Written by Nora and Delia Ephron
Directed by Robin Schwartz
Produced by Jason Vaughan
Performance Dates:
July 9 - 25, 2021
Run time: 1h 40m
(no intermission)

"Love, Loss and What I Wore" follows a collection of stories about the nostalgic power of women’s clothing. A diverse cast of women tell funny, wistful and universal memories about their families and loved ones through the prism of their closets. The throughline is narrated by Gingy, a wise older woman who reminisces about what she wore at milestones in her life. Like a long heart-to-heart with your best friend over coffee, the conversation meanders from odes to black clothing to cowboy boots and outfits that make mothers cringe. "Love, Loss and What I Wore" is a reflection on the joys and challenges of our common female experience.

About the Playwright

Love, Loss, and What I Wore is a play written by Nora and Delia Ephron based on the 1995 book of the same name by Ilene Beckerman. It is organized as a series of monologues and uses a rotating cast of five principal women. The subject matter of the monologues includes women's relationships and wardrobes and at times the interaction of the two, using the female wardrobe as a time capsule of a woman's life.

The show was initially presented as a part of the 2008 summer series at Guild Hall in East Hampton, New York, and then as a benefit series at the DR2 Theatre in New York in early 2009. Later the same year, the show was produced Off-Broadway as an ongoing commercial theatrical production at the Westside Theatre in New York, where it continues to run as the second-longest running show in the theatre's history. The production and its cast received positive critical attention. The production won the 2010 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience as well as the 2010 Broadway.com Audience Award for Favorite New Off-Broadway Play.

About the Director

Robin Schwartz is still in disbelief that she is making her directorial debut on The Colonial Players’ mainstage. After graduating from Goucher College with a BA in Theatre, she directed and produced plays at Red Branch Theatre Company and Drama Learning Center. In past years, Robin directed Mugger in The Park as well as Bismarck Comes Back for CP's short play festivals. She was last seen on the CP stage as Ruth Hoch in Book of Days. Favorite credits include Dawn in The Universal Language (Outstanding Performance from the Maryland Community Theatre Festival), Thea Elvsted in Hedda Gabler, Margaret Leavitt in Silent Sky, and Joan Dellamond in The Babylon Line. “Special thanks to my husband Daniel for supporting me tirelessly and unconditionally, to my sons J and H for being Mommy's cheerleaders, and to family and friends for their loving encouragement. So much gratitude to the whole CP team for the opportunity to create theater with some truly amazing people.”

Director's Notes

Open your closet ... Start rummaging through the dresses, pants (the ones that you'll fit into “someday” but you won't let go of), uniforms, blouses, and your Madonna costume from Halloween six years ago. The scents, the textures, the colors; they evoke such vivid memories from your past. Who can remember shopping for their first bra? Agonizing over your prom or wedding outfit? Being made to feel ashamed of how you look because something about you is “wrong”? Feeling unstoppable because you found that absolutely perfect outfit for the interview? Our production is seen through Gingy’s eyes as she develops her book. She remembers stories from her own life and also listens as other women tell their stories and create their characters right in front of us. Gingy’s mind is littered with voices, colors, and illustrations as she shapes the narrative. Each of these characters validates personal experiences we have as women navigating this society together. This process has been something incredibly special. We laughed and cried together as we uncovered deeper meaning in the text. We shared our stories with one another. We worked side by side as Covid restrictions were lifted and learned how to exist in this post-pandemic time (so wonderful and so strange). We built trust, supported one another, and created an experience that I hope you won’t soon forget. I can’t express how thankful I am to the entire team that you shared your hearts, minds, and incredible talents with us. And of course, extremely grateful to The Colonial Players for the opportunity to direct such an amazing piece. And now, for the phrase we have been anxiously awaiting to hear: “Places, please. It’s time for the show to begin.”

