Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B

Feb 1Feb 20, 2022
Written by:Kate Hamill
Directed by:José Zayas
Adapted from the stories ofSir Arthur Conan Doyle
Located at:Copaken Stage

Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B is an irreverent, darkly comic modern take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth and sidekick – a fast-paced romp that re-examines the classic adventure stories you love with a bold new female lens. In this highly theatrical, small-cast escapade, oddball female roommates Sherlock (yes, it’s also a girl’s name – wait, is it a girl’s name? Is it even a name?) Holmes & Dr. Joan Watson join forces to emerge from the pandemic fog as a deeply codependent, quasi-dysfunctional, Odd Couple adventure duo… solving mysteries and kicking butts, until they come face to face with a villain who seems to have all of the answers. Extremely thrilling. Occasionally shocking. Highly amusing. By Jove, we’ve done it. Read the show program to learn more.

Please be advised that this production utilizes haze, strobe lights, gunfire, and theatrical blood.

Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B is 2 hours and 30 minutes long with one 10 minute intermission.

Why you should see Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson — Apt. 2B

Because this fast-paced, laugh-a-minute, World Premiere is written by one of America’s hottest playwrights, Kate Hamill. Black Bee Buzz raves Apt. 2B “is economic in its execution and smart in its fun, yet pandemic-conscious, delivery.”

 

Cast

Kate Hamill
as Joan Watson

Jason O’Connell as Inspector Lestrade, Elliot Monk, & others

Vanessa Severo as Irene Adler, Mrs. Hudson, & others

Vaishnavi Sharma as Ms. Sherlock Holmes

Creative Team & Management

Playwright
Kate Hamill

Director
José Zayas

Scenic Design
Collette Pollard

Costume Design
Paul Kim

Lighting Design
Rachael Cady

Sound Design
Megan Culley

Wig Designer
Gayla Voss

Associate Director
Anna Sell

Fight Choreographer
Logan Black

Dramaturg
Hallie Gordon

Assistant Dramaturg
Anna Michnowicz

Dialect Coach
Jason Chanos

Casting
Yetunde Felix-Ukwu

Production Stage Manager
Emily White Winter

Assistant Stage Manager
Rachel M. Dyer

Company Manager
Amanda Arany

COVID Compliance Officer
Caleigh Michnowicz

Fight Captain
Vanessa Severo

Irene/Watson Understudy
Jess Andrews

Holmes Understudy
Katie Gilchrist

Lestrade Understudy
Darren Kennedy

 


KATE HAMILL (Playwright/Dr. Joan Watson) is an actor/playwright. Wall Street Journal Playwright of the Year, 2017. Previous work includes Pride & Prejudice at Primary Stages/HVSF (originated role of Lizzy; Nominee, Off-Broadway Alliance Award) and at Kansas City Repertory Theatre; Sense & Sensibility at Bedlam (originated role of Marianne; Winner, Off-Broadway Alliance Award; Nominee, Drama League Award); Vanity Fair at the Pearl (originated the role of Becky Sharp; Nominee, Off-Broadway Alliance Award). Mansfield Park (Northlight); Little Women (Primary Stages and Jungle Theater); Dracula (Company (originated role of Renfield, Classic Stage); Emma (upcoming premiere at the Guthrie). She is currently developing new adaptations of The Odyssey, The Scarlet Letter, and Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, plus several original plays (Scrooge for Senate; Prostitute Play; Mary/Joan; The Piper – Play Penn, O’Neill NPC Finalist). Ms. Hamill was one of the most-produced playwrights nationwide through-out 2017-2020. AEA Member  kate-hamill.com 
Ms. Hamill is the author of Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt 2B.

