Madison, WI – Forward Theater Company concludes its 2013-2014 season with OR, by Liz
Duffy Adams. Set in 1666 Restoration England, OR, comes complete with secret agents, cross-
dressing, rhyming couplets, and lovers hiding in cupboards. It’s just one night in the life of
Aphra Behn – poet, spy, and soon to be the first professional female playwright. OR, will be
presented in the Playhouse at Overture Center, March 27th – April 13th.
Sprung from debtors’ prison after a disastrous overseas mission, Aphra is desperate to get out of
the spy trade. Her new play has a chance at a production at one of the two London companies,
but only if she can finish it by morning. Latenight interruptions spring from a sudden new love,
actress Nell Gwynne; a complicated royal love, King Charles II; and a very suspicious ex-love,
double-agent William Scott — who may be in on a plot to murder the king in the morning. Can
Aphra resist Nell’s charms, save Charles’s life, win William a pardon, and launch her career, all
before the sun comes up?
“I can’t remember when we had this much fun working on a production,” said Artistic Director
Jennifer Uphoff Gray. “OR, takes place during an important era in theater history, yet it is
written with such a smart and contemporary voice – I think our audiences are going to really
savor the language and wit. But what makes this play a delight is the all-star cast of actors
romping about the stage, playing multiple characters and changing costumes at a break-neck
pace. And when you throw in the incredible designs for this production, the result onstage is just
a joy. I couldn’t be more excited for audiences to jump in and watch the actors play.”
OR, is a three-person cast, featuring Amy J. Carle, Norman Moses, and American Players
Theatre star Colleen Madden.
Costume Exhibit at Overture Center
Forward Theater has partnered with Overture Center for the Arts to create a retrospective
costume exhibit, on display now. “Inside the Fabric of Forward – a Costume Retrospective”
was created by Forward Theater to bring patrons deeper into the world of costume design by
revealing every step of the artistic process. They invited the scores of talented costume designers
who have worked with Forward Theater to show a part of their artistry that is rarely seen by
audience members: design notes, inspiration boards, costume plots, and most of all, their original
costume renderings. These beautiful, often hand-painted portraits serve as the blueprint for the
very costumes audiences see onstage. They are typically shared with the director, stitchers, and
other production staff during the early stages of a production, but are eventually laid to rest with
other research material, never to be seen by the public. In an effort to bring you closer to the
art that audiences enjoy onstage, Forward Theater Company is proud to present an exclusive
collection of designs from various productions.
The exhibit is on display through April 15th
Tickets are now on sale. They may be purchased online at overturecenter.com, in person at
Overture Center’s ticket office, or by calling (608) 258-4141.
Previews (first Thursdays):
$20 for the general public
Adults Thursdays/Sundays: $38
Adults Fridays/Saturdays: $40
Seniors (62+) Thursdays/Sundays: $33
Seniors (62+) Fridays/Saturdays: $35
Students Thursdays/Sundays: $25
Students Fridays/Saturdays: $27
Student/Educator Night
The production will have one preview performance, Thursday March 27th
performance only, $10 tickets are available to high school and college students and educators.
Simply ask for the student/educator discount at the box office when purchasing your tickets.
Student Rush tickets will also be available to high school and college students for $15 apiece,
one hour prior to each regular performance, at Overture Center’s ticket office. Students can buy
up to two tickets, and must present a valid student ID.
FTC will present FREE pre-show talks on the Rotunda Stage, one hour before the curtain time,
prior to all Thursday and Sunday performances. (Thursdays 3/27, 4/3, and 4/10 at 6:30 pm,
and Sundays 3/30, 4/6, & 4/13 at 1:00 pm.) These talks will give audiences some additional
background on the play, the author, and the production elements that bring the play to life. No
tickets or reservations are required.
OR, is generously sponsored by Group Health Cooperative, Madison Community Foundation,
Dane Arts, Wisconsin Arts Board, and Brava Magazine.
This play was also supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds
from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts, and by Dane Arts with
additional funds from the Evjue Foundation, Inc., the charitable arm of The Capital Times.
Artist Biographies
Amy Carle (Aphra Behn) returns to Madison to make her Forward Theatre debut.
Previously with Madison Rep.: Fully Committed and The Diary of Anne Frank. Other
regional: Morning Star (Kansas City Repertory Theatre). Chicago credits include: Gidion’s
Knot (Profiles Theatre); The Book Thief, The Internationalist, Animals Out of Paper, Sex With
Strangers and Hedda Gabler (Steppenwolf Theatre); North China Lover, Bengal Tiger at the
Baghdad Zoo, Peter Pan, and Trust (Lookingglass Theatre); Season’s Greetings (Northlight
Theatre); Orlando (Court Theatre); The Sins of Sor Juana, Rock ‘N’ Roll, Desire Under the
Elms (The Goodman Theatre); Refuge (CollaborAction); SubUrbia, The Lights, Ecstasy,
WAS, and The Planets (Roadworks Productions, founding member). Off Broadway National
Tour: The Vagina Monologues. Television: Boss (STARZ), Chicago Code (FOX), Law &
Order, CRISIS (NBC), The Guiding Light (CBS).
Colleen Madden (Prologue, Jailor, Nell Gwynne, Maria) is a core company member of
American Players Theatre, a Wisconsin treasure! This production of Or, is her fourth endeavor
with Forward Theater Company. Previously, she has appeared in Love Stories, Going to St. Ives
and Why Torture is Wrong and the People who Love Them (Midwest premiere). Locally, she has
appeared on the stages of Renaissance Theaterworks and the Milwaukee Rep, as well as with the
former Madison Rep. She holds an MFA from the University of Delaware’s Professional Theater
Norman Moses (Charles II of England, William Scott, Lady Davenant) A veteran of the WI
theater scene for over 35 years, he first performed in Madison at the Wilson Street Dinner
Playhouse as Arthur in Camelot and Jesus in Godspell. Regional credits include Jane/Edgar in
The Mystery of Irma Vep at Madison Repertory Theatre, Groucho in Groucho, A Life in Revue at
Next Act Theatre, Harold Hill in The Music Man at Skylight Music Theatre, Avery in Precious
Memories at Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Antoine in The House of Martin Guerre at Goodman
Theatre, Horton the Elephant in Seussical at First Stage Children’s Theater, Gabe in Dinner With
Friends at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Henry in Syncopation at Renaissance Theaterworks and
Leonard Mugatti in Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them, at Forward Theater.
He is an active voiceover actor and has been heard in hundreds of radio and TV commercials. He
makes his home in Milwaukee.
Jennifer Uphoff Gray (Director/FTC Artistic Director) directed Forward Theater’s productions
of Sons of the Prophet, Good People, 44 Plays for 44 Presidents, A Thousand Words, The
Farnsworth Invention, Moonlight and Magnolias, In the Next Room or the vibrator play, All
About Eve, and Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them. Before helping to
found Forward Theater, she directed Love’s Labour’s Lost for Milwaukee Shakespeare (“Best
of 2008”) and The Diary of Anne Frank for Madison Repertory Theatre (“Best of 2008”). Other
credits include; the national tour of Copenhagen, associate director of Copenhagen, Cabaret, The
Blue Room (starring Nicole Kidman) and The Life on Broadway. Off-Broadway, she directed the
world premiere of the musical Suburb. Jen grew up in the Madison area and is now raising her
family on the near west side.
About Forward Theater Company
Founded in 2009, FTC creates a home base for Wisconsin theater professionals and audiences
that expands the cultural and economic life of the greater Madison area.
For more information, please contact Communications Director Scott Haden, (608) 234-5001,
shaden@forwardtheater.com.