— ROBIN SCHWARTZ

The Cast

Darice Clewell (Gingy) – Celebrating 35 years as a member of The Colonial Players, Darice has been privileged to wear a variety of costumes. Where else but the theater does someone build a garment especially for you and your character? Some costumers have a knack for finding the perfect item to define that character. As Sharon in Book of Days, a funeral dress nailed the sedate, pious character. In Rumors, a scrumptious black formal with a thigh-high slit edged all-way-round with black feathers gave Claire self-centered sophistication. For Lettice and Lovage, the dull Lotte modeled a procession of ever-more-dowdy suits. Lottie in Enchanted April blossomed from a despondent dowager in brown wool to a freespirited vacationer in a 1930s swim costume complete with bloomers, a middy over-dress and black stockings. And for this show, just know that Gingy and Darice both love this outfit. Other favorite roles—with equally memorable attire— include Sonia in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, M’Lynn in Steel Magnolias, Olive in Women of Lockerbie, Elizabeth in The Crucible, Marie in Calendar Girls, Latrelle in Sordid Lives, and multiple roles in The Vagina Monologues. After 50 years in community theaters, Darice’s costume list is as extensive as the happy memories each brings. Outside of the theater, she relies on her resident wardrobe master and husband Jim to answer that age-old question: Does this make me look too (whatever)???

Aleiha Direnzo (Ensemble) – Aleiha is incredibly grateful to be a part of her first Colonial Players production with such a creative director and amazing, diverse cast. Auditions felt like coming home after 15 years of “retirement” from theater. She looks forward to more productions in the future, in any capacity CP will have her! “Special thanks to my husband for his encouragement to return to theater, to my friends for their support, and especially my mom, dad, sister, and brother for traveling from New Mexico to watch me return to the stage (and babysit, run lines, and everything else in between).”

Mary Macleod (Ensemble) – Mary MacLeod is so very excited to be part of the cast of Love, Loss and What I Wore. She has acted in many theater productions in the DC/Annapolis area over the years, but some of her favorite roles include the aging British rocker in VVVC Productions' Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll, Sister Aloysius in Dignity Players’ production of Doubt, and at Colonial Players: Hazel in The Children, Eileen Osbourne in The Cripple of Inishmaan, Terry Glimmer in Side Man (DC Metro Theater Arts 2015 List of Best Performances in Community Theater-Actress in a Play), Lady Boyle in Superior Donuts (WATCH Award NomineeCameo), Lettice Douffet in Lettice and Lovage, Nancy Shirley in Frozen (WATCH Award Nominee Lead Actress), and Marjorie Taub in The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife. As always, she thanks her husband Alan and her daughter Carter for all their patience and support.

Kristen Page-Kirby (Ensemble) – Kristen Page-Kirby is thrilled to be making her Colonial Players debut after working in various community theaters all over the area for nearly 20 years, mainly concentrating on musicals. Favorite roles have included Diana in Next to Normal, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, the Baker's Wife in Into the Woods, and Abigail Adams in 1776. She has twice been nominated for WATCH awards for acting and won the Outstanding Performance Award in the 2015 Maryland Community Theater One-Act Festival.

Aricia Skidmore-Williams (Ensemble) – Aricia is excited to return to The Colonial Players stage after a seven-year hiatus! Her past credits with CP include These Shining Lives and In the Next Room. She likes to think she'd have more to add to that list if she hadn't decided to trek west for Los Angeles, where she's been living for the past six years. Some say she returned home because of COVID, others say the pull of CP can only be ignored for so long. Whatever the cause, she's happy to be back on stage with an intimidatingly talented group of women. When she's not panic-memorizing her lines and swearing to everyone that she's “pretty much fully off book… basically,” Aricia can be heard hosting the award-winning weekly podcast Even the Rich and the daily podcast Rich and Daily, both from Wondery. Aricia would like to thank her family for their constant support; it means more to her than she could ever properly articulate.

Joanna Tobin (Ensemble) – Joanna is thrilled to be back on stage and a part of this fabulous, talented cast and crew, working with such a wonderful director. She was last seen at The Colonial Players as Lady Tresillian in Towards Zero in 2019 and Emma in last summer’s first CP pandemic Zoom production: Over the Hill and Through the Woods. Some long (very long) past roles include Cecily in The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Therese in Therese Raquin. To Steve, Diana and my mom, I love you and thank you for allowing me to be a part of the best ensemble.