JASON O’CONNELL (Inspector Lestrade, Elliot Monk, and others) KCRep: debut. New York: Judgment Day (Park Avenue Armory); Happy Birthday, Wanda June (Wheelhouse/The Duke on 42nd St); Pride and Prejudice (Primary Stages); Sense and Sensibility (Gym at Judson); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Pearl Theatre Company); The Saintliness of Margery Kempe (Duke on 42nd); The Seagull (Sheen Center); Don Juan in Hell (Phoenix Theatre Ensemble/NYIT Award – Outstanding Lead Actor); and Jason’s own solo show, The Dork Knight (Joe’s Pub, Primary Stages, Abingdon Theatre Company). Regional: 11 seasons at Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (including Caliban in 2021’s The Tempest, Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, and Cyrano in Jason’s own co-adaptation – with Brenda Withers – of Cyrano) and multiple seasons with Syracuse Stage (Amadeus, Eureka Day, Talley’s Folly), Florida Studio Theatre (Next Fall, The Goat, Ten Unknowns), Arkansas Rep (Clybourne Park, All My Sons, Frost/Nixon), and Two River Theater (Cyrano, Noises Off, Merry Wives). TV: “Search Party”, “Law & Order: SVU”, “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.” AEA Member
jason-oconnell.com 

VANESSA SEVERO (Irene Adler, Mrs. Hudson, Mrs. Drebber, and others) KCRep: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Frida…A Self Portrait (Playwright/Frida), Sex with Strangers, Vanya Sonia Masha and Spike, August: Osage County, Cabaret, Roof of the World, Lot’s Wife, A Christmas Story: The Musical, A Christmas Carol. Regional: Frida…A Self Portrait (Playwright/Frida, Portland Center Stage). Local: Desdemona, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Death and the Maiden, Blithe Spirit, Taking Sides, Hamlet (Kansas City Actors Theatre); Dance Nation, The Revolutionists, Venus in Fur, Men on Boats, Motherf**ker with the Hat, The Clean House (Unicorn Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night (Heart of America Shakespeare Festival); The Miracle Worker (The Coterie); Annapurna, Black Bird, Burn This (The Living Room Theatre); Black Pearl Sings!, West Side Story (Spinning Tree Theatre). Ms. Severo is the recipient of the 11th Round of the Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowships, 2017. AEA Member VanessaSevero.com 

VAISHNAVI SHARMA (Sherlock Holmes) KCRep: debut. New York: Pygmalion, The Seagull, Sense and Sensibility (Bedlam); Queen of the Night (Diamond Horseshoe); This Side of Neverland (The Pearl Theatre); Brain People, Ten Blocks on the Camino Real (The New School); The Iliad: Book I (Lucille Lortel Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Eurydice’s Dream (Blessed Unrest). Regional: Pygmalion (Central Square Theatre); The Death of the Novel (San Jose Rep); Around the World in 80 Days, Romeo and Juliet (Hudson Valley Shakespeare); As You Like It (Los Angeles Shakespeare); A Comedy of Errors, The Iliad: Book I (Aquila Theatre National Tour). International: Mythos, Antigone, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Oleanna (India). TV/Film: Mr. Robot (USA); High Maintenance (HBO); Leftovers (HBO); “Blue Bloods” (CBS); Education: MFA, The New School for Drama. AEA Member 

JESS ANDREWS (Irene/Watson u/s) KCRep: Ghost Light, The Village of Vale (staged reading). Local: Dance Nation (Unicorn Theatre); Brainstorm (The Coterie); 12th Night, The Moors, An Italian Straw Hat (UMKC Theatre). Regional: Cymbeline (Great River Shakespeare Festival); Marina (Bellingham TheatreWorks). Education: MFA in Acting and Directing (UMKC). jessandrewsactor.com

