Tony-nominated and Obie-winning Clubbed Thumb has announced the casts for the three plays previously announced for its 25th Annual Summerworks festival lineup. The rescheduled festival will run May 20–July 2 at The Wild Project and feature productions of new plays California, Spindle Shuttle Needle, and Bodies They Ritual.
Starring in the festival's first work, California by Trish Harnetiaux, will be Jordan Bellow (Gnit), Ethan Dubin (The Ferryman), Annie Henk (Man Cave), Mallory Portnoy (Oklahoma!) and Pete Simpson (Is This A Room). California follows a family as their road trip takes an unexpected turn onto the plains of eastern Oregon.
Lucille Lortel-nominated director and choreographer Will Davis will direct the commission by Clubbed Thumb which will run May 20-31. The creative team will include set designer dots, costume designer Mel Ng, lighting desiger Oona Curley, and sound designer Leah Gelpe. Diane Healy will serve as production stage manager.
Running June 6-16, Spindle Shuttle Needle will star Tina Benko (HELP), Seth Clayton (I'm Pretty Fucked Up), Zoë Geltman (The World My Mama Raised), Mia Katigbak (Out of Time), Florencia Lozano (Narcos) and Monique St. Cyr (Thunderbodies). Written by Gab Reisman, the play is set in a cottage surrounded by an unending siege; inside, a group of women tell tales, do chores, and try to survive until the Market reopens.
Directing will be Tamilla Woodard, joined on the creative team by set designer Frank J. Oliva, costume designer Dina El-Aziz, lighting designer Barbara Samuels, sound designer Fan Zhang, and choreographer nicHi douglas. Allison Raynes will serve as production stage manager. Performances run from June 6-16.
Lastly, Bodies They Ritual by Angela Hanks will run June 22-July 2 featuring Jacqueline Guillen (Man Cave), Mahira Kakkar (7 Minutes), April Matthis (HELP), Emily Cass McDonnell (The Antipodes), Keilly McQuail(Lunch Bunch), and Lizan Mitchell (On Sugarland) in the cast. Further casting will be announced at a later date. Presenting a group of Texan ladies on a birthday trip to a Santa Fe sweat lodge, Bodies They Ritual explores what bubbles to the surface as the women try to connect with a deeper sense of spirituality.
The work will be directed by Knud Adams, who recently directed Sanaz Toossi's English Off-Broadway. Set design will be by Jian Jung, costume design by Enver Charkartash, lighting design by Stacey Derosier, and sound design by Kathy Ruvuna. Raynes will serve as production stage manager again.
Spindle Shuttle Needle and Bodies They Ritual were originally slated to premiere at the 2020 festival, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For tickets and more information, visit ClubbedThumb.org.
