre, the Memphis Critics (Ostrander) Award for Best Actor for his work as Jerry in The Full Monty at Playhouse on the Square, a Kennedy Center award for Best Actor for his work as Samuel Coleridge in Grasmere, and an OC Weekly Award for his work as Peck in How I Learned to Drive. Aaron holds an MFA in acting from California State University, Fullerton, and a BA from Washington State University.
In 15 seasons and 39 shows at Harlequin:
A Bright Room Called Day (Gottfried Swetts, Director, Sound Design) A Christmas Carol (Player 6 (Fred, others), Director, Player 4) A Doll's House (Director) August: Osage County (Director) Cabaret (Director) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Brick) Deathtrap (Director) Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Dr. Jekyll) Enchanted April (Mellersh Wilson) Every Brilliant Thing (Director) Falsettos (Musical Director, Piano and Synth) Five Women Wearing the Same Dress (Director) Hedda Gabler (Director) Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Director) Hundred Days (Director) I Am My Own Wife (Director) Love and Information (Director) Man of La Mancha (Director) Mating Dance of the Werewolf (Ken) Middletown (Director) Noises Off (Frederick Fellowes) Philadelphia Story (Macaulay Connor) Present Laughter (Garry Essendine) Ruthless (Director / Music Director, Piano 1) Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol (Director) Sweeney Todd (Director) The 1940s Radio Hour (Director / Music Director, Piano) The 39 Steps (Richard Hannay) The Highest Tide (Director) The Language Archive (George) The Last Five Years (Jamie Wellerstein / Piano, Musical Director) This Flat Earth (Director) Three Days of Rain (Director) Time Stands Still (Director) To Kill a Mockingbird (Atticus Finch)
Angela DiMarco
Angela was born and raised in the PNW and has been acting on stage and screen for 36 years. You may have seen her on stage at Village Theatre (The Importance of Being Earnest, The Foreigner, Crimes of the Heart), Seattle Rep (Boeing Boeing), ReAct (Closer, Angels in America), Seattle Public Theatre (Christmastown), ArtsWest (Reasons to be Pretty), Book-It Repertory (Mrs. Caliban, Sense & Sensibility). When not performing, Angela and her husband teach at Mighty Tripod Acting Studio, helping actors empower their art.
In 4 seasons and 5 shows at Harlequin:
A Bright Room Called Day (Agnes Eggling) August: Osage County (Karen Weston) Building Madness (Ruby Deleoni) The Revolutionists (Olympe de Gouges) This Flat Earth (Lisa)
ShawnJ West
California based director/actor by way of Seattle, WA where he directed cult hit Sex In Seattle: Episodes 15, 16, 17 & 18 with SIS Productions; ReAct’s production of WELL; Redwood Theatre’s The Seven Year Itch and West Coast premiere of Illyria. Bay Area credits, Playwright Center San Francisco’s shorts and showcase; African American Shakespeare Company’s production of Cinderella and assistant director on Macbeth; Lorraine Hansberry Theatre’s A Soulful Christmas. Next up: Underneath the Shade Tree on YouTube.
In 2 seasons and 1 show at Harlequin:
A Bright Room Called Day (Gregor Bazwald)
Helen Harvester
Selected Seattle credits: Romaine in Witness for the Prosecution (Centerstage), Janet in The Realization of Emily Linder (Taproot), The Governess in The Turn of the Screw (Centerstage), Diana in Diana of Dobson’s (Taproot), Madeline Rousseau in Border Songs (Book-It), Tracy Lord in The Philadelphia Story (BPA). A former Fulbright Scholar, Ms. Harvester holds a B.A. in Drama from Vassar College and an M.A. from the Boris Shchukin State Theater Institute in Moscow, Russia.
In 13 seasons and 18 shows at Harlequin:
A Bright Room Called Day (Paulinka Erdnuss) A Christmas Carol (Belle/Ensemble, Understudy - Christmas Past, Belle, Choreographer) Building Madness (Gwen Gladwell) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Maggie) Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Elizabeth) Dry Powder (Jenny) Enchanted April (Lotty Wilson) Hedda Gabler (Hedda Tesman) Mating Dance of the Werewolf (Abby) Noises Off (Belinda Blair) Philadelphia Story (Tracy Lord) Present Laughter (Joanna Lyppiatt) Six Hotels (Ensemble) The Revolutionists (Marie-Antoinette) Time Stands Still (Mandy Bloom) To Kill a Mockingbird (Mayella Ewell)
Annelih Hamilton
A Filipinx-American womxn, Annelih is an artist, educator, and activist currently based in the Seattle-Tacoma area.