KATIE GILCHRIST (Holmes u/s) KCRep: The Living Room Theatre’s Carousel, Pippin, Guys and Dolls. Local: Babel, Stupid F*cking Bird, Men on Boats, Everyday Rapture, Rabbit Hole, Distracted, Lobby Hero (Unicorn Theatre); Talk Radio, Carousel, Betrayal, HurlyBurly, Chainsaw The Musical, Pontypool (The Living Room); Betty White Christmas, Dykes of Hazzard, The Flintstoners (Late Night Theatre); Jesus Christ Superstar, Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Arts Asylum); Three Viewings, Translations (Kansas City Actors Theatre); The Nance (Spinning Tree Theatre); My Name is Rachel Corrie (Martin Tanner). Regional: Inge Festival Main Stage Honors Octavio Solis (William Inge Festival); Trash (Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center). Variety Appearances: Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, The Folly Theatre, Record Bar, Knuckleheads. Upcoming: Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties (Director, The Fishtank at The Black Box); Clue (Director, Padgett Productions). Education: MFA Acting/Directing: UMKC. AEA Member. www.katiegkc.com

DARREN KENNEDY (Lestrade u/s) KCRep: Noises Off, Cat on A Hot Tin Roof. Local: Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Merchant of Venice (Heart of America Shakespeare Festival); The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Mauritius, Green Whales, The Mutherf**ker With the Hat, Water by the Spoonful, How to Steal a Picasso (Unicorn Theatre); Perfect Wedding and I’ll Be Back before Midnight (American Heartland Theatre); Sea Marks (Kansas City Actors Theatre). TV/ Film: CSI, General Hospital, Just Shoot Me, Gilmore Girls; On Sight, Treehouse, Trust Fund, Junior Detective Agency. AEA Member

JOSÉ ZAYAS (Director) has directed over 100 productions in New York, regionally and internationally. Recent credits include: 72 Miles to Go (Alley Theatre), The Dog in The Manger (Gala Hispanic Theatre), La Tia Julia y El Escribidor (Gala Hispanic Theatre), Fandango for Butterflies (And Coyotes) (En Garde Arts/LaMama), Queen of Basel (Studio Theatre), The Grapes of Wrath (American Shakespeare Center), Exquisita Agonia (World Premiere by Nilo Cruz, Repertorio Espanol), The Magnetic Fields: 50 Song Memoir (BAM, Mass MoCa, US and European Tour), A Nonesuch Celebration (BAM), Washed up on the Potomac (San Francisco Playhouse/Flea Theater), Undocumented (Joe’s Pub), In The Name of Salome, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter (Ace and Hola awards for best production and direction), Burundanga, The House of the Spirits (Ace Awards, Hola Award and Ovation awards for best production and direction), Your Name Will Follow You Home, La Nena Se Casa, Love in the Time of Cholera, In the Time of the Butterflies (Repertorio Español), Pinkolandia and El Coqui Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom (Two River Theatre), Corazon Eterno, (Mixed Blood), Southern Promises and Strom Thurmond is not a Racist (PS 122, Brick), Useless (IRT), Father of Lies and Vengeance Can Wait (PS122); P.S. Jones and the Frozen City, Feeder: A Love Story (TerraNOVA Collective); Okay, Mrs. Jones and the Man From Dixieland (EST), The Idea of Me (Cherry Lane Theatre), The Queen Bees (Queens Theatre in the Park), Manuel Vs. The Statue of Liberty and Children of Salt (NYMF), Cancun, and Chronicle of a Death Foretold (Gala Theatre, DC), Wedding Dress, and The Island of Lonely Man (Teatro Espressivo, Costa Rica). He has premiered works by Hilary Bettis, Nilo Cruz, Caridad Svich, Robert Askins, Andrea Thome, Thomas Bradshaw, Duncan Sheik, Steven Sater, Taylor Mac, Marco Antonio Rodriguez, Lynn Rosen, Kristina Poe, Saviana Stanescu, Carlos Murillo, Rob Urbinati, Catherine Filloux, James Carter, Gerardo Cardenas, Matt Barbot and Jordi Galceran. Mr. Zayas is a Drama League Fellow, Lincoln Center’s Director’s Lab, SoHo Rep Writers/Director’s Lab, NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors, Ensemble Studio Theatre member, Crossing Borders Festival Curator, and was Resident Director of Repertorio Español (2008-2018). Born in Puerto Rico, he graduated from Harvard and Carnegie Mellon Universities.  josezayasdirector.com 

