The CAKE
BY BEKAH BRUNSTETTER
DIRECTED BY ARIA VELZ
in association with NextStop Theatre Company
Helen Hayes Awards Recommended Production
"The cast…bring[s] true pathos, depth, and dimension to their performances…Prologue Theatre has a winner on their hands…" - MD THEATRE GUIDE
"Aria Velz’s direction takes what could be a heavy production and makes it feel springy, and Tamborini’s scenic design...makes for both an intriguing visual and an impressive use of a small space." - DC THEATRE ARTS
"The Atlas arts center, and its full theater menu, is a gem on H Street" - WASHINGTON POST
"The cast…bring[s] true pathos, depth, and dimension to their performances…Prologue Theatre has a winner on their hands…" - MD THEATRE GUIDE
"Aria Velz’s direction takes what could be a heavy production and makes it feel springy, and Tamborini’s scenic design...makes for both an intriguing visual and an impressive use of a small space." - DC THEATRE ARTS
"The Atlas arts center, and its full theater menu, is a gem on H Street" - WASHINGTON POST
If you missed seeing The Cake at the Atlas Performing Arts Center (or you just want to see it again!), you still have a chance to catch a performance! This production is moving to NextStop Theatre Company in Herndon, VA, and running there from March 10 - April 2. Click here to get tickets at NextStop.
ABOUT THE PLAY:
Della makes cakes, not judgment calls – those she leaves to her husband, Tim. But when the girl she helped raise comes back home to North Carolina to get married, and the fiancé is actually a fiancée, Della’s life gets turned upside down. She can’t really make a cake for such a wedding, can she? For the first time in her life, Della has to think for herself.
Recommended for adults only
Mild sexual content, coarse language, and partial nudity
Della makes cakes, not judgment calls – those she leaves to her husband, Tim. But when the girl she helped raise comes back home to North Carolina to get married, and the fiancé is actually a fiancée, Della’s life gets turned upside down. She can’t really make a cake for such a wedding, can she? For the first time in her life, Della has to think for herself.
Recommended for adults only
Mild sexual content, coarse language, and partial nudity
photos by DJ Corey Photography
THE CAST
Clockwise from upper left:
Nicole Halmos - DELLA
Sabrina Lynne Sawyer - MACY
Tara Forseth* - JEN
Sam Lunay - TIM
* denotes a member of Actors' Equity Association
Nicole Halmos - DELLA
Sabrina Lynne Sawyer - MACY
Tara Forseth* - JEN
Sam Lunay - TIM
* denotes a member of Actors' Equity Association
The Production Team
Aria Velz - DIRECTOR
Alexa Duimstra - COSTUME DESIGNER
Helen Garcia-Alton - LIGHTING DESIGNER
Christie Johnson - PROPS DESIGNER
Justin Schmitz - SOUND DESIGNER
Jason Tamborini - SCENIC DESIGNER
Sierra Young - INTIMACY DIRECTOR
Katie Buchwell - PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER
Caroline Johnson - ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
Alexa Duimstra - COSTUME DESIGNER
Helen Garcia-Alton - LIGHTING DESIGNER
Christie Johnson - PROPS DESIGNER
Justin Schmitz - SOUND DESIGNER
Jason Tamborini - SCENIC DESIGNER
Sierra Young - INTIMACY DIRECTOR
Katie Buchwell - PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER
Caroline Johnson - ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
about the playwright
Bekah hails from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and currently lives in Los Angeles.
As a TV writer and producer, she has written for Switched at Birth, American Gods, This is Us, and Maid (Netflix, 2021.) She is currently developing a TV adaptation of the musical Oklahoma! with John Lee Hancock and Skydance Television. She has previously developed content with Bad Robot and Hulu.
As a playwright, her work has been staged and developed by The O’Neill Playwright’s conference, the Atlantic Theater, Portland Center Stage, The Old Globe, the La Jolla Playhouse, Naked Angels, South Coast Repertory, The Echo theater, and Ojai Playwright’s conference. Her play The Cake has been produced over 80 times worldwide, as ran off Broadway at Manhattan Theater Club. She is currently working on Commissions for South Coast Rep, Manhattan Theater Club, Barrington Stage, and Playmaker’s Rep. She is currently developing a musical adaptation of The Notebook with Ingrid Michaelson.
She is an alumni of the CTG Writers Group, Primary Stages writes group, Ars Nova Play Group, The Playwright’s Realm, and the Women’s Project Lab, and the Echo Playwright’s Group.
BA UNC Chapel Hill; MFA in Dramatic Writing from the New School for Drama. bekahbrunstetter.com
Hear Bekah talk about on why it was important to her personally to put a conservative person at the forefront of a play.
As a TV writer and producer, she has written for Switched at Birth, American Gods, This is Us, and Maid (Netflix, 2021.) She is currently developing a TV adaptation of the musical Oklahoma! with John Lee Hancock and Skydance Television. She has previously developed content with Bad Robot and Hulu.
As a playwright, her work has been staged and developed by The O’Neill Playwright’s conference, the Atlantic Theater, Portland Center Stage, The Old Globe, the La Jolla Playhouse, Naked Angels, South Coast Repertory, The Echo theater, and Ojai Playwright’s conference. Her play The Cake has been produced over 80 times worldwide, as ran off Broadway at Manhattan Theater Club. She is currently working on Commissions for South Coast Rep, Manhattan Theater Club, Barrington Stage, and Playmaker’s Rep. She is currently developing a musical adaptation of The Notebook with Ingrid Michaelson.
She is an alumni of the CTG Writers Group, Primary Stages writes group, Ars Nova Play Group, The Playwright’s Realm, and the Women’s Project Lab, and the Echo Playwright’s Group.
BA UNC Chapel Hill; MFA in Dramatic Writing from the New School for Drama. bekahbrunstetter.com
Hear Bekah talk about on why it was important to her personally to put a conservative person at the forefront of a play.