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Annelih has been part of a few innovative virtual projects, including: a workshop reading of Madaling Sabihin written & directed by Alegra Batara; Patch & Piper Save the Multiverse produced by Parley Productions; and Much A Zoom directed by Ana Maria Campoy.
Pre-COVID-19, Annelih was at Seattle Children’s Theatre with Snow White, Black Beauty and The Lamp is the Moon. Select Seattle Theatre credits include: 14/48 Projects – Nordo, TWQPF; and It’s a Wonderful Life; ReAct Theatre – Salty; Strawshop – Everybody; and ACT Theatre – King of the Yees.
Annelih has a MFA in Theatre from University of Florida and a BFA in Theatre Performance from Chapman University.
Gratitude and love to Joshua & Walter and Mama & Papa. For Hanneli.
Black Lives Matter. Please stay healthy and safe. Wear your mask. Do your part to protect our community. And VOTE.
#LoveWillRipple
In 2 seasons and 1 show at Harlequin:
A Bright Room Called Day (Annabella Gotchling)
David S. Hogan
David is an actor, filmmaker, photographer, and educator. He graduated from Seattle University in 2000, and has been playing make-believe on stage and screen ever since. He shares his life with his wife, Angela DiMarco, and their best boy, Bruno, a magnificent Cairn Terrier rescue dog.
In 3 seasons and 3 shows at Harlequin:
A Bright Room Called Day (Vealtninc Husz) The Understudy (Jake) This Flat Earth (Dan)
Lisa Viertel
Lisa has appeared with Harlequin as Dotty in Noises Off, Sonia in Vanya Sonia Masha & Spike and Rosa in A Bright Room Called Day. Recent roles include Detective Palverson in What Happened to Kitten Swell with Annex Theater, Lily Devalier in Jitterbug Perfume at Cafe Nordo, Andrea/Mom in Go/Please/Go with Ashland New Plays Festival, Ensemble in TEH Internet is Serious Business with WET, Parliament Square with Pony World Theatre, Money and Run at Theater Schmeater, and Mattie Fae in August: Osage County with Balagan Theater. She is also proud to have worked with The 14/48 Projects (Mazen Award winner), Strawberry Theater Workshop, Sound Theater Co, Theatre 22, The Endangered Species Project, Sandbox Radio, ArtsWest, Book-It Repertory, Arouet and many more.
In 3 seasons and 3 shows at Harlequin:
A Bright Room Called Day (Rosa Malek) Noises Off (Dotty Otley) Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike (Sonia)
Jason Haws
Other local roles include Captain Hook in Peter Pan (OSD Players and CTE), Toad in The Wind in the Willows (OFT), Clov in Endgame (Calpurnia’s Dream), Richard in Fuddy Meers, and Adam in Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me (Centralia College). Jason has directed numerous shows for children and is going into his fifteenth season as the director of Creative Theatre Experience’s Showcase program. He currently teaches Drama and Social Studies at Thurgood Marshall Middle School here in Olympia. Jason owes everything to his beautiful family for their tremendous love and support. Cheers to my lovelies, Liz, Emma and Tess. You are my shining stars!
In 21 seasons and 33 shows at Harlequin:
A Bright Room Called Day (Emil Traum) A Christmas Carol (Bob Cratchit) A Midsummer Night's Dream (Bottom/Pyramus) And a Nightingale Sang (Andie Ryan) As You Like It (Touchstone) August: Osage County (Bill Fordham) Clybourne Park (Karl / Steve) Hapgood (Maggs) I Ought To Be In Pictures (Herb) Intimate Apparel (Mr. Marks) Laughter on the 23rd Floor (Max Prince) Murder in the Cathedral (4th Priest) My Old Lady (Mathias) Noises Off (Garry LeJeune) Phantom of the Stardust (Sam Gordon) Philadelphia Story (C.K. Dexter Haven) Rabbit Hole (Howie) Romeo and Juliet (Prince Escalus) Rough Crossing (Sandor Turai) The Constant Wife (Mortimer Durham) The Elephant Man (John Merrick) The Importance of Being Earnest (Lane/Moulton/Merriman/Gribsby) The Ladies of the Camellias (Ivan) The Misanthrope (Basque/Bicycle Messenger/Du Bois) The Rocky Horror Show (Simon Lock, The Narrator) The Seafarer (James "Sharky" Harkin) The Taming of the Shrew (Grumio) The Tempest (Andrian/Boatswain) The Understudy (Harry) The Weir (Brendan) The Winter's Tale (Time) Two Gentlemen of Verona (Launce / Outlaw #1) Unexpected Tenderness (Archie/Roddy Stern (the elder))
Janet Spencer
After a long and fairly successful career in performing arts management Janet moved to Bastrop, Texas, where she dabbled in filmmaking. She had studied acting in New York, at Barnard College and the Michael Howard Studio, and appeared in a few off-Broadway productions in her early 20’s, but hunger drove her into management. Since she no longer needs to earn a living, she has returned to acting, her first love, and to directing, her second love. She is particularly proud of her production of “The Glass Menagerie” with an all African American cast, in New Orleans. Performing in Harlequin’s production of “Love and Information” last year, and now in “A Bright Room Called Day” feels like reincarnation, for which she is extremely grateful.
