Cast:

Racquel West as Tilly

Elijah Pasco as Lorenzo

Danielle Aldrich as Frances

Raymond Zhao as Frank

CaraLee Howe as Joan

Production Team:

AD Kassing - Director

Rosemary Jones - Stage Manager

Nicoletta Gilbertson - Assistant Stage Manager

Ellie Gallagher - Music Director

Elle Johnson - Choreographer

Olivia Hagan - Assistant Director

Hannah Probst - Assistant Director

Michael Dugan - Set Designer

Devon Sheehan - Dramaturg

Alex Seta - Props Master

Luna McMeen - Costume Designer

Stokke Xu - Lighting Designer

Aaron Winey - Sound Design

Sara Yonke - Sound Mixer

Melancholy Play is a whimsical chamber musical examination following Tilly, a woman so beautifully melancholic all fall in love but fall out of love just as hard when she becomes happy. One character even becomes depressed and turns into an almond. The rest of the cast must set aside their differences to reach out and help. Our production of this touching surrealist play on emotions drew a lot of inspiration stylistically from surrealist painters such as René Magritte. Everyone of these characters has distinct playfully exaggerated personalities which I chose to show through their costumes and extensive body makeup. These patterns are an extension of how the character moves through the world and are static save for two moments. Tilly has black floral line art all over her dress and body. When Tilly becomes so overjoyed by all her friends/lovers affection she undergoes a transformation, blooming into a dress of sunflowers and even one of her flowers upon her cheek changing into a bright yellow. When Frances becomes so depressed she enters the Almond State, director AD Kassing wanted to distinguish depression from melancholy, the former being a state of suppressed energy and emotions. Then, Frances, singing a song as she falls into the almond state, carefully washes off all of her body makeup. She is unable to display her emotions as brightly and freely as the others and is receding into herself. This was my last play at UW and I was so grateful to be able to work with such a talented production. If you would like more information, please visit https://drama.washington.edu/events/2019-04-25/uts-presents-melancholy-play