Meg Venton (Ensemble) – Meg Venton is grateful to be doing this show with such a bunch of spirited, talented ladies, to The Colonial Players for opening up in such a well-thought-out way after the pandemic, and to our director Robin Schwartz for her kindness, talent, and overall joie de vivre! Most of Meg’s credits, and a BFA in theatre from Adelphi University, are in the distant past, but she's hoping to remedy that. Most recently, she played Rose in CP's The Children and Cecelia in CP's Shiloh Rules. Love to Jack and Percy.

The Production Staff

Megan Henderson (Stage Manager) Megan is excited to work with The Colonial Players for the first time! She is a teaching artist, actor, director, stage manager, and wardrobe assistant. She has previously worked with Toby’s Dinner Theatre, Signature Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, Drama Learning Center, and Liberty High School. Professional acting credits include: Maurice in Madagascar, Gilda in The Happy Elf, Thea in Spring Awakening, Princess Léonide u/s in Triumph of Love (Red Branch Theatre Company). Other roles include: Jo March in Little Women and Woman 1 in Edges. Megan holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Seton Hill University. Many thanks to Robin and the team! For Molly.

Lindsey Miller (Costume Designer) Lindsey feels blessed to be involved with live theater again! This is her third production with CP. Previously she was seen on stage in the 2016 production of A Christmas Carol as Mrs. Cratchit and as Midge Braverman in The Babylon Line. Lindsey previously designed costumes for PTC’s You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. Her favorite piece of clothing is a Ravenclaw zip up hoodie she’s had since college, and she has enjoyed dressing these incredibly talented women in a show about our sometimes complicated relationships with clothing. Much love to Joe for his support in making it possible for me to get back out into the world again and to Robin for bringing me along for the ride!

Laurie Nolan (Set Designer) Laurie has been painting the stage here at CP for (yikes!) decades. Some recent sets include: The Secret Garden, Casa Valentina, and The Children. Her painter's apron tells the story of many past sets, identifiable by color smudges in multiple layers. Many thanks to Robin and the cast for their contributions to the memory journal/sketchbook content of the floor. It’s great to be back in our theater space!

John Purnell (Lighting Designer) John was pleased to be asked to light Love, Loss and What I Wore for Robin. The show presents a variety of intriguing lighting challenges. John has designed lighting for Maytag Virgin, Quartet, The Babylon Line and A New Brain (WATCH nominated) for CP over the last five years. In the 1990’s John lit about a dozen CP shows. He also designs for Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre (Mamma Mia, Altar Boyz, Light Up the Stars and the 50th Anniversary Show), MC3, and Severna Park Middle School. John also performed onstage in Rumors, If Men Played Cards as Woman Do, and Clue at CP and Bullets Over Broadway at ASGT. John owns Inspired Data Solutions and has enjoyed living in Annapolis with his beautiful wife, Claire, for the last 31 years.

Diana Tobin (Costume Assistant) Diana is thrilled to be working on another show at Colonial Players. She previously worked as a production assistant and has acted in various shows with the Annapolis High Drama Company and in Colonial's A Christmas Carol as a beggar. She recently worked on costumes for the spring play and dance concert at the College of Wooster, where she is a rising sophomore. She would like to thank all her friends and family for their support and particularly her mom who she's so excited to work with on this show.

Jason Vaughan (Producer) This is Jason’s second time serving as a producer for a CP show. No stranger to CP, he has appeared on stage in numerous shows, most recently in Book of Days and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Jason is delighted to be in some way part of the amazing cast and crew of Love, Loss and What I Wore, and thanks everyone for their patience as he waded into a new job right at the same time the show was moving into production. Thanks to Scott for all his love and support.

Sarah Wade (Sound Designer) Sarah is so pleased to be at the theater again! Favorite CP roles include Elaine in Arsenic and Old Lace, Honey in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Cecily Cardew in Ernest in Love, and Catherine Donohue in These Shining Lives. She also designed sound for Sex with Strangers, Calendar Girls, Side Man, and Watch on the Rhine. She directed 2018's production of A Christmas Carol, and will be directing it in 2021 as well. Thanks to Robin for inviting me to this fun party!