In 4 seasons and 3 shows at Harlequin:
A Bright Room Called Day (Die Alta) Love and Information (Ensemble) This Flat Earth (Cloris)
Aaron Lamb
Aaron has worked in Seattle for Village Theatre, Taproot Theatre, Book-It Repertory Theatre, and Seattle Shakespeare Company and has worked regionally throughout the country. Aaron was awarded a Seattle Critics (Footlight) Award for his work as Lord Goring in An Ideal Husband at Taproot Theatre, the Memphis Critics (Ostrander) Award for Best Actor for his work as Jerry in The Full Monty at Playhouse on the Square, a Kennedy Center award for Best Actor for his work as Samuel Coleridge in Grasmere, and an OC Weekly Award for his work as Peck in How I Learned to Drive. Aaron holds an MFA in acting from California State University, Fullerton, and a BA from Washington State University.
In 15 seasons and 39 shows at Harlequin:
A Bright Room Called Day (Gottfried Swetts, Director, Sound Design) A Christmas Carol (Player 6 (Fred, others), Director, Player 4) A Doll's House (Director) August: Osage County (Director) Cabaret (Director) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Brick) Deathtrap (Director) Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Dr. Jekyll) Enchanted April (Mellersh Wilson) Every Brilliant Thing (Director) Falsettos (Musical Director, Piano and Synth) Five Women Wearing the Same Dress (Director) Hedda Gabler (Director) Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Director) Hundred Days (Director) I Am My Own Wife (Director) Love and Information (Director) Man of La Mancha (Director) Mating Dance of the Werewolf (Ken) Middletown (Director) Noises Off (Frederick Fellowes) Philadelphia Story (Macaulay Connor) Present Laughter (Garry Essendine) Ruthless (Director / Music Director, Piano 1) Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol (Director) Sweeney Todd (Director) The 1940s Radio Hour (Director / Music Director, Piano) The 39 Steps (Richard Hannay) The Highest Tide (Director) The Language Archive (George) The Last Five Years (Jamie Wellerstein / Piano, Musical Director) This Flat Earth (Director) Three Days of Rain (Director) Time Stands Still (Director) To Kill a Mockingbird (Atticus Finch)
Eleise Moore
Eleise is an Olympia native who is happy to return to the beautiful PNW and make it her home again. While not on stage, Eleise is a Civic Education Tour guide at the Capitol building. While not acting or giving civics lessons to school kids, Eleise likes to find incredible food and quiet campfires wherever she can. As a proud member of the Harlequin board, she would like to thank everyone for supporting theater and your Olympia community.
In 9 seasons and 12 shows at Harlequin:
A Bright Room Called Day (Zillah) Baskerville (Player) Every Brilliant Thing (self) First Date (Lauren / Woman #1) Fun Home (Medium Alison) Man of La Mancha (Assistant Director) Recent Tragic Events (Stage Manager) Ruthless (Miss Thorne / Miss Block) Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol (Inspector Lestrade/Ensemble) The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) (self) The Women (Miriam Aarons)
Matt Shimkus
In 7 seasons and 7 shows at Harlequin:
A Bright Room Called Day (Roland) A Doll's House (Torvald Helmer) A Stardust Homecoming (Marty Ross) Antony & Cleopatra (Aggripa / Demetrius) Building Madness (Paul Fielding) Operation Stardust (Marty Ross) Time Stands Still (James Dodd)
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Artistic Director's Brunch & Spring Campaign Launch
On April 21, join us for a Champagne Brunch, a special sneak peek of our upcoming summer musical Cabaret, and the launch of our Spring Fundraising Campaign! We'll be auctioning off an incredible experience live at the event as well. Formerly a donor-only event, this is the first time this brunch is being offered to the general public too!
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