(photo credit: ClintonBPhotography)
Full-Length Drama • No Intermission
3M, 3W
When an Amish couple’s two sons are killed in a car accident, the family struggles to maintain their faith and cling to their way of life. In an act of unfathomable forgiveness, they take in Eric, the wayward young driver of the car. But Eric’s mistake cracks open the family’s dark history, and brings back their eldest daughter, excommunicated five years earlier. Miri finds her family in shambles, the man who killed her brothers living in the barn, and the man who drove her away intent upon marrying her younger sister. Without a way forward, this insular community must seek to heal the deep wounds of the past, forcing everyone into a new kind of reckoning.
EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL received its world-premiere production at the Contemporary American Theatre Festival in Shepherdstown, West Virginia in the summer of 2017. The play was directed by Artistic Director Ed Herendeen.
Everything is Wonderful (Contemporary American Theatre Festival)
All photos by Seth Freeman Photography
Directed by Ed Herendeen | Set — David M Barber | Costumes — Therese Bruck | Lights — D.M. Wood | Sound and Composition — Miles Polaski | Stage Manager — Deb Acquavella | Asst. Director and Dramaturg — Shaun M. McCracken | Featuring — Paul DeBoy, Hollis McCarthy, Jason Babinsky, Lucky Gretzinger, Lexi Lapp, and Jessica Savage
Development
This play received an Honorable Mention on The Kilroys 2015 List and The Kilroys 2016 List.
Everything is Wonderful received a staged reading at Atlantic Theatre Company in October of 2016. The reading was directed by Walter Bobbie and featured Boyd Gaines, Veanne Cox, Patch Darragh, Colby Minifie, Rowan Vickers, and Madeleine Rogers.
Everything is Wonderful received a staged reading as part of the COLONY at Montana Repertory Theatre in July of 2016. The reading was directed by Gregory Johnson.
Everything is Wonderful received a public reading at Barnard College, produced by New York Stage and Film, on November 2nd, 2015. The reading was directed by Tyne Rafaeli.
Everything is Wonderful received a workshop performance at The Juilliard School, September 10-12 2015, directed by Tyne Rafaeli.
Everything is Wonderful received its first developmental reading in a Play Lab at The Juilliard School in November 2014.
Everything is Wonderful owes a developmental debt of gratitude to an inspirational early workshop with director Sarah Gitenstein and The New Colony in Chicago.
Everything is Wonderful (Everyman Theatre, Baltimore)
All photos by ClintonBPhotography
Directed by Noah Himmelstein | Set — Daniel Ettinger | Costumes — Ben Argenta Kress | Lights — Cory Pattak | Sound and Original Music Composition — Pornchanok Kanchanabanca | Stage Manager — Cat Wallis | Dialect — Steve Satta | Fight/Intimacy Choreography — Lewis Shaw | Featuring — Deborah Hazlett, Hannah Kelly, Tony Nam, Bruce Randolph Nelson, Steve Polites, and Alex Spieth
NOTICES
Everyman Theatre production profiled in The New York Times (click here to read)
REVIEWS
“[A] bruising story of rage and absolution within an Amish community… the distance between art and life collapses.” — The New York Times
“Thought-provoking, often beautiful, and in a quiet way, inspiring… It should not be missed.” — Broadway World
“A perceptive, character-rich drama about forgiveness in an Amish community” — the Washington Post
“As a morality play that explores the complexities of family, modern life and the increasingly strained relationship between religious and philosophical tenets and the largely secular ways of modern life, “Wonderful” is highly effective, posing key questions and dilemmas for which contemporary society has yet to provide clear answers or even the support necessary to uncover them.” — Communities Digital News
“A beautiful story of redemption and forgiveness within a family… A concept which could cause mass confusion in lesser hands is expertly developed here and fluidly reveals key plot developments and character information in a uniquely layered style.” — Broadway World
“Chelsea Marcantel navigates the outwardly difficult subject with a beautiful balance of wit and raw emotion. Her writing is both entertaining and heartbreaking…. It’s a crucial piece of theatre that shouldn’t be missed.” — Baltimore Theatre Talk
“Everything is Wonderful is challenging theatrical terrain that few plays tackle successfully. Ms. Marcantel does so, however, with beauty and grace.” — DC Metro Theatre Arts
“Chelsea Marcantel’s thoughtful play is a metaphor for modern religious, moral and political contradictions.” — Communities Digital News
“A show you’ll want to talk about on the ride home.” —DC Metro Theater Arts
“You wouldn’t want to miss a single, plain spoken word of this magnificent wholehearted play.” —DC Theatre Scene
“So vulnerable and true, it’s gripping. A riveting show.” —Baltimore Style Magazine
“Despite how alien the community may seem at first glance, the play pulls the audience past the outward trappings into the humanity below, without ever losing sight of the contradictions in its beliefs. It’s a challenging piece, in the best of ways.” — Theatre Jones, Dallas
“[A] sobering look at forgiveness, love, and faith.” —DC Theatre Scene
“Drama and hope in equal measure.” —DC Metro Theater Arts
“Entertaining and often funny.” —Baltimore Fishbowl
BUY // LICENSE
(click here)
REPRESENTATION
ICM Partners
Di Glazer (Theatre)
DGlazer@icmpartners.com
Heroes & Villains Entertainment
Benjamin Blake (Manager)
Chris Coggins (Manager)
323.850.2990