COLLETTE POLLARD (Scenic Design) KCRep: Harriet Jacobs and The Glass Menagerie. Ms. Pollard resides in Chicago where her credits include Goodman Theatre credits include Fannie, Roe, The Wolves, The Happiest Song Plays Last, Fish Men and Stoop Stories (Goodman Theatre) Lindiwe, HIR, The Fundamentals and Between Riverside and Crazy (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); The Sound of Music (Marriott Theatre); Miracle (Miracle Productions); Smart People (Writers Theatre); The Nutcracker (The House Theatre), where she is a company member; A Shayna Maidel (Timeline Theatre), where she is an artistic associate. Recent and upcoming regional credits include Steel Magnolias, Eclipsed and The Chinese Lady (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre); The Legend of Georgia McBride (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and Arizona Theatre Company); Angry, Raucous & Shamelessly Gorgeous (The Alliance Theatre and Harford Stage); My Father’s War (TheatreSquared); The Cake (Asolo Repertory Theatre). Ms. Pollard is the recipient of several Jeff Awards and is an Associate Professor of Design at the School of Theatre and Music at UIC.   

PAUL KIM (Costume Design) KCRep: debut. Selected Credits: Mad Forest (OU University Theatre); Ethiopian America (Definition Theatre); Fast Food Chain (Adventure Stage); FLIES! THE MUSICAL! (Pride Films and Plays); The Explorers Club, Sex with Strangers, Scrooge and the Ghostly Spirits, and Light Up the Sky (Citadel Theatre); Assassins, Dontrell Who Kissed the Sea, The Grapes of Wrath, and 1984 (Illinois Theatre); Shakin’ The Mess Outta Misery (Pegasus Theatre). Associate Designer: for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf (Court Theatre). Educa­tion: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. pbawuk.com  

RACHAEL CADY (Lighting Design) KCRep: Frankenstein, Frida…A Self Portrait, Of Mice and Men, Brother Toad, Man in Love, Evita, Sunday in the Park with George, Sticky Traps, A Christmas Carol (2010-2018), When I Come to Die, The Glass Menagerie, Circle Mirror Transformation, Sticky Traps, Incognito. Regional: Frida…A Self Portrait (Portland Center Stage); Oklahoma! (Theatreworks); The Underpants, A Perfect Wedding, Shake Rattle and Roll, Smokey Joe’s Café (Florida Studio Theatre); Fellowship! (NYMF festival); Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Theatre League); Love Janis (Zach Theatre, Austin). Local: The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man in the Moon Marigolds, Tally’s Folly, Tally and Son, 5th of July, The Cripple of Inishman (Kansas City Actors Theatre). As the resident designer for the Unicorn Theatre (1995-2010) Rachael designed over fifty shows. 

MEGAN CULLEY (Sound Design). KCRep: debut.  

ANNA SELL (Associate Director). KCRep: debut. Regional: The Lifespan of a Fact and Pipeline (Production Assistant, Unicorn Theatre). Nebraska Wesleyan University: Tribes, Crimes of the Heart, and Central Park West (Director); Glengarry Glen Ross (Assistant Director); Nell Gwynn, Bridges of Madison County, and Death of a Salesman (Production Stage Manager). Education: BFA in Theatre Studies, Nebraska Wesleyan University. 

ANNA MICHNOWICZ (Assistant Dramaturg) KCRep: debut. Other credits: Sense & Sensibility (Ithaca College, Dramaturg); Twelfth Night (Ithaca College, Dramaturg).  Educa­tion: Ithaca College.  

JASON CHANOS  (Dialect Coach) Mr. Chanos is the Associate Artistic Director – KCRep/UMKC Theatre Partnership for Kansas City Repertory Theatre where he serves as both a producer/director for KCRep and assistant professor in voice at the UMKC Professional Actor Training Program. 

