The Man Behind: Rabbit Hole
Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire

David Lindsay-Abaire

TheatreWorks, New Milford is excited to present David Linsday-Abaire’s Pulitzer award-winning play, Rabbit Hole, after producing his plays, Fuddy Meers and Kimberly Akimbo in 2004 and 2005, respectively.

David Lindsay-Abaire was born 1969 in South Boston, Massachusetts in a family of five that he describes as being “very blue collar.”  After attending Boston public schools until the seventh grade, he received a six-year scholarship to the Milton Academy, a New England boarding school. There, Lindsay-Abaire discovered his enthusiasm for writing for the theatre. 

The Milton Academy had a tradition of presenting original student work, to which Lindsay-Abaire contributed what he has called “terrible, terrible plays.”  Despite this, however, he went on to Major in theatre at Sarah Lawrence College and was later accepted into the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program at the Juilliard School.

As a young playwright, he believed that theatre was a place where the absurd could and should happen, which is why he tends to stay away from realism in his writings and specifically looks for characters that view the world differently than everyone else.  Walking a fine line between grave reality and delightful lunacy, his plays present situations that are often dark and ironic yet hopeful and somewhat cockeyed.

After his first successful play, Fuddy Meers (1999), he began working on his next, Wonder of the World (2000) which premiered at the Manhattan Theatre Club and starred Sarah Jessica Parker.  Other plays include Kimberly Akimbo (2000), Wonder of the World (2000), Dotting and Dashing (1999), Snow Angel (1999), The L’il Plays (1997,) and A Devil Inside (1997).

Rabbit Hole, produced in 2006 with Cynthia Nixon, Tyne Daly, and John Slattery, was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play and won Cynthia Nixon her own Tony for Best Actress. He wrote the drama after fellow playwright Marsha Norman — who was his teacher at Juilliard — told him to write a play about something that frightened him. A father, Lindsay- Abaire began shaping a story about a husband and wife who lose their only child in a freak car accident.

Outside of theatre, Lindsay-Abaire has also penned two screenplays: Robots (2005) and Inkheart (2007) and is currently writing the screenplay for the upcoming Spider-Man 4.

Most recently, he was awarded the 2008 Ed Kleban Award as America’s most promising musical theatre lyricist the current Broadway hit, Shrek: The Musical, which stars Broadway favorites Sutton Foster, Brian D’Arcy James, Christopher Sieber and John Tartaglia.

February 27, 28, March 6, 7, 8, 13, 14 2009 Fridays & Saturdays 8:00 PM / Sunday 2:00 PM $20.00 Reserved Seating TheatreWorks, 5 Brookside Avenue, New Milford, CT

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Do you have a child who has an unquenchable desire to act? Sing? Dance? TheatreWorks Kids gives them the onstage experience they crave while providing them with a fun way to do it!

Our after-school and summer programs have helped us bring the joy of theatre to many young children and given each and everyone of them a chance to shine.

SPRING 2009 - Seussical Jr.
March 21 - May 31 / Register Today!

Just imagine a world where anything’s possible! An elephant in a tree, a person too tiny to see, a heroic child and dreams running wild! Come to a magical musical place where helping a friend, never giving up and keeping a promise come alive in a witty, wild and wonderful tale that will delight the young and young at heart!

Beloved Seuss stories and themes are woven together in this colorful musical that follows the adventures of the Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz and a gaggle of delightful Seuss characters who try to restore harmony to the Jungle of Nool.

Program Costs
Tuition: $360 / Sibling: $299 each additional
Alumni: $330¹ / Sibling: $299 each additional

¹ Alumni: Must have participated in a 2008 TW Kids program to qualify.

Program Begins Saturday, March 21st @ 9:00 AM
Runs - Mondays or Tuesdays from 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM*
and Saturday Mornings from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

*Final Schedule TBD at the start of the program, based on casting and number of participants who register.

COMING SUMMER 2009 - Guys & Dolls, Jr.
Program runs June 29th - July 18th

Complete details and registration for the summer program will be made available mid March on our Web site.

Performer Close-up: Jackie Decho-Holm

TheatreWorks Member, Joe Russo recently sat down with Jackie Decho-Holm, who is playing the lead in the theatre’s production of David Lindsay-Abaire’s award-winning play, Rabbit Hole.  Ms. Decho-Holm is stepping into the shoes that won Sex and the City’s Cynthia Nixon a Tony Award for Best Actress.

QTheatreWorks’ audiences have seen you as a number of different characters, including Petra in A Little Night Music and the title role in Molly Sweeney.  What makes this role unique from other roles you’ve played?

A This role is different from other roles I've played in the past because of the reality of the situation she's in. Now that I'm a mother, I feel I have the responsibility to portray her with as much honesty as possible. Actually, since I've become a mom, no other role has affected me more profoundly as Becca. It's hard to let myself “go there” so to speak. The thought of losing my own son the way this woman has is beyond words. It's definitely hard as a mother, very hard.

QWhat makes this show unique from other shows?

A I think this show is unique because of the dialogue, mainly.  It’s written is as if someone left a tape recorder in this family’s house for a few months and then wrote down, verbatim, their conversations.  No holds barred. I love the reality of it.  It’s not just a story, tied up in bow with a “happily ever after” ending.  It’s sad, it’s funny, it’s life.

QWhat is most challenging about this role?

A It's very challenging, for me as an actor, to not “over-play” Becca.  She is a very controlled person, with a very controlled life in an out of control situation.  It would be too easy to play this woman as a weeping mess because of the situation she's in.  She is all about keeping her emotions in check and only showing glimpses of what's bubbling underneath.  Becca is a complex character and playing too close to the line would ruin the whole dynamic of the show.

QHow long have you been involved in theatre?  In acting?

A I have been involved in theatre since elementary school, really. I've always loved being onstage, but I was also very interested in all aspects of putting on a show. When I began college, I was a stage management Major.  The lead dropped out in one show I was managing and I stepped in. The next thing you know, I changed my major to acting!  Once out of college, I was lucky enough to have many opportunities offered to me.  I finished two internships with Juilliard and worked professionally on both sides of the stage for a few years in New York City.  I wanted to start a family, so I left theatre for a short time to have my son, but I'm so happy to have found TheatreWorks.  This is the place that has helped me find my passion for my craft again.  This is my home away from home.  Now I’m able to share this passion with my students in the TheatreWorks Stage 2 program. Teaching feels to me like I've come full circle.

QYou must have a few favorite roles?

A I always find this question tough!  Becca is definitely up there. I love her quiet complexity. I loved Molly Sweeney because she was so far from myself.  Because I love Shakespeare so much, Hermia in A Midsummer’s Night Dream was a favorite.  I’d also have to include Lil Bit in How I Learned to Drive.

QWhat do you think audience members will take away from this production of Rabbit Hole?

A I think people will leave, taking with them a little bit of hope and compassion for others. This show could so easily be done as a weepy, depressing drama but that’s not what this story should be. Yes, it’s a horrible thing that has happened to these people but it shows humor, love and hope in the face of tragedy.  Hope, that's the big one.  Hope is the message.  Without it, it’s just people being sad and that’s not what this story is about.