Written by Audrey Cefaly
Directed by: Edd Miller
Performance Dates:
April 9 – April 25, 2021
Run time: 2h 15m
(including intermission)

In small-town Alabama, there’s nothing worse than being the forty-something town widow — at least that’s how Lizzie feels since her husband died in an accident. Her days of avoiding returning to work, enjoying doing the laundry, and quietly reading on her back porch are interrupted by her new neighbor Jack, a widower, and his installation of a Maytag dryer on his back porch. A surprise discovery of a cache of love letters lead Jack and Lizzie to connect over grief, regret, and laundry. Through their bond they begin asking the questions of when to live again, and more importantly, when to love again.

About the Playwright

AUDREY CEFALY is a Dramatist Guild Traveling Master and a member of the Playwrights' Arena cohort at Arena Stage. Cefaly has developed plays with National New Play Network, Everyman Theatre, Signature Theatre, Vermont Stage, 16th Street Theater, Capital Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, About Face, Florida Rep, Kitchen Dog Theatre, Circle Theatre, Serenbe Playhouse, Aurora Theatre, Theater Alliance, Quotidian Theatre Company, Contemporary American Theater Festival, and University of Alabama at Birmingham. Plays include The Gulf (Edgerton, Lammy, Charles MacArthur Nominee), Alabaster (NNPN Record-Breaking RWP, Kilroys, Calicchio Prize), Maytag Virgin, Fin & Euba (produced by The Colonial Players), Tell Me Something Good, The Believers, and Love is a Blue Tick Hound. Cefaly considers herself a southern playwright focusing on character-driven stories set in her home state of Alabama. “I am actively exploring the unsung topographies and voices of the Gulf Coast region with a purposeful reverence for regional authentcity and texture. I believe that stories of healing are important. I gravitate toward characters who are lost, ‘stuck,’ and emotionally fatigued (a term I call ‘reckless apathy’). I want to tell every love story worth telling and my plays run the spectrum: collision, romance, betrayal, death, heartache and redemption.”

About the Director

After more than 50 years of working in many capacities at The Colonial Players, EDD MILLER can add another to his list of accomplishments as director of the first post-Covid production, ending the first time in 72 seasons when CP went dark for a lengthy period. As an actor he has performed in The Last of The Red Hot Lovers, Othello, Moon For The Misbegotten, and Over My Dead Body, to name just a few. You may have seen his set designs for The Diviners; Blithe Spirit; In The Next Room, or the Vibrator Play; Chapter Two; Coyote on a Fence; Two Rooms; Moon Over Buffalo; Going To St. Ives; and others. He most recently directed Good People five years ago. He also has directed The Apple Tree, Carnival, Plaza Suite, Going To St. Ives, Two Rooms, The Diviners, 6 Rms Rive Vu, I Never Sang For My Father, On Golden Pond, Relatively Speaking, Coyote on a Fence, and more. Edd also has lent his talents to many other venues as both actor or director. He credits theater in general and CP in particular for bringing him friends, chosen family, and his late wife, Dolores. He feels he has two homes in Annapolis: one for sleep and one for showing of. Edd's work has earned CP a Ruby Griffith Award, a One Act Play Award (state and regional festivals), Washington Area Theatre Community Honors awards for best play and best direction of a play, and numerous nominations.

Director's Notes

It’s been over a year since we mounted a show. It has been a privilege and an honor and a challenge as director of Maytag Virgin to shepherd bringing live theater out of hibernation and back to our stage. Many changes were necessary to adhere to the rules and regulations designed to protect your health as well as ours. We had to reimagine our performance space to comply with the requirement that no unmasked actor could be closer than 12 feet away from all members of the audience. The result is a much different experience visually for you and an adventure for our designers and technicians. The actors had to learn to perform on a raked stage while adjusting to patrons watching mostly in front of them instead of from all four sides. There were some advantages as well. With no other show in production or in rehearsals, we had extended time to work on details and make the necessary technical changes, including installing new equipment allowing us to stream some performances. All of this took place with seldom more than five people in the building at any given time. Theater is a collaborative art so “virtual” doesn’t cut it. We worked on different days in small groups. It took scheduling and cooperation. We hope you enjoy the results. We are grateful to welcome you back.

