Some recent productions from Broom Street Theater.
Head on a Silver Platter: In Defense of Salome
A drama written and directed by Jan Levine Thal
Choreography by Heidi Hakseth
Original music by Jeremy Thal
Oct 10 – Oct 26
Thurs. – Fri. 7:30pm; Sun., 2pm.
Broom Street Theater, 1119 Williamson St.
Who was Salome? Real? Imagined? Yes. In the original, she lived in Galilee at the dawn of Christianity and caused more than one death. This production discards religious trappings and asserts that she was framed. In “Head on a Silver Platter: In Defense of Salome,” Salome appears on a mystical terrain surrounded by dancers. She instigates a parallel 21st century version of her story, but in the retelling, much
is distorted. The modern story focuses on a teenager, Sally, who is misled by a right-wing podcaster with dire consequences.
Doors open 30 minutes before curtain
Cast
SALOME—Colleen Murphy
DANCERS— Laura Athas, Katyann Rodriguez, Heidi Weitz
SALLY ADDAMS—Nadia Marshall
BROCK LEE— William Koebke
CANDACE WORTHINGTON—Cassie Hankins
TOBIAS WORTHINGTON—Joel Davidson
JOHN BAKER—Brian Belz
ISAAC COHEN—Trey Danis III
MIRIAM BLOOM—Liz Mael
NEWSCASTER—Alanna Medearis
VOICE, GUARD—Todd Peterson
Production Staff
PRODUCER—Liz Mael
STAGE MANAGER—Shane Heim
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER—Valarie Heim
POSTER DESIGNER—Ingrid Kallick
SET DESIGNER—Amy Rowland
PAINT CHARGE—Meaghan Heires
SOUND DESIGNER—Kaia Kalise
COSTUME DESIGNER—Emma Katz
PROPERTIES MASTER—Mari Mitchell
LIGHTING DESIGNER—Patricia Micetic
MASTER ELECTRICIANS—Collin Koenig,
Conor Koenig
INTIMACY CHOREOGRAPHER—Jeanne
Leep
FACTOTUM—Todd Peterson
Performance Details
- Location: Broom Street Theater, 1119 Williamson Street
- Dates: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm, October 10 – 25.
- Tickets: Soon available in advance at bstonline.org, or at the door the evening of the performance. Tickets at the door are pay-what-you-can. We will also have a live stream event to watch the show online. Tickets for the livestream event will also beavailable at bstonline.org.
The Returns
August 8 – 24
Thurs. – Fri. 8pm, Sun, 2pm.
Run time: 60 minutes, no intermission
In this short piece by Norwegian playwright Fredrik Brattberg, a couple struggles to move on after their son’s disappearance changes their lives forever. Then one day, a knock at the door changes their lives again. And again. And….. again. The Returns toes the lines between tragedy, dark comedy, absurdity, and drama as the family struggles to rebuild their lives and leave the past behind.
The original Norwegian “Tilbakekomstene” by Fredrik Brattberg was translated into English by Chicago’s Chad Eric Bergman for this production.
The Returns is directed by Breahan Eve Pautsch, former co-artistic director of Akvavit Theatre, a Chicago company that was dedicated to contemporary Nordic works. Pautsch is a current member of Rotate Theater in Madison.
Cast and crew:
Father: Nick Kaprelian
Mother: Maria Dahman
Gustav: Chase Fritz
Sound Design: Richard Paro
Lighting Design: Melissa Minkoff and Christa Dahman Zaborske
Set Design: Chad Eric Bergman
Set Construction: Wil Koeb
Props: Kyle Olson
Stage Manager: Courtney Fine
Assistant Stage Manager: Brian Belz
Director: Breahan Eve Pautsch
Reconstituting
July 11 – 26, 2025
Thurs. – Fri. 8pm, Sat. – Sun, 2pm.
Run time: 90 minutes, no intermission
A tourist finds himself locked in a vault deep below D.C. with the original Constitution and James Madison’s quill pen. With help from the reanimated corpse of Benjamin Franklin, and a wisecracking chorus, he’s got one hour to make all the changes he can before security drags him away.
This is not a story about the current mess we’re in, nor about how to get out of it. This story is about how we rebuild on a broken foundation.
Actors: Hawa Bah, Sean Cairns, Misha Latyshev, Doug Reed, Amy Rowland, Alyssa Stowe
Stage Manager: Hobbes LeGault
Writer: Doug Reed
Director: Heather Renken
Lighting Design: Christa Dahman
Sound Design: Brent Holmes
Costume Design: Susan Shoemaker
Set Painter: Meaghan Heires
Our Home States: Pacific States Edition
Cast and crew
Beeshoua Lee
Colleen Murphy
Jack Garton
Brent Holmes
Leah Stern
Peter Olson
Rose Popma
Samson Akwenuke
Sophia Whitehead
Stage Manager: Liz Mael
Props and Costumes: Meaghan Heires and Amy Rowland
Directed by Melissa Minkoff
About the show
This is the third year of our festival celebrating the diversity of our states. Broom Street Theater put out a nationwide call for submissions asking for writers who were born in, lived in, or had some connection to each of the five states for this year’s festival. We’re pleased to announce the plays for the Pacific States:
- Alaska: MEDIA or Men Eating Donuts In Alaska by John Mabey
- California: Incident on the Golden Gate Bridge by David MacGregor
- Hawaii: Pachyderm Getaway by Evan Baughfman
- Oregon: Wake the Humans by Kathleen Tomko
- Washington: My Coffee Place by Melissa Bridges
Bloody Aftermath is a show about being a horror fan.
Violet and Isla are the lucky ones.