Tag Archives: Danielle Fauteux Jacques

Mar 11

When Bad Things Happen to Bad People: “Hedda Gabler”

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Photo credit: Apollinaire Theatre Company

Presented by Apollinaire Theatre Company
By Henrik Ibsen 
Adapted by ATC from the translation by Edmund Gosse and William Archer
Directed by Danielle Fauteux Jacques

Feb. 21 – March 16, 2025
Chelsea Theatre Works
189 Winnisimmet Street
Chelsea, MA 02150

Run time is 1 hour 45 minutes

Trigger warning: Gun shots, gun violence, death by suicide, mentions of murder 

CHELSEA, Mass. — Apollinaire Theatre Company takes extra care with its dramaturgy. The company immediately welcomes its patrons into the world of their show from the moment we enter their space. Earlier this season, The Antelope Party had internet memes and ponies. Every Brilliant Thing had sticky note lists. For Hedda Gabler now up at Chelsea Theatre Works through March 16, dried flowers adorn the walls of the lobby. Candles glow in corners. The theatre itself is as dark as a tomb. A single bright stage light shines into the audience and onto the floor like a portent of scarring things to come.    Continue reading →

Dec 31

Really Good Oranges: “Every Brilliant Thing”

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Cristhian Mancinas-García as the Narrator. Photo by Apollinaire Theatre.

Presented by Apollinaire Theatre Company
By Duncan Macmillan
With Jonny Donahoe
Directed by Danielle Fauteux Jacques
Scenic & Sound Design: Joseph Lark-Riley
Lighting Design: Danielle Fauteux Jacques
Stage Manager: Kaleb Perez
ASMs: Miguel Dominguez, Max Wanty

Dec. 27, 2024-Jan. 19, 2025
Performances Featuring Parker Jennings: Sat. 12/28, 1/4, 1/11, 1/18, Sun. 1/5, 1/19
Performances Featuring Cristhian Mancinas-García performing in English: Fri. Dec. 27, Sun. Dec. 29, Sun. Jan. 12, Sat. Jan 18 at 3:00
Featuring Cristhian Mancinas-García performing in Spanish: Fri. Jan 10, 17
Chelsea Theatre Works
189 Winnisimmet Street
Chelsea, MA 02150

Critique by Kitty Drexel

CHELSEA, Mass. — Every Brilliant Thing is currently in production at Chelsea Theatre Works by Apollinaire Theatre. It was last produced in the Boston area by SpeakEasy Stage in March 2018.  Adrianne Krstansky played the Narrator to the delight of the theatregoing population. The New England Theatre Geek review of that production is here. 

 It’s been many years and an entire pandemic since Massachusetts audiences last saw this play. While it is a play one never forgets and SpeakEasy’s production with Krstansky in the lead was memorable for its touching interpretation, it was not a monolith. There is room for alternative interpretations of Every Brilliant Thing. Sometimes, the most tender productions are intimate with a smaller impression. Apollinaire is one such production. 

Apollinaire’s Every Brilliant Thing is nestled in the third-floor black box theatre in Chelsea Theatre Works. After collecting one’s ticket (and adult beverage, if that’s your thing) from the hosts at the bar, patrons enter the performance space under white house lights as Big Band jazz classics tickle the ear. Our hosts told us, “All seating in the theatre is audience seating.” This means the black plastic chairs on risers, the velvet cushioned dining chairs and the loudly-patterned couches with pillows are intended for audience butts, too. We weren’t late but weren’t early so the couches were taken by other patrons. Get there early if your heart is set on couch surfing.   Continue reading →

Aug 07

“The Suppliant Women:” When We Shout, We Wake the Gods

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Photo by Danielle Fauteux Jacques.

Presented by Apollinaire Theatre, in collaboration with Teatro Chelsea and the City of Chelsea
Play by Aeschylus, adapted by David Greig
Music by John Browne
Directed by Danielle Fauteux Jacques
Choreography by Audrey Johnson
Music Direction by David Reiffel
Accompanied by Aneesh Kashalikar, Laura Jordan, Stephen Guerra
Featuring Paola Ferrer, Brooks Reeves, Andres Molano, Parker Jennings, Pearl Scott, Charleen Andujar

August 2 – 17, 2024
Fridays and Saturdays @ 7:30pm
Pre-show starts at 6pm, featuring music from members of the ensemble and beer and food from local vendors
Content advisory for mentions of sexual violence.

The Playbill

Free at Port Park
99 Marginal Street, Chelsea MA
Information here

The production is Bilingual, English/Spanish.

Critique by Maegan Bergeron-Clearwood

CHELSEA, Mass. — Last month, the Healey administration announced a new policy that caps overflow shelter stays to only five days. Days ago, just before the policy went into effect, the administration relaxed the guidelines for individuals who meet certain criteria — but many migrant families are still facing the very real, very immanent threat of having nowhere to go. It’s heartbreaking, made even more so because it’s barely a blip on the news cycle’s radar.