— EDD MILLER

The Cast

Ben Carr (Jack Key) – Ben is excited to be back performing at The Colonial Players. Some of his previous roles at CP include Biff Loman in Death of a Salesman, Mike Conner in The Philadelphia Story, Michael Wells in Two Rooms, C.C. Showers in The Diviners, and Hertel Dagget in Dog Logic. He has also performed at Standing O Productions in The Retreat from Moscow (Jamie) and Tracers (Little John) and at Dignity Players as Jake in Stones In His Pocket. He would like to thank Edd for casting him, Laura for carrying this show, and Herb for making sure everything goes smoothly. “Most importantly, I would like to tell my wife, Cassie, that I love you and ask, if it’s too late to send the kids back…I think they might be defective.” Hope all is well.

Laura Gayvert (Elizabeth "Lizzy" Nash) – Laura is truly flled with grattude to be one of the frst people to be able to be back in the theater and on stage in 2021, especially afer so much has been closed down for so long. She is so thankful to be cast by Edd Miller alongside Ben Carr in this masterpiece by Audrey Cefaly. “Lucky girl!” Previously, she has performed at CP in Trip to Bountful, Moon Over Buffalo, Wonder of the World, Rocket Man, Calendar Girls, Frozen (NOT the Disney musical), and most recently, Casa Valentna, the last two of which earned her nominatons for a Washington Area Theatre Community Honors award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play. Other local credits include Crimes of the Heart and Sordid Lives at Dignity Players and Seven Year Itch at BCT. “Above all, I am thankful for the love and support of my husband, David, as well as family and friends who help me in ways big and small."

The Production Staff

Kaelynn Bedsworth (Sound Designer) This is Kaelynn’s 12th...season? with CP. She has volunteered both on the stage and of in a variety of roles, from actress to go-button pusher to steampunk wig maker to Looney Tunes sound effect specialist to smushed banana cleaner. You may have seen her grace the stage in The Secret Garden, Annie, 1776, several A Christmas Carols, Moonlight and Magnolias, and Little Women. Behind the scenes, she has produced, costume designed, sound designed, and scene painted for many shows over the past 12 years. Kaelynn sends a big shoutout to Dave Cooper for figuring out how to livestream and then relieving her fears with the sentence, "Nope, you don't need to do anything different." Kaelynn also sends her love to her husband, Wes, who shares this crazy theater world with her on a daily basis.

Wes Bedsworth (Livestream Technician) Wes has been volunteering at The Players since early 2007 when he was a sound technician for Moon Over Buffalo. Since then, he's gone on to sound design many other shows, lighting design one, program lights for a bunch, create an Arduino-controlled illuminated grand piano for another, and provide technical consultation on more shows than he can count. Wes currently serves as the Technical Director on the Production Team, recently collaborating with Assistant Operations Director David Cooper to upgrade our equipment to support livestreaming of our productions. He is also happy to continue to be able to serve as Operations Director on the Board, where his responsibilities vary from plumber to electrician to network administrator to HVAC technician to locksmith to general handyman, depending on what broke this THE STAFF (continued) time. To adapt our spaces for operating during a pandemic, Wes has worked with various volunteers and contractors to plan for, procure, and install various new safety and sanitation equipment. By day, Wes supports the US Navy working for Cardinal Engineering, a generous annual supporter of CP. Wes sends his love to his wife, Kaelynn; his parents; sister Susan; and soon-to-be brother-in-law Jon. Hugs to Abby.”

David Cooper (Livestream Technician) David has been involved with The Colonial Players for the past several seasons. He was last seen on stage in Book of Days. While The Players were navigating the Covid-19 disruption, he was involved behind the scenes and in front of the camera during streaming events and promotional activities. For Maytag Virgin, David helped to design, establish, and run the system used for livestreaming the show.

Herb Elkin (Stage Manager) Herb has been an active Colonial Players member and volunteer for 25 years. Having appeared onstage in several CP and other area productions, he now most enjoys stage managing and relishes his role in returning live theater to our stage. Recent CP credits include The Children (2020), Toward Zero (2019), Quartet (2018), 33 Variations (2017), Good People (2016), Side Man (2015), Rocket Man (2014), Coyote on a Fence (2014), Trying (2013), and Going to St. Ives (2012)...which received a regional WATCH award as outstanding play. He thanks CP's many volunteers and supporters who make everything possible, worthwhile...and enjoyable!