YETUNDE FELIX-UKWU (Casting) KCRep Casting: A Christmas Carol, Mary’s Wedding, Ghost Light 2. KCRep Acting: A Christmas Carol, School Girls; or The African Mean Girls Play. Local Acting: Babel, The Wolves, Men on Boats (Unicorn Theatre); Secret Soldiers (The Coterie); Dracula (Kansas City Actors Theatre); Go. Please. Go., The Storytelling Project, Letters from Freedom Summer (UMKC Theatre). Directing: Legacy Land (Assistant Director, KCRep); The Game of Love and Chance (Assistant Director, UMKC Theatre). Education: MFA Acting and Directing (UMKC). Instagram: yetundelive 

EMILY WHITE-WINTER (Production Stage Manager) KCRep: A Christmas Carol, Mary’s Wedding, Ghost Light 2. National Tours: Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, The SpongeBob Musical, Roger & Hammerstein’s The King & I, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, Disney’s Beauty & the Beast. New York: Best of TheaterWorks! (Working Theater); Elvis: The Musical (Stageworks Productions), Orlando (AADA). Regional: Godspell (Starlight Theatre); Assassins, Shipwrecked! An Entertainment, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (Spinning Tree Theatre); The Wizard of Oz (Theater League); Cabaret (Musical Theatre Heritage); Here Lies Joyland (KC Fringe); A Moon for the Misbegotten (Kansas City Actors Theatre); Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are In A Play” (The Coterie); Rapunzel, Henry V, The Foreigner, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Women of Will (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival). Education: BS in Theatre, minor in Business, Kansas State University. AEA Member emilywhitewinter.com 

RACHEL M. DYER (Assistant Stage Manager) KCRep Production Stage Manager: Brother Toad, Man In Love, Lot’s Wife. KCRep Assistant Stage Manager: A Christmas Carol (2021 and 2014-2019). Mary’s Wedding, Ghost Light 2, Fun Home, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Pride & Prejudice, Last Days of Summer, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Between the Lines, Side by Side by Sondheim, Evita, The Diary of Anne Frank, Sunday in the Park with George, Hair: Retrospective, An Iliad. KCRep Head Production Assistant: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Romeo and Juliet, The Foreigner, The Living Room Theatre’s production of Carousel, Death of a Salesman, Mystery of Irma Vep; Production Assistant: Little Shop of Horrors, Great Immensity (world premiere). Local: Production Stage Manager: Morning’s at Seven (Kansas City Actors Theatre); Assistant Lighting Designer: High School Musical, The Wedding Singer, The Wizard of Oz (Shawnee Mission Theatre in the Park). Education: BS in Theatre Design and Technology, Northwest Missouri State University. AEA Member 

AMANDA ARANY (KCRep Company Manager) (she/her) is a queer Hunga-Rican theatre administrator and technician in her third season as Company Manager at KCRep. Amanda’s journey as an artist-administrator is focused on supporting the humanity at the center of the art, and doing the work to ensure safe, compassionate, and efficient spaces for that creativity to thrive. Amanda serves on the executive board of directors and is a founding board member of the Theatre Community Fund of Kansas City (TCF), supporting local theatre artists in times of hardship and financial distress. She is also a member of the LORT ED&I Mentorship Program (second cohort). Amanda was born and raised in Kansas City and grew up going to see A Christmas Carol at KCRep, but eventually moved to Florida where she received her B.A. in Theatre from Florida State University. Amanda worked as both a Production Manager and Events Coordinator, as well as a freelance Stage Manager for many years before returning home to KC. 

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Photo credits: Jason O’Connell, Vanessa Severo, Vaishnavi Sharma, and Kate Hamill in the world premiere of MS. HOLMES AND MS. WATSON – APT 2B at KCRep. Photo by Don Ipock

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