“The worries of women and exiles are endless,” the titular suppliant women of Aeschylus’ 2,500-year-old play exclaim, in this eerily prophetic production by Apollinaire Theatre Company. Over and over, the women plead for compassion from kings and citizens who are more concerned with consolidating their own power than opening their doors to those in need. Continue reading →

May 15

Battle Uphill, Downhill, and Hopping Across: “Touching the Void”

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The cast of “Touching the Void.” Photo by Danielle Fauteux Jacques.

Presented by Apollinaire Theatre Company
Based on Joe Simpson’s bestselling memoir Touching the Void
Written by David Greig
Directed by Danielle Fauteux Jacques
Scenic & Sound Design: Joseph Lark-Riley
Costume Design: Elizabeth Rocha 
Lighting Design: Danielle Fauteux Jacques
Featuring: Patrick O’Konis, Kody Grassett, Parker Jennings, Zach Fuller

April 19- May 26, 2024 (Extended!)
Chelsea Theatre Works
189 Winnisimmet St.
Chelsea, MA

Running Time: estimated 2 hours with one intermission

Performances followed by a Reception with the actors

Critique by Kitty Drexel

CHELSEA, Mass. — Apollinaire Theatre Company’s Touching the Void is about two men chasing death up a mountain. Death chases them back down.  It runs through May 26 at Chelsea Theatre Works.

It is 1985. Two Brits, Joe Simpson (Patrick O’Konis) and Simon Yates (Kody Grassett) are mountaineers who decide to climb a dangerous mountain together: the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. These dumbass himbos don’t have a backup plan, just a hippy acquaintance with no useful skills, Richard (Zach Fuller), watching their gear at base camp. Touching the Void is told in imaginary flashforwards and backs that feature Joe’s sister Sarah (Parker Jennings). Sarah wants to understand why Joe, Simon, and even Richard would do such a foolhardy thing as climbing a treacherous peak. Me too, Sarah.  Continue reading →

Mar 11

All I Ever Wanted Was to Not Have to Act Normal (Gurl, same): “The Antelope Party”

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Photo by Danielle Jacques.

Presented by Apollinaire Theatre Company
By Eric John Meyer
Directed by Brooks Reeves
Stage Manager: Kaleb Perez
ASMs: Miguel Dominguez, William Benjamin
PA: Alexandra Gregory
Scenic & Sound Design: Joseph Lark-Riley
Costume Design: Elizabeth Rocha
Lighting Design: Danielle Fauteux Jacques

February 23-March 17, 2024
Chelsea Theatre Works
189 Winnisimmet Street
Chelsea, MA 02150
Directions

Runtime is approximately 120 minutes with one intermission.

Critique by Kitty Drexel

CHELSEA, Mass. — Playwright Meyer thoroughly researched the radicalization of marginalized internet communities to write his play. The Antelope Pary is an accurate depiction of the marginalized-person-to-political-extremist pipeline on a reduced schedule. He layers insidious nuances such as tolerance to intolerance and manipulation of social dynamics to reveal his characters’ layers of deception. Meyer shows us how insecure but privileged persons may inflict great violence when they take up the mantle of powerlessness in a world they feel has left them behind.

The Antelope Pary is also about Bronies. Theatre about My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is easier to consume than another drama about the alt-right. Its message is the same: any community can be radicalized to extremist beliefs given the right conditions and environment. The argument and casual rejection that a community as fluffy as the Bronies could lead to violence is the point. Disbelief is a weapon.  Continue reading →

Jan 03

A Bite-Sized Wrench in the Machine: “Lunch Bunch”

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(at table) Laura Hubbard as Nicole, Alex Leondedis as Greg, Parker Jennings as Tuttle, Cristhian Mancinas-García as Jacob, Michael (Shifty) Celestin as Tal, Paola Ferrer as Hannah, Julia Hertzberg at Mitra – Photos: Danielle Fauteux Jacques

Presented by Apollinaire Theatre Company
Play by Sarah Einspanier
Direction and Sound Design by Danielle Faeuteux Jacques
Scenic and Sound Design by Joseph Lark-Riley
Featuring: Cristhian Mancinas-Garcia, Parker Jennings, Paola Ferrer, Michael (Shifty) Celestin, Alex Leondedis, Julia Hertzberg, Laura Hubbard, Dev Luthra, Katie Pickett, Brooks Reeves

December 30, 2023 – January 21, 2024
Chelsea Theatre Works
189 Winnisimmet St
Chelsea MA, 02150

Content advisory: dialogue about diet culture

Review by Maegan Bergeron-Clearwood

CHELSEA, Mass. — Lunch Bunch feels longer than its snappy one-hour run time, and that’s very much a positive: the lives depicted onstage are so harried, so high-stakes, so existentially draining, that I left Apollinaire Theatre Company feeling as though I’d lived an entire lifetime. Continue reading →

Apr 17

I Want to Heal the World Through Dance: “Dance Nation”

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Schanaya Barrows as Ashlee (front), Alison Butts as Sofia, Paola Ferrer as Vanessa, Erik P. Kraft as Luke. Photo: Danielle Fauteux Jacques

Presented by Apollinaire Theatre Company & the Chelsea Theatre Works
Written by Clare Barron 
Directed by Danielle Fauteux Jacques 
Choreographed by Audrey Johnson
Dialect coaching by Christopher Sherwood Davis 

April 14-May 14, 2023
Chelsea Theatre Works
189 Winnisimmet St
Chelsea, MA 02150

Critique by Kitty Drexel

CHELSEA, Mass. — Being a girl isn’t for the faint of heart.  In Dance Nation, a troupe of girls prepare for a competition and young adulthood by pushing their bodies and personalities to the brink. Amina (Audrey Johnson), Ashlee (Schanaya Barrows), Connie (Srin Chakravorty), Maeve (Ann Carpenter), Sofie (Alison Butts), Zuzu (Katie Pickett), and Luke (Erik P Kraft) learn choreography and how to navigate society through the skills they learn in dance class.

They could take it all the way to Tampa – the ultimate competition for the ultimate trophy! Dance Teacher Pat (Dev Luthra) is their guiding light and their worst enemy. Paola Ferrera plays an assortment of dance moms and Vanessa, a dancer who should’ve known better.  Continue reading →

Aug 10

“Chelsea People”: Getting to Know Your Community Through Theatre

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Jessica Armijo Sabillon, right, with her family at O’Malley State Park in Chelsea. (L-R) Daughter Michelle, 13, her husband Reymer and daughter Adriana, 17. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Produced by Apollinaire Theatre Company
Part of Apollinaire in the Park 2020 (Online Edition): Chelsea People
Directed by: Danielle Fauteux Jacques
Music directed by David Reiffel
Composition by Allyssa Jones, David Reiffel, and David Rivera

August 8th 2020 at 8PM
The Chelsea Collaborative – Jessica L. Armijo
Apollinaire on Facebook
Chelsea Collab on Facebook

Critique by Afrikah Smith

ZOOM — How well do you know your community? Your neighbors? Friends? In our daily interactions, or lack thereof, we each hold a story within us worth telling, waiting for the right moment, or perhaps, the right people to tell.

In Apollinaire in the Park 2020: Chelsea People, the theatre challenged itself to create original plays and music based on interviews by community members nominated by the city’s leading community organizations: GreenRoots and the Chelsea Collaborative. The series ended with the story of Jessica Armijo. Continue reading →

Feb 25

Honor Your Boundaries: “Hir”

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Photo via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apollinairetheatre/photos/a.59182456990/10156464525606991/?type=3&theater

Presented by Apollinaire Theatre Company
Written by Taylor Mac
Directed by Brooks Reeves

February 14 – March 8, 2020
Chelsea Theatre Works
Chelsea, MA
Apollinaire on Facebook

Review by Noelani Kamelamela

Chelsea, MA — This month, Apollonaire Theatre Company tackles Hir, Taylor Mac’s comedy of manners fixing  conservative against expansive American views on gender, class and sex.  It is understood, even in the writing, that quite a few of the concepts will cheerfully ride over the heads of the audience.  Advanced gender studies classes may not be enough of an education to appreciate the entire play, but the production unfolds for as more than just the text: with costume, set dressing, emotion, repetition, intonation and even art in the lobby to bolster meaning and heighten context.  At 120 minutes with a single intermission, the time passes quickly, but I do caution people who are sensitive to issues such as domestic violence, elder abuse, teen bullying, and post traumatic stress disorder to perhaps read a synopsis or steel themselves to potentially be triggered. Continue reading →

Jan 02

“Two Mile Hollow,” Or White People, We Need to Talk About Colorism

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Presented by Apollinaire Theatre Company
Written by Leah Nanako Winkler
Directed by Danielle Fauteux Jacques

Dec 21, 2018 – Jan 20, 2019
Chelsea Theatre Works
189 Winnisimmet St
Chelsea, MA 02150
Apollinaire Theatre Company on Facebook

Review by Diana Lu

(Chelsea, MA) Thanksgiving day. Generic WASP family, The Donnelly’s, converges on Two Mile Hollow, a family beach house. Younger son, Joshua, and daughter, Mary, are expecting drama with mother Blythe, but none are expecting older son Christopher to bring his “assistant,” Charlotte, especially not an “assistant”…OF COLOR. On this stormy night, secrets are spilled, social hierarchies are upended, and only one may leave with their self-esteem unscathed. Continue reading →