Heather Quinn (Producer) Heather has worked on numerous theater projects in the DC-Maryland area both onstage and behind the scenes over the years but never expected to be trying to produce a show in the time of Covid-19. “The job of producer is always easier when shared and when so many talented and dedicated community members step forward to take on the many behind-the-scenes tasks of any show. It has been odd striving to produce a show and develop theater safety procedures working both near (with masks and distance) and far (without masks but virtually). Nevertheless, it has been nice to be involved in the group effort, so I appreciate sharing in a small slice of community theater pie.

John H. Purnell III (Lighting Designer) “This experience is like an early winter thaw — while the winter of Covid-19 may not be over yet, Maytag Virgin is a glimpse of spring after more than a year without performing arts.” John began designing at Colonial Players in 1991. His lighting credits include 13 CP productions, most recently A New Brain (which was WATCH nominated), Quartet, and The Babylon Line. John has worked at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre, Silver Spring Stage, Severn School, Hexagon, The Arlington Players, The Little Theatre of Alexandria, and others where he has lighting and special effects credits in over two dozen other shows. John has appeared on stage in four area productions, most recently at CP as Officer Welch in Rumors. John was cast as Mayor Josiah Dobbs in Bright Star at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre more than a year ago, but ASGT has canceled its 2021 season and he hopes it will be presented next year. The lighting for Maytag Virgin presents several challenges. First, the new thrust stage configuration demands extensive rework of CP’s standard light plot. Second, lighting for streaming video as well as an in-house audience substantially complicates the lighting design. Fortunately, we have a great group of volunteers who welcomed the challenge.

Constance Robinson (Properties Designer/Set Decorator) Since 2003 Connie has volunteered as a public relations consultant, graphic designer, box office assistant, properties designer, and set decorator for Colonial Players. She serves on the current Marketing Committee, and has collected props or decorated sets for over 24 productions at Colonial Players and other local theaters. She is proud to have received three WATCH nominations for properties designing. Connie enjoys her volunteer hours because of the friendly, dedicated people she works with. She also thanks her husband, John, for his continued assistance fixing or creating props. Connie is also grateful to friends for their support and loaning their household items for props. During the past year of the Covid-19 pandemic, she has missed being with the CP family but has enjoyed the virtual pub shows. She said it has been fun being “back in business” working with the creative director and set designer Edd Miller for this show. He was patent while Connie found or created props and dropped them of at the theater with her mask on. She sure misses being at rehearsals with everyone for Maytag Virgin! Connie sends a big “thank you” to Herb Elkin for keeping the props in order backstage!

Beth Terranova (Costume Designer) “My heartfelt thanks to everyone who has worked so hard to get the doors to The Colonial Players open again. Special thanks to the cast and staff of Maytag Virgin, who have worked through these pandemic challenges so we can welcome audiences back to our theater.” Beth has been designing costumes for community theaters for over 25 years. On The Colonial Players stage her previous costume designs were seen in A Christmas Carol (2018), Nine (WATCH nomination), A Few Good Men, These Shining Lives, Coyote on a Fence, Going to St. Ives (WATCH nomination), Cinderella Waltz (WATCH nomination), Lettice and Lovage, The Diviners, The Lion in Winter, The Philadelphia Story, Hauptmann, and Moon Over Buffalo. Most recently, she designed costumes for the 2nd Star Production of Gypsy. Other costume design credits from years of theater in Florida include The Importance of Being Ernest, Beau Jest, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Call Me Madam, and Gypsy (yes, she has had the “joy” of costuming this show twice!). Beth was most recently on stage at Colonial Players as Williamina Fleming in Silent Sky. Work behind the scenes includes director, producer, set designer, play consultant, and tech crew. Happily retired, these days you might catch Beth in colonial garb leading historic and ghost tours around Annapolis…when she isn’t doing “things